Purple Haze -- Noobie question

[DanMcGuire]

Hello.
I am experimenting with developing my own film and would like to pose a question to more experienced people. I am doing 4x5 sheet film 1 at a time.
The negatives that I am ending up with have a purple haze on them. One neg is almost completly purple and the others have splotches. This leads me to believe that the splotches are related to chemistry. But why.
Did I make a bad batch of developer, not leave them in the stop bath long enough, no good fixing.

If anyone has any ideas as to what is up I would thank them for their advice

 

[Claire Senft]

It sounds as if the negatives have not been fully fixed. Make sure that you have good fixer and give them additional fixing and washing. In time the negatives should clear and the total fixing as a rule of thumb be double that time.

 

[Jim Jones]

Some film has an anti-halation layer that appears purple until it is washed out. Try rewashing yours.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

ditto the washing and the fixing recommendations. What film in particular are you using? I would recommend a good several minute (2-3 minutes) pre-wash before developing to remove the anti-halation dyes, and make sure you fix adequately. If you could tell us what fixing procedure you are using (which chemistry, at what dilution, and for how long) it would help to diagnose the problem.

 

[DanMcGuire]

Thank you for your replies
I am using ILford delta film with ilford checicals
The chemicals are at home and I am at work so I am unable to give exact answers.
As per your suggestions I will rewash the negs again.

 

[DanMcGuire]

The idea of a prewash being used was brought up

What is the general thoughts on this

Anybody

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

The reason I presoak is that the emulsion seems to soak up the developer chemistry more uniformly. Other than that, it's good for washing the film clean of contaminants, and to get rid of some of the color dyes on the film. YOu can get some pretty cool colors to look at too...

- Thom

 

[srs5694]

My experience is that some films (particularly some Ilford films) come out slightly purple even when they've been very well fixed, cleared, and washed. If you're getting variable or splotchy results, though, this almost certainly indicates insufficient fixing and/or washing. Using hypo clear will help get rid of these dyes in many cases.

You can re-fix, re-clear, and re-wash your existing negatives to get rid of any problems in your already processed negatives. For new negatives, as Claire mentions, the rule of thumb is to fix the film for twice the clearing time -- however, I'll add that most sources say you should fix the film for three times the clearing time if you use T-grain films. After that, I use a short (~1-minute) rinse, a 2-minute hypo clear step, a 5-minute wash or (for films fixed with a non-hardening fixer) the Ilford washing sequence (fill the tank, agitate five times, dump; fill the tank, agitate ten times, dump; fill the tank, agitate twenty times, dump), and finally a 30-second dunk in Photo Flo.

When you're working with 35mm, getting a clearing time estimate is easy: You can use a small snip of film (such as from the leader) dunked in fixer. I'm not sure what to suggest for sheet film, since I've never used that and I don't know what sheet film users do to determine clearing time. Maybe you could sacrifice a sheet -- cut it up into small squares to use for clearing-time tests. Note that clearing time varies from one film to another, so you should determine clearing time using the film type you're processing.

 

[Rolleiflexible]

I alway prewash film before processing, in part to remove the antihalation dyes. I process in Jobo tanks, and Jobo recommends prewashing for five minutes to ensure even development and to slow the process a bit (to compensate for the constant agitation of a rotating tank). Works for me. Sanders

 

[frugal]

I've had the same problem with 35mm in the past. At the art college where I was doing my processing they recommended 5 minutes of fix, I increased that to 6 minutes and that cleared up my problems with purple negatives.

You might want to take an undeveloped piece of film (like a film leader for 35mm) and see how long it takes to clear in your fix, that will help you gauge if your fix has been exhausted. Off the top of my head, I can't think of what the usual clearing time should be although I'm sure someone can tell you.

 

[Bob F.]

Definitely sounds like under fixing - don't just re-wash, re-fix it first.

Test your fixer before use. Gently agitated film strength rapid fixer should clear a piece of film leader in a minute or so, often less. Fix the film for at least twice this time - 4 times is safer. If you re-use the fixer, test it again before use and if the new clearing time is twice the original time, discard it and make up some fresh.

Ilford recommend not pre-washing their film, warning of uneven development if you do. However, lots of people ignore this warning without any problems.

Good luck, Bob.

 

[Donald Miller]

I had something like this happen yesterday. I regularly develop my 4X5 film in tubes with Pyrocat HD. I prewash it for five minutes...develop ...and then use a plain water stop bath before going into the fixer.

Previously, based on the experience of Sandy King, I opened the tubes in light after dumping the developer and rinsing before the fix with no problems...I have been doing it that way for a couple of years.

Yesterday, I had the purplish cast to the negatives and the appearance of incomplete fixing...so I mixed up fresh rapid fix...with the same results as before.

When I did the stop in darkness the problem went away. This was with Efke PL 100 my favorite film.

This may not be what you are experiencing...just thought that I would mention it on the chance that may be the problem or for those who may experience the same problem at some time.