Reddish edge on Fujichromes in my JOBO - help!

[eumenius]

Hello friends,

I am getting same and same disappointing thing when I develop my 4x5 Fuji slides in 3010 10-sheet JOBO Expert Drum on my CPP2, in Fuji Hunt chemistry. Though I always use fresh chemistry made from concentrates right before work, and I keep my eye on rotation, water jacket level, volumes and temperatures, the "outer" edge of my slides often looks pronounced reddish. This effect is also seen on unexposed pieces of film covered by the film holder - and it is always on the edge of film that is looking to the tank cap side. I tried to rebleach the films, but it didn't apparently help too much. I did that only once. While the Dmax of my film on one side of the sheet, that is closer to drum's bottom, is quite dense and neutral, on the another edge it's visually less dense and definitely is reddish. Sometimes the effect was appearing as the reddish gradient on the whole upper third of film sheet

What can be wrong with my process? I am very puzzled, I have done everything in strict accordance with the instructions supplied with FujiHunt kit. Is it a leuco dye formation, and maybe I need to oxidize my bleach more - aerating it before pouring into machine like mad, or adding there, say, some of the hydrogen peroxide? Please, extend me a helping hand - I just don't know how to fight it ((

Cheers from Russia,
Zhenya

 

[Lopaka]

The JOBO will aerate the bleach adequately without doing anything fancy. According to the tests run by JOBO-USA (before they closed),
the first wash (after first developer) must be at correct temp. If it is a bit too warm, a reddish cast will result; cyan cast if the first wash
is too cool. I don't know if this is your problem, but checking the temp of this step is worth a try.

Bob

 

[eumenius]

Yes, Bob, this may be my problem - but on my very last E6 cycle I have measured the first wash temperature very carefully, and it was exactly +38C. Well, on the next try I will try to see what happens if it is +37C. Your version seems to me to be the most reasonable explanation - looks like the film is being locally overdeveloped a bit on the edge closest to the chemistry entrance to the drum. I have this unpleasant phenomenon only with sheet films in my Expert drum, and nothing like this with both 135 and 120 film - so it is the geometry of the drum that counts, too. I also thought that something is wrong with the first wash temp, so maybe I have to experiment with it. Thank you for a helpful suggestion!

Zhenya

The JOBO will aerate the bleach adequately without doing anything fancy. According to the tests run by JOBO-USA (before they closed),
the first wash (after first developer) must be at correct temp. If it is a bit too warm, a reddish cast will result; cyan cast if the first wash
is too cool. I don't know if this is your problem, but checking the temp of this step is worth a try.

Bob

 

[Roscoe]

The only time I've encountered this it was caused by insufficient solution volume. Is your drum level? Are you using enough solution? You might try increasing volume and see if it goes away.

 

[Pupfish]

The total area of the film being developed determines how much chemistry you need. Jobo instructions for volume typically indicate only how much chemistry is required to cover the film or paper. There can be enough of a difference to louse up processing, as I found out to my chagrin years ago when first doing Ilfochrome prints on my CPP2.

I'd also be curious what drain time you're using for each step (and that you've double checked to be certain that you're actually clearing all the chemistry out of the tank)? If you were draining a step too soon or draining too long (and including the drain time in the total processing time) it might result in a gradient biased toward the lid.

I'd second that it's always good to check that your processor and tank while down in the tray and rotating is perfectly level. (Though I can't say for sure how this would affect the Expert drums-- these have a gimballed film holder arrangement of some sort, if I'm not mistaken?)

But if I had to guess off the top of my head, it'd be that your temperature is somehow inconsistent from one end of the drum to the other. Could be that your pump isn't putting out enough volume? I see that you did mention water level in the jacket, but here's another place where Jobo might be stingy in it's recommendation. While not based on any experience with Expert Drums, I have found that I've got the water tray level/drain plug set for adequate water depth only when the tank is just shy of bobbing up to bind the geartrain while rotating the the down position.

Final thought, are you preheating everything in the processor while rotating it dry for 5 minutes, prior to adding the chemistry?

 

[nworth]

I'm not sure what the reddish places look like or just how they are distributed, so I'm guessing. Low solution volume is one possibility. A small light leak is another, especially since the problem is at the cap end.

 

[2F/2F]

I would think this is a light leak issue. Fogging on color film *is* reddish before going totally white. Solution volume is definitely something to consider, but it would likely not cause the problems the OP is having. It would cause dense, splotchy undeveloped areas all over the film, and those areas that maybe got overdeveloped would not be reddish and thin, but just thin. In my experience with the same tank, any uneven development is seen all over the film, not just at the top end. I routinely use my 3010 on a manual roller base with 250mL (40mL over the min. and 100mL under the max.) to do 10 sheets, and have always had no problems except for the one time I skipped a presoak.

Zhenya, I would try a batch in pitch darkness and see what happens.

 

[eumenius]

Dear friends,
thank you very much for your adices! Indeed, that was the first wash - one degree hotter than +38, so perhaps it caused some overdevelopment there. +37C wash works just fine with no issues.

Thanks again!

Zhenya