Small white specks on negatives, don't think it's dust, what is it?.

Sirius Glass · Sep 7, 2023

Ron (Netherlands) said:
had the same experience with - too - old developer (in my case HC110 )- this type of developer comes in fluid actually a type of syrup. If it gets too old, the syrup seems to lump and can stick to the negative during development causing speckles.

Would filtering the chemicals eliminate the specks?

Ron (Netherlands) · Sep 8, 2023

Sirius Glass said:
Would filtering the chemicals eliminate the specks?

filtering won't be easy since the liquid is a kind of syrup and is quite sticky.
My HC-110 developer was about 8 years old and although always kept in a dark and cool environment, I guess it got really too old for 'speckless use'.
Btw after about 4/5 years the syrup became each year more sticky so it seemed

Here's one of my samples:

jeffreyg · Sep 8, 2023

I used D76 for a number of years before switching to ID11 but never had the problem you reported Used both with different films. I dissolved the powder with fairly hot distilled water that had been heated in a microwave oven. Mixed small amounts of the powder at a time until it appeared dissolved. I developed at 1:1 and 68F according to mfg times and agitation unless I wanted more contrast. Used filtered water stop and fix followed by clear and wash with filtered water. I have a cartridge filter in my darkroom and we are on well water so chlorine isn’t an issue but iron and other stuff is. But despite all I haven’t had problems.

Stick with ID11 or IlfotecDDX if that solves the problem because film has gotten expensive. And always use fresh chemistry.

Doremus Scudder · Sep 9, 2023

Ron,

That looks a whole lot more like a backing paper issue than spots from developer. If you use 120 film, maybe check for that, it seems to be a common problem these days.

Doremus

Law251 · Jun 20, 2024

Greg Heath said:
I had something like this when I was not filtering our hard water full of city chlorine. I put in a darkroom inline filter and haven't had any problems since. I wasn't sure it was the water as I was using Arista film. It's like one of the cheapest films you can get.

I thought it was either, crappy water, chemicals, air bubbles..

I think for me, it turned out to be chlorine in the water reacting with the chemicals. I use rodinal pretty much all of the time, so I can't comment on any other developer. I can't prove that but I installed the house filter on the cold water side in the darkroom and I had no more problems. I dumped all my chemicals and started over with the filtered water.

Greg

Just read this old thread. I have exactly the same problem and I've tried everything to fix it. So thanks for the tip, the water here is highly chlorinated so that's most likely the cause.

Doremus Scudder · Jun 20, 2024

Do check your fixer for particulates. Even unused fixer can sulfur-out due to aging.

Doremus

Augustus Caesar · Jun 20, 2024

Did you use acid stop bath?

campy51 · Jun 21, 2024

I started another thread with the same problem.

What's this? - specks and 120 Catlabs X 80II

Can someone tell me what I did wrong? Catlabs X 80II, HC-110 at solution B for 6:30 and fixed for over 3 minutes with rapid fixer. Is it a wash problem?

www.photrio.com

DeletedAcct1 · Jun 22, 2024

horacekenneth said:
This is arista.edu 400 developed in D76. Did everything the same way I always do it, hung them up to dry in the spot I always hang them. I get dust but nothing this small or this much. It's on every picture, on both rolls I developed together, it's everywhere.

Does this look like anything you've seen before? I've got two ideas right now, maybe a problem with the chemicals (didn't happen last time though with the same batch), I'm also wondering if maybe it's pollen. It's just very very fine and everywhere.

To me is the fixer the culprit.

Augustus Caesar · Jun 22, 2024

Alessandro Serrao said:
To me is the fixer the culprit.

I had this problem a few years back when I omitted stop bath, and used plain water instead. I think the left-over developer reacted with the fixer to form a precipitate.

Small white specks on negatives, don't think it's dust, what is it?.

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