Stupid mistakes in the darkroom

archer · Aug 3, 2009

Dear Clayne;
In the days of the tight deadlines for Life magazine, Gene insisted on doing his own processing and printing to keep control of his work out of the hands of editors and because he shot so much, souping two rolls of film on one reel helped speed his workflow. It worked for him and some others, as well as developing by inspection which was something I wouldn't even attempt.
Denise Libby

PBrooks · Aug 3, 2009

Stupid, Thinking I could just put my negs in plastic print file negative sleeves in Taiwan. Even with dehumidifier no good!!!!

DutchShooter · Aug 3, 2009

After 41 shots on 35mm/36 roll, I didn't trust it and didn't see the film-rewind knob moving. So I thought: I must have attached the leader to the take-up spool incorrectly and opened the back of the camera to attach it correctly...to find out I ripped the film out of the casette and just spoiled the whole roll which now was on the take-up spool...

CBG · Aug 3, 2009

OK - time to fess up.

Mixed some fresh D-23 a few days ago. The results seemed suspiciously brown almost immediately. I first thought I had received some questionable metol or some mislabeled chemical. Mistrustful, I tossed a fragment of totally exposed sheet film in to see if indeed I had a developer, and when it darkened properly I thought, well, OK, it's just a light tan, never seen it quite like that before...

I then turned off the lights and processed a sheet of film and got a very foggy, very overdeveloped sheet, and some very, very, dark, totally spent developer. I knew I had something more than just an idiosyncratic batch of metol. I then noticed that I had picked up the wrong huge container of sulfite. It wasn't sulfite at all, it was metaborate. I had forgotten I had that second huge container.

There is a reason to read the label. I now know for sure what a developer does when formulated with no preservative and way more accelerator than it should.

Aron · Aug 27, 2009

Here is the situation: taking photos at an air show, bulk-loaded film cassettes slightly overloaded (41 frames/cassette). I tried to get the exposures perfect, also using the lens at its best aperture. Trying to get that very last "fantastic" shot of that jet flying just in front of me...
And I advanced the film after getting to the last frame without thinking, so the tape holding the end of the film to the spool in the cassette broke.
No way of rewinding the film, no changing bag, no second camera but the air show was still going on waiting for me getting that "amazing" photo... I opened my camera, ripped out the film and tossed it in a bin and reloaded my camera.

People couldn't imagine what the matter was.

John Lawrence · Aug 27, 2009

I was once given a Paterson contact printer for 35mm, and spent hours "taping" the negatives inside the glass (and even printed a few contact sheets that way!), before I realised the right way to use it

WolfTales · Aug 27, 2009

I once used exhausted fixer on a roll of 120. It came out still pink and mostly solid with just a hint of image. Took it out in broad light and gasped and shoved it back in the tank again. Used fresh fixer and all came out ok.

Also had the top lid stuck once and tried everything to jam it open. Ended up over developing by 4 minutes as I tried desperately to knock the top off against the corner of the sink.

Sirius Glass · Aug 27, 2009

Aron said:
Here is the situation: taking photos at an air show, bulk-loaded film cassettes slightly overloaded (41 frames/cassette). I tried to get the exposures perfect, also using the lens at its best aperture. Trying to get that very last "fantastic" shot of that jet flying just in front of me...
And I advanced the film after getting to the last frame without thinking, so the tape holding the end of the film to the spool in the cassette broke.
No way of rewinding the film, no changing bag, no second camera but the air show was still going on waiting for me getting that "amazing" photo... I opened my camera, ripped out the film and tossed it in a bin and reloaded my camera.

People couldn't imagine what the matter was.

Open the camera.
[Insert profanity here]
Remove the cassette.
[Insert profanity here]
Bang hard with the end of the cassette to open it.
[Insert profanity here]
Re-tape the film to the spool.
[Insert profanity here]
Close the cassette.
[Insert profanity here]
Put cassette back into the camera.
[Insert profanity here]
Close the camera.
[Insert profanity here]
Rewind the film.
[Insert profanity here]
Remove roll of film.
[Insert profanity here]
Load a new roll of film.
[End profanity mode here]
Develop the film.
Most of the photographs will be usable.

Steve

eddie · Aug 27, 2009

Timely thread, in my case...
I was printing Saturday. I drain my archival print washer into a utility sink, with the hose. For some reason, I had moved the hose out of the sink a few days before. I didn't put it back in before printing. After awhile, I noticed my sneakers getting "squishy"...

glbeas · Aug 27, 2009

When I was using reloadable cassettes I would always run the tape around the spindle back around to the other side of the film so it was taped both sides, I never had one tear loose.

Aron · Aug 28, 2009

Steve,
I should have thought before throwing the film away. I was just too excited to think. However there were some photos on the other roll, which I liked.

Gary, I today reloaded a cassette, now using your method. I later realised the problem was that the surface between the sticky side of the tape and the film simply wasn't sufficient.

Edit: Thank you Gary for the trick, there was absolutely no problem at the end of the roll of film I shot and developed tonight.

Sirius Glass · Aug 28, 2009

Aron said:
Steve,
I should have thought before throwing the film away. I was just too excited to think. However there were some photos on the other roll, which I liked.

I threw out several rolls of Kodak UC 400 in 120, which is no longer available except in my freezer, when the automatic film counter did not go to '1'. Then the other day, I figured out that I should just keep on cranking the film until it was all wound up on the "exposed" spool, and then remove the roll, put a rubber band around it [thus marking it as unexposed], and rewinding it in a changing bag later. Yesteday I got the film back checked out. The repairman mini-cleaned and adjusted it. He could not repeat the problem. But now I have a plan if it happens again.

Steve

DeBone 75 · Aug 28, 2009

Just the other day I left the door open on my uder counter frig. Had most of my paper and film in it. It thawed and soaked most every thing in it. The stuff that was in the plastic inner bag is all right but the older stuff in the paper wrappers, that can not be replaced, is toast.

bob100684 · Aug 28, 2009

fix develop wash....thats the proper order...right?

Sirius Glass · Aug 28, 2009

bob100684 said:
fix develop wash....thats the proper order...right?

Only on bad days.

Steve

Peter de Groot · Aug 28, 2009

I haven't spent enough time in the darkroom for major f u's. However every once in a while after focussing and proper composition I expose, develop and start wondering why the paper is not showing a picture. Only to remeber I didn't remove the red glass while exposing.
Other thing when I did my first LF. I took a shot. Put down the negative holder, rearrange the props come back and wondering which is already exposed?
Last thing was that I did remember if I loaded my Yashica Mat with color or b/w. The dial on the camera said color but I didn't trust myself. My bright idea was to open the cam check it out with a small red light and close it again. To bad the camera then thinks it had received a new film. It was a black and white film. And it will turn out with a big clear part in the middle.

mhcfires · Aug 29, 2009

I don't have a darkroom at present. I do have a very nice walk-in closet in my bedroom in which I have set up a small table and chair so that I might load film holders, developing tanks, etc. iPods, cell phones, they have ruined a few sheets for me, but you HAVE TO REMEMBER to be sure the cat is not napping in a corner before you close off the area. My kitty is no help when I have an open box of film on the table. She has managed to knock film, holders, the entire box onto the carpet. And it she sits on an open holder you will be blessed with these funny hair lines all over your photo.

Anon Ymous · Aug 29, 2009

Luckily, I haven't done something very bad. The usual mistake is not stopping down the enlarger lens after focusing and having a totally black test strip

Chris Nielsen · Aug 29, 2009

Anon Ymous said:
Luckily, I haven't done something very bad. The usual mistake is not stopping down the enlarger lens after focusing and having a totally black test strip

Good to see it's not just me that does that!! I normally catch it pretty quick once I see the super bright image appear

Anon Ymous · Aug 29, 2009

This has to be the most common mistake Chris, it's just that it doesn't really hurt (like developing film in fixer).

stealthman_1 · Aug 29, 2009

Loaded some 4x5 holders with Rollei Ortho 25, brand new, 50 sheet box. Finished and flipped on the light to see my remaining film (oh 40 sheets or so) sitting there on the counter! Flipped the light off as quick as I could...fortunately the film was covered by the cardboard and has the tissue between each sheet...but the sheets are fogged at the edges.

I always put my iPhone in the drawer before the lights go out...you know why!

LF Cameras...first three sheets of Tech Pan 4x5, improperly loaded into holders...all three popped into the bellows on shoving in the darkslide...and I do mean shoving.:rolleyes:

removed account4 · Aug 29, 2009

loading film into film holders emulsion side down

colrehogan · Aug 29, 2009

Anon Ymous said:
Luckily, I haven't done something very bad. The usual mistake is not stopping down the enlarger lens after focusing and having a totally black test strip

I made the mistake of making an exposure the other night and then removing the lens prior to putting the darkslide back in. It was night and there were no obvious lights coming towards me. I'm not sure what will happen with this negative. :confused:

DUH!!

clayne · Aug 30, 2009

Anon Ymous said:
This has to be the most common mistake Chris, it's just that it doesn't really hurt (like developing film in fixer).

Yeah I think this is extremely common. One of the things that happens is printers developer "enlarger lens OCD" aka constantly grabbing the aperture ring and twisting to the left before exposing (even if they just did it 2 minutes ago). ;-)

Guillaume Zuili · Aug 30, 2009

Not proud of this one...
My dad was radiologist and had his medical office at home in Paris. One sunday parents leave for the day. Girlfriend to be comes at home. I show the medical side to impress the girl. And I go to the darkroom. And I show the baths, the machines... And I show the film.
Monday morning I go to school. Monday evening go back from school... and it was the first and only time my dad slapped me on the face.
I had killed I don't want to know how many film...
I was 16 and from that day I knew light was no good in a darkroom.
Still not proud of that today.

Stupid mistakes in the darkroom

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