As you can see, the learning stage is still a fresh memory for most of us! I hope these extra comments will help.
The tank needs to be clean of course, but most of it doesn't need to be bone dry. The reel must be dry, however, otherwise it will be difficult to load, and it takes some time to get all the moisture out of the grooves. I suspect that is why you are seeing emulsion damage at the sprocket holes. Also, don't try to load film into reels straight after taking the cassette from the camera, because the film will have a reverse curl that makes loading difficult. Leave it in the cassette overnight and load it the next day: you'll find it much, much easier.
I agree with the earlier poster about cat hair and dander, but suspect you are most likely to have acquired those during drying. A dust-free environment is important, the more so with small format. Curiously, a dry shower cubicle is often the best place in the house, but be sure to warn other family members!
Are you using enough chemical in the tank: 290ml per film? (I always do 300 ml because it's easier to measure. The extra fits in OK; or you could mix 300 and throw 10ml away)
There is a good case to be made for a stop bath if your developer is of the energetic kind (which HC110 is) so that development time is brief and seconds make a difference; also to preserve the life of your fixer. If you do use water to arrest development (I do, but I use a soft working developer), you should ideally prepare in advance a litre of water at about the same temperature as the developer. When you have poured out the developer (swiftly), fill the tank with water (also swiftly), agitate briefly and dump, twice.
I think most of us have come to the conclusion that the box speed of 3200 ISO is very optimistic for Delta 3200, which might explain the haziness and lack of shadow detail in your cat and window surround. But it also looks as though you may have metered off the scene outside as seen through the window, rather than off the cat or other part of the interior?
The tank needs to be clean of course, but most of it doesn't need to be bone dry. The reel must be dry, however, otherwise it will be difficult to load, and it takes some time to get all the moisture out of the grooves. I suspect that is why you are seeing emulsion damage at the sprocket holes. Also, don't try to load film into reels straight after taking the cassette from the camera, because the film will have a reverse curl that makes loading difficult. Leave it in the cassette overnight and load it the next day: you'll find it much, much easier.
I agree with the earlier poster about cat hair and dander, but suspect you are most likely to have acquired those during drying. A dust-free environment is important, the more so with small format. Curiously, a dry shower cubicle is often the best place in the house, but be sure to warn other family members!
Are you using enough chemical in the tank: 290ml per film? (I always do 300 ml because it's easier to measure. The extra fits in OK; or you could mix 300 and throw 10ml away)
There is a good case to be made for a stop bath if your developer is of the energetic kind (which HC110 is) so that development time is brief and seconds make a difference; also to preserve the life of your fixer. If you do use water to arrest development (I do, but I use a soft working developer), you should ideally prepare in advance a litre of water at about the same temperature as the developer. When you have poured out the developer (swiftly), fill the tank with water (also swiftly), agitate briefly and dump, twice.
I think most of us have come to the conclusion that the box speed of 3200 ISO is very optimistic for Delta 3200, which might explain the haziness and lack of shadow detail in your cat and window surround. But it also looks as though you may have metered off the scene outside as seen through the window, rather than off the cat or other part of the interior?
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