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Why my negatives are so dark

Sidd

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Oct 18, 2023
Messages
129
Location
Kolkata
Format
35mm
I am using this TriX bulk loaded film for over two years. During last last three weeks I have used four rolls, all of them came out such dark as below after development. The example below is the worst, but in other rolls, although the images could be scanned the negatives look such dark.

Please tell me why this happened?

I may say that I am developing B&W films for last six years, presently I am not messing up much of them. This particular roll (and the other 3) was developed in home made Rodinal, which I have used successfully for other films.
 
That film is fogged; meaning its been exposed to light. The edges, the part outside the image area, should be clear. Overexposure or overdeveloping, which can make the image too dark on the film, will not affect the blank edges, but the film being exposed to light will darken the edges. You darkroom or your developing tank or your camera is not light-tight.
 
mshchem said:
That's light struck
Click to expand...

chriscrawfordphoto said:
its been exposed to light
Click to expand...


That's a possibility.

What makes me doubt is that the density gradient appears to be going in the 'wrong' direction:

I'd expect the edge to be darker, not lighter.
You might argue that the light may have struck from the other side - but that edge also looks lighter, not darker.

Another thing that makes me doubtful about light fogging is the fact that there's still a clear image. Usually way room/day light fogging the entire image is obliterated. The kind of fog shown here is however a good possibility of the film was fogged to red safelight; this sometimes happens if people get confused/have a momentary lapse of reason and load their red-sensitive film under red 'safe' light conditions into a development tank.
 
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Other sources of fog are possible - but I'd vote for light struck as well.
Try developing a short snip - just a few frames - that hasn't gone through a camera, and see what you get.
 
Fogged
 
Along with loading the tank with the safelights on, this could also be the result of chemical fogging. If you have some different film - HP4, TMX .... - try developing a snippet of unexposed film and see if it comes out clear or fogged.
 
Actually, I have shot all 4 rolls in different cameras, which are known to me as working fine. I can show you other snippets where I have found workable images. Thirdly, other rolls are evenly stained dark brown. I have tried to test my fixer on a snippet from the same bulk roll, it cleared perfectly except two thin edges above the sprocket holes.

I'll develope a snippet directly without going through a camera, as MattKing suggested.

From the replies above, I can summarise that the roll is somehow fogged. But, how? Can it be heat? I have kept the bulk loader in dark, but in room temperature. And room temperature here goes upto 40°C in summer. Even now in monsoon, when it is less hot, it hovers round 30°C. Air Conditioning runs for about 12 hours daily.
 
Nicholas Lindan said:
Along with loading the tank with the safelights on, this could also be the result of chemical fogging. If you have some different film - HP4, TMX .... - try developing a snippet of unexposed film and see if it comes out clear or fogged.
Click to expand...

I use Lloyd Daylight loader and load my thank in dark bag, which I have checked to be totally light proof.

Just to check, I have tried some HP5+ today, which is kept alongside the TriX in a different bulk loader. It came fine.
 
How old? If it's (more or less) uniform through the entire bulk roll it could be a number of things.

Something is happening that is allowing the developer to produce black metallic silver. Unless, (it's not clear from the photo), it's some type of an uniform stain.

Are you mixing the developer properly?
 
Sidd said:
Can it be heat?
Click to expand...

Unlikely, unless the film also happens to be very, very old.

Did you ever get good images at all from this bulk roll of film? Maybe the entire bulk roll is x-ray fogged. This can happen if it was subjected to very intense x-rays for inspection purposes.


retina_restoration said:
+1
I'm betting this is chemical fogging
Click to expand...

But he used the same developer on other rolls of film that came out fine.
 
mshchem said:
Wait define " home made Rodinal"
Click to expand...

I have made Rodinal following the simplified Wolfen formula posted here (apug) by Patrick Gainer in 2006. Screenshot shared below. I have developed before using the same preparation, which produced very good results. But, that was a different film.

 
koraks said:
To verify, have you developed other film successfully with the same batch of developer?
Click to expand...

Yes, the other film, a Kodak XX respooled roll, was developed quite successfully. In fact, I have posted two images in a different thread few days ago.
 
koraks said:
Did you ever get good images at all from this bulk roll of film? Maybe the entire bulk roll is x-ray fogged. This can happen if it was subjected to very intense x-rays for inspection purposes.
Click to expand...

Yes, I have got good images from this bulk roll earlier. But, I have not used it for about one year before these four rolls.
 
koraks said:
Have you done anything in the space where this film was stored that involved releases of hydrogen sulfide gas?
Click to expand...

In that space only films (both unexposed and developed) and a few lenses, filters and one or two unused cameras, and books are kept. I haven't spread any chemicals or gases there, knowingly at least.
 

They're uniformly fogged and the film is probably out of date and poorly stored.
You could try some developer with antifoggant agent in it, like Ilford Ilfosol 3 but I don't know if it will work to tame the fog.
 
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Sidd said:
In that space only films (both unexposed and developed) and a few lenses, filters and one or two unused cameras, and books are kept. I haven't spread any chemicals or gases there, knowingly at least.
Click to expand...

Theoretically books binding adhesives have formaldehyde in it. Could be this one.
Or the furnitures.
 
I am puzzled like koraks as Sidd has seemed to have given answers that eliminates all suggested causes Something has changed but I cannot think what that might be that Sidd hasn't covered

pentaxuser
 
MattKing said:
......
Try developing a short snip - just a few frames - that hasn't gone through a camera, and see what you get.
Click to expand...

That would get us closer to the cause.

That there is image as well as severe overall fog suggests to me that heat might be the cause. I bought a roll of Neopan400 in southern Mexico from a kiosk at an archeological site that was well with its use by date and I was shocked by the amount of general fog. The OP has described very hot conditions, and the film might be fairly old.
 

isn't TriX a panchromatic film? and doesn't the 'pan' part mean it's also sensitive to red light?
 
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