xamxam
Hello,
When I conducted the development of my latest roll of Fuji Neopan Acros 100 in 120 format, I noticed after development that large spots – or what appear to be bubbles – had formed on some of the images; see the attached photos.
I developed four films (Kentmere, Agfa APX and Acros / 3KB and 1MF) in the large Paterson Multi-Reel 8 tank using X-Tol (stock solution).
Are these bubbles the result of not tapping the tank firmly enough on the worktop after agitation? I always make sure to tap it firmly and thoroughly, and this has always worked fine with previous films. Could there be another cause?
I’d be grateful for any advice!
Best regards,
Max
Lichtjahr
Hi Max,
It’s not about tapping the can as hard as possible.
I always tap the can on a folded towel. Every now and then, after tilting it, I give it a harder tap.
Could it be that there are residues of wetting agent left in the can, which are causing a slight build-up of foam?
Best regards,
Edi
Wolfgg
Hi Max,
Did this only happen with one film? Was it at the top of the stack of spirals? Was there enough liquid above the top spiral (at least 1 cm)? Was the can, including the spirals, thoroughly cleaned before the previous run so that no fixer residue remained?
In decades of doing this, I’ve never had a problem with air bubbles in any of the processes, but I do tap the can quite hard twice after each tilt. I also use no more than two spirals on top of each other, because the more there are, the more opportunity the bubbles from the bottom spiral have to get stuck somewhere. That means with four spirals on top of each other, I’d be more likely to tap it hard four times.
Regards, Wolfgang
€
Wolfgg
Another tip:
A good test would be to fill the spirals with scrap film, place them in the canister, seal it with the lid and fill it with water (the same amount as you would use for developer). Then remove the lid again without moving the canister. Now hold the clamping tube firmly with your finger, open the can as before and observe after how many openings no more air bubbles come out of the top spiral. This will tell you how often you need to open the can in your setup to get all the air out.
Regards, Wolfgang
xamxam
Thank you very much for your replies.
So there can’t be any wetting agents or residues from the fixing bath. Everything is always rinsed thoroughly, so I’d rule that out.
The liquid level was also sufficient – or rather, just as we always develop.
One of the four is badly affected, one is less affected, one very slightly, and one hardly at all. That could also be the order in the tank from top to bottom.
As it’s quite rare for us to develop several films at once (or rather, this is the first time we’ve done so with black-and-white), I’d suspect that’s actually the reason. It hadn’t occurred to me that I’d need to agitate more the more spirals/films are in there, but it makes sense.
I’ll definitely try the test run you described first of all – thanks for that!
…
Best regards,
Max
highscore
Hi xamxam
?
Perhaps you should handle your developing tank a bit more gently.
?
As for me, I’m quite rough when developing.
I give it a good shake and a good jolt, and I bang the tank down hard after each agitation.
On one of my developing tanks, the reel clamp is worn out, so sometimes the clamp pops out of its groove.
But that hasn’t ruined a single film for me yet.
?
Regards, Highscore
Bonderer
Somehow I must have been doing something wrong for a long time; I’ve had problems before, but never anything like this. I used to give the can a firm tap, but I haven’t done that since I got the TAS from Heiland. I put the films in the developer, close the lid, clamp it into the processor and start. The other films are pre-soaked first, and then I do the same. I have very good water here, no high limescale content. Could it be that water with a higher limescale content causes problems for the developer?
I’ve read about such errors quite often, but no one has ever really had a solution to hand.
I use the Agfa tilt method, which means it’s moved continuously for the first 30 seconds, just tilting like the TAS processor.
I’ve set the processor to a slow speed: 11–180 revolutions in 30 seconds, nothing more, and it runs smoothly without jerking.
Is it possible that the tilting is too vigorous?
I also always overfill my tins slightly; if foam forms, at least it stays away from the film.
Urnes
Yeah, normally we dance around the enlarger with our developer bottles to the beat of the drum and slam them down on the floor with a bang. :)
€
Joking aside. The €8-fold tank seems to me to be an ambitious undertaking. If you only have 4 films in it, you don’t usually fill it to the brim (do you?), but that also means you’re moving a lot more air when tilting it than in a smaller one. I could also imagine that it makes a difference where the roll film is positioned, or that it’s safer not to mix the two film types so that the bubbles don’t get stuck on the next film. I’m actually only familiar with tanks of that size from rotating tanks or homemade ones, but in those cases the films aren’t tilted – they’re just moved up and down on the axis.?
Regards, Sven.?
