TiMo
After taking the developed film out of the can today, I noticed the stains on the edges. They’re only in the areas that were in direct contact with the spiral. The spiral was dry when I threaded it. The film was only handled with cotton gloves, so a greasy film can be ruled out.
I assume that the developer didn’t touch these areas (hence the title). However, after agitation, the can was always tapped on the table to prevent air bubbles.
Does anyone have any idea how these areas came about and how to avoid them? I’ve developed quite a few films in the same way before and never had this problem.
Thanks and best regards,
Tim
[ATTACHMENT NOT FOUND]
TR
Hello. This has nothing to do with air bubbles. The film edge is an area that hasn’t been exposed to light. The developer doesn’t work on these areas. So it seems to me that there’s a problem with the fixer here, as it needs to ‘wash out’ all the silver that hasn’t been exposed to light (so that these areas become transparent). Clearly, this hasn’t happened completely in this case.
Did you carry out a clearing time test during fixing, or are you sure that you fixed sufficiently and that your fixer is still working properly?
Thomas
AchimBauer
Hi Tim,
It could happen to the best housewife, so Uncle......
No idea what it could be, but I once had a similar case – see the picture.
I then gave the canister and the spiral a thorough clean, got hold of some expired film from a camera shop, loaded it in daylight to check whether the reel wasn’t winding properly, and then used completely fresh chemicals – and never had any more problems.
Regards, Achim
TiMo
Hi Thomas,
I fixed them twice. I wasn’t sure the first time, so I gave them a quick rinse with water and refixed them with a fresh batch of fixer.
The negatives are all fine. It’s just at the edges. In some places, the labels aren’t properly legible either. Maybe it’s just an unfortunate roll of film.
Thanks (to Achim too).
Edit: Achim, it looks a bit different for you. For me, the spots are like the beige side of the film leader on an unused roll. These areas are also slightly thicker than the residue.
Klaus_H
Hello TiMo,
These kinds of spots appear when a ‘static fixing’ process is carried out.
It is advisable to tilt the container holding the film and fixer three times at least every 30 seconds. – You need to keep it moving!
Best regards,
Klaus
piu58
As far as I can see, this isn’t undeveloped, but unfixed.
Air bubbles tend to collect in the spiral at the bottom of the reels; despite all their advantages, AP spirals are prone to this. Whilst the alkaline environment and movement during development prevent this effect, it occurs during fixing. The simplest remedy: turn the reel over halfway through the fixing time. Or simply move or tilt it whilst it is in the fixer.
TiMo
Now that I think back on it, I reckon Klaus has the solution to the problem. I usually agitate for the first 30 seconds and then every 30 seconds three times during fixing, but this time I was somehow distracted and didn’t start agitating until after 20 seconds. That, combined with a fixer that wasn’t quite fresh anymore, seems to have been enough to cause the spots.
Thanks to everyone for your help!
Tim
