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  #11  
Old 1st April 2015, 01:23 PM
Terry S Terry S is offline
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Hi again Chris.

I've just had a lightbulb moment, which may (or maynot) help in solving the problem...

As you are unsure whether it's your chemicals or water etc rather than the film, although it does just seem to be Ilford films from what I've read.

May I suggest that I or another member offers to process a film for you to see if the problem surfaces itself in different hands.

As I've said, i'm not sure if that will help in solving the problem but maybe it's worth a try?

PM me if you would like me to help out but please don't send me a film of extra value to you just in case!

Terry S

PS I meant to say, I generally use Rodinal.

Last edited by Terry S; 1st April 2015 at 01:24 PM. Reason: Missed a line of text off.
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  #12  
Old 1st April 2015, 03:25 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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The problem it seems to me is that everything we have suggested as a possible problem should have applied equally to the other films but didn't.

I am into the long shot stuff now but can anyone think of a water problem that might not affect its colour or taste but that might produce the effect?.

Even if our offer of developing the film solves the problem, does that mean it was your water, Chris or is it still your water and if it does, has it gone away for good?

I am not sure that other than returning a "good" film to Chris it actually gets to the bottom of his issue.

If you have another unused FP4 I'd be tempted to expose it, cut it in half then develop half at home and "borrow" water from the neighbour at more or less the same time as you use your own and develop the second half in the neighbour's water to see if there is any difference

This kind of uncertainty is disturbing to say the least. I'd certainly contact Ilford again to find out what it discovered.

Finally did the original bad FP4 and the second bad FP4 come from the same source and were the good FP4s from a different source? It's a pretty tough film but if both are from the same source then it might be possible that something about the storage conditions has created the problem

Mike
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  #13  
Old 1st April 2015, 04:26 PM
Richard Gould Richard Gould is offline
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Hi Chris and welcome to Fadu, Am I right that this problem first started with the Ilfosol, and is still there with the ID11, ? if so I would also suggest that, somehow, your water is the problem, but it is certainly strange that it has only affected FP4 and nothing else, I suggest mixing a fresh batch of developer, and using de ionsed water to mix it, it has to be something in the development stage I would think, I can't see anything else affecting the film in this way, so the developer is the place to start, if that doesn't cure the problem then try changing the other things, one at a time until the problem is cured, If you change everything at once then you will never find out what the problem was in the first place,
As far as Ilford are concerned, their customer service is first class, if there was a problem with the film batch I am sure they would have owned up, they have in the past, The only other thing that could cause a problem is bad storage conditions, but were all of the films, good or bad, stored in the same way or were the bad films stored differently from the others, also, where did you get the bad films from, if different from the good films it could be a storage problem the place you got them from. Hope you find the problem soon,best of luck
Richard
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  #14  
Old 1st April 2015, 06:09 PM
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photomi7ch photomi7ch is offline
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I thought I should add some more detail.

When this happened to me I was using PMK Pyro I changed developer to ID11 At the same time I stopped putting wetting agent in to the tank. i now move the film to a container with wetting agent in. I also made up fresh stop and fix as well and also gave the tank and reel a very good wash.
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  #15  
Old 2nd April 2015, 08:37 AM
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B&W Neil B&W Neil is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tedward View Post
Hi Neil,
No, that I haven't tried! Would that be filter paper in a funnel? ..............
Hi Ted,

I do filter my chemicals in to the tank and have done this for more years than I can remember! I use dedicated filter funnels but you can use a paper coffee filter (thrown away after use) in a funnel instead.

Sometimes stored mixed chemicals can produced minute particles which are hard to see (especially the powdered chemicals) but more importantly there may be minute particles in your mains water supply. It only needs the water company to make a repair on a supply pipe that is near to your home to send some debris in your direction. And you can bet your life it will be just when you are developing your precious films.

A good tip I picked up back in the 80s from a professional printer was to always store your measuring / mixing cylinders upside down to stop dust settling in the bottom. An obvious thing to do when you think about it, especially if you are not using them that often.

Neil.
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Last edited by B&W Neil; 2nd April 2015 at 09:05 AM.
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  #16  
Old 2nd April 2015, 08:02 PM
Tedward Tedward is offline
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Hi again -

MANY thanks for all the continuing ideas / suggestions / input. I'll try to cover all the points raised.

After my original probs'I used the films Ilford sent me - presumably ALL from the same batch as they had the same 2017 date on them? The first film to go 'wrong' a few days ago is from this batch (as sent from Ilford), the first few being processed just fine.The films obviously arrived together in the same box and have been stored in the cool and dry cubby hole under the sink until usage. (Along with some films that have been there for 10 years + like the Jessops)

I recently used and developed an old AGfa PAN 25 which had a 1992 use-by date. It came out absolutely perfectly.. (What an amazing film that was for sharpness!)

I always use a Paterson water filter for all water used and occasionally clean the mesh which always has the odd spot or two of deposits in it. Never tried filter paper though...

I had also come up with the idea of cutting a film in half and trying it here and by someone else for the other half. This would probably identify whether it is 'me', assuming of course that my half exhibits the fault with the other half being good!

That's an interesting tip about storing the mixing vesels inverted. I'll try that from now on.

I took 10 shots today on the Delta 100 roll so only 6 to go and I will process it. I have another of the Jessops Pans in another cam' with a few more shots to go, so will probably have this developed as well with in the week ~~~~

I certainly agree that changing multiple 'things' at once will never allow the problem to be solved. For this reason I'll try to develop the Delta much the same as I always do...
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  #17  
Old 2nd April 2015, 09:07 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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I may be missing something when I say this but unless the other successfully developed films were done almost contemporaneously to the "dodgy" Ilford I am still tempted to think that something happened to your water supply temporarily based on the information you provide above which is helpful.

On balance I am truly puzzled and really no nearer to solving it for you

Mike
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  #18  
Old 2nd April 2015, 09:20 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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Another clutching at straws question. Can we take it that the studio photo you give us is a scan of the print or is it a reversal of the neg?

What I am getting at is: If it is not a print which really looks this bad could it be a scanner fault of the neg

Have you been able to check the neg under a grain focuser and does the problem show up like the scan?

You'll have to forgive me here. It is just that on another forum( but not here on FADU) an awful lot of neg faults turn out to be scanner issues.

Mike
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  #19  
Old 3rd April 2015, 06:46 AM
Richard Gould Richard Gould is offline
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This has got me really puzzled, just clutching at straws but was there any work in your area on the water supply when you have had problems, especialy when you mixed the IDll, I can't think of what else it could be except for something to do with water,also, as Mike says, is it on the print or is it the negative, and if the negative is it every negative on the roll or just some of them,From your last post I assume that you are using MF, if so try some 35mm and see if they are affected in the same way,
Richard
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  #20  
Old 3rd April 2015, 11:37 AM
Tedward Tedward is offline
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Hi again,

It's interesting that a lot seems to be pointing to a possible water issue. Strange that the first films processed by Januarys ID11 were fine and it's only the latest usage from the same batch of developer that 'went wrong'. What I will do however, is mix up the next batch (of ID11) with water sourced elsewhere!

As for the scan, the actual 'faults' can usually be seen on the negs by eye and confirmed with a x4 magnifier. The neg. scans just show the extent of the problem

Another weird anomoly is that the fault sometimes appears far more pronounced in different areas of the film.

Some areas of the emulsion being a lot worse affected than in others. In the areas that are bad, the blotchyness is not only on the top or the bottom, say, but all over the whole neg. from top to bottom. Not necesasarily at the beginning or the end of the film either...
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