black dots and dust

[dejected]

how do i get rid of them?

are they normal after post developing? attached imaged for reference.



I realised they only appear after the 15th frame onwards. the 1st fifteen frames are free of black dots.

My processing method as follows:

Tmax dev 20Deg 1:4, 8.30minutes (5sec shake and knock every 1min intervals)
No stopper, use running water to wash
Fixer 1:4, 5minutes (5sec shake and knock every 1min intervals)
Ilford wetter (agar agar)
Overnight drying

[maddyks]

Check the film for any problems with emulsion.

If emulsion is good, then find out whether your film is touching something when it is drying as you say it is from 15th frame onwards. Look at your workflow very carefully to see where the film is gathering dust from.

Dry in a place where it is a bit wet like your washroom as the wetness keeps the dust levels down.

[dejected]

I left it hanging near the wash area.

I'm thinking it might be the bubbles which was not dislodged during developing

Originally Posted by maddyks Check the film for any problems with emulsion. If emulsion is good, then find out whether your film is touching something when it is drying as you say it is from 15th frame onwards. Look at your workflow very carefully to see where the film is gathering dust from. Dry in a place where it is a bit wet like your washroom as the wetness keeps the dust levels down.

[welspain]

i think this is caused by not using a stop bath, you should include it in your work flow, water is not enough to stop the developer in processing your film and average temp of tap water is between 25-29 deg which is too high. if you will not use a stopbath the chemical will continue in developing even during fixation.

[maddyks]

Originally Posted by welspain i think this is caused by not using a stop bath, you should include it in your work flow, water is not enough to stop the developer in processing your film and average temp of tap water is between 25-29 deg which is too high. if you will not use a stopbath the chemical will continue in developing even during fixation.

I don't use stop bath either but never had this issue. But yours is a good point to make.

[welspain]

Originally Posted by maddyks I don't use stop bath either but never had this issue. But yours is a good point to make.

its better to include stopbath in developing process as not to exhaust the lifespan of your fixer, though fixer is much cheaper since you can reuse it unlike stopbath. if you dont want to spend money for stopbath chemical, an alternative is VINEGAR

[brian]

I dont think its the fixer... I've had fixer issues before and it doesn't look like this. Easy to troubleshoot, dip a strip into fresh fixer (ok with lights on of course) and see if it improves the spots.

I'm also assuming these are not watermarks either, easy to troubleshoot too, wash a strip and see if the spots are still there on the negative.

I believe it's the bubbles during developing. You should have inverted the tank in the 1 min intervals (since your times are 8mins, which I assume you corrected for the temperature, try doing 2-3 inversions plus the knock to dislodge bubbles). The minimum of 5 sets of inversions help to even out the problem of bubbles causing developer not to touch the film. Do gentle inversions so you don't create too much bubbles.

[leej0038]

Check this out http://photo.net/black-and-white-pho...g-forum/00SEVM the dots look quite similar but they could not come to a conclusion regarding the cause either.

But anyway speaking of fixer problems, does anyone know why my fixer always turn the 1.5 litre coke bottle black? (Sorry TS, OT a bit )

[brian]

you kept it too long? I think its the silver in the fixer that you reused...

[dejected]

this theory is sound. i shall try using stop bath for the next roll or two to see if it still shows.

Originally Posted by welspain i think this is caused by not using a stop bath, you should include it in your work flow, water is not enough to stop the developer in processing your film and average temp of tap water is between 25-29 deg which is too high. if you will not use a stopbath the chemical will continue in developing even during fixation.

[dejected]

i do not reuse anything at all.

Originally Posted by brian you kept it too long? I think its the silver in the fixer that you reused...

[brian]

Originally Posted by dejected i do not reuse anything at all.

I was referring to the guy that asked about black stains on coke bottle, not your workflow.

Anyhow, the dots are dark, means that the area is under developed since youre using negative... that sounds to me like developer is not getting to the area, which is why I think its bubbles on the film. And since you mentioned you just knock the container every min, it might not be enough to dislodge the bubbles. You should try to invert the container a couple of times before knocking to get the developer to move around.

[maddyks]

Originally Posted by leej0038 But anyway speaking of fixer problems, does anyone know why my fixer always turn the 1.5 litre coke bottle black? (Sorry TS, OT a bit )

Always as in even after first use? If after multiple uses, then you have kept the fixer for too long and the silver is making it black. Replace

[sweat100]

Originally Posted by leej0038 Check this out http://photo.net/black-and-white-pho...g-forum/00SEVM the dots look quite similar but they could not come to a conclusion regarding the cause either. But anyway speaking of fixer problems, does anyone know why my fixer always turn the 1.5 litre coke bottle black? (Sorry TS, OT a bit )

I think ur fixer is kept in a place where there it is exposed to light? I experimented with the fixer and came out with some conclusion. I had some fixer that has went through approx 10 rolls. I divided in 2 parts, kept one bottle in bedroom and one in the store room (which I almost never open). Both bottles were filled to the brim to ensure no air is getting onto it. 1 week+ later, the bottle in bed room was sliverish black, the bottle in store room is still the same colour. Light plays a role too. So now I keep in accordian bottles and take away the air to ensure no light or air can get in. It can help prolong chemicals.

[dejected]

i've did some search on google and they all seem to point in one direction, of it caused by bubbles which "blocked" the developer from getting onto the surface of the film thus the underdevelopment.