What are these spots and streaks on my negatives?

[DeltaOmega]

Dear experienced B&W developers,

I would very much appreciate your help to understand what is causing the spots described below in my negatives?

The Background and Problem
I recently started developing my own B&W films and it has been a lot of fun. However, I have encountered some problems with several of my rolls. Although they do not affect every frame or every roll, I have noticed the following reasonably consistently (with example scans):

1. Kodak Tri-X 400 (pushed 1 stop). I see round spots on several frames (apologies for the out-of-focus shot - but the spots are very obvious in this frame). Is this a problem of bubbles forming during agitation or something else?

http://www.oyvindroti.com/CSPics/TriX1.jpg
http://www.oyvindroti.com/CSPics/TriX2.jpg

2. Agfa APX400. Oval shapes/streaks, always across the long side of the frame. Are these water/drying marks caused during drying (I hang my negatives vertically from the ceiling)?

http://www.oyvindroti.com/CSPics/APX1.jpg
http://www.oyvindroti.com/CSPics/APX2.jpg

Please do let me know your thoughts on what the problem is so that I can try to address it in my workflow. The films were developed on the same day, but in different batches. They look like two different problems to me, but I am very new to this. For some reason, I haven't had any problems with other films like Tmax and Delta Pro. Your help is much appreciated!

My Development Workflow
My development workflow for the above films were as follows (using AP tank):
1. Ilford DD-X (mixed 1+4 with tap water) for 8 minutes at 24 degrees. 10 seconds agitation using "agitation stick" in the beginning of every minute and gently hit the bottom of the tank against the table.
2. Ilfostop (mixed 1+19 with tap water) for approximately 30 seconds with 10 seconds agitation using "agitation stick" in the beginning.
3. Ilford Rapid Fixer (mixed 1+4 with tap water) for 4 minutes with 10 seconds agitation using "agitation stick" in the beginning of every minute.
4. Fill tank with tap water - invert 5 times - drain
5. Fill tank with tap water - invert 10 times - drain
6. Fill tank with tap water and a few drops of Ilfotol (1+ 200) - invert 20 times - drain
7. Wash the negatives thoroughly with running tap water whilst on reel
8. Remove the negatives from reel and shake well.
9. Hang to dry vertically using clips and weight on bottom - in outdoor bathroom overnight.

Potential Solutions?
I have read a lot of articles on spots (including on CS) and some of the suggestions I've found include the below. However, I don't want to change my workflow if it will not address my actual problem, hence I want to find out what the issue really is:

a) I did not hit the bottom of the tank hard enough to release bubbles? (but then again, I thought by using the agitation stick and not inventions, there would be less bubbles)
b) I should wait to use the Ilfotol until after the washing is done and simply soak it in the water+Ilfotol diluted mix.
c) I used too much/too little Ilfotol (a few ml with 600ml of water)
d) I should run my fingers / squeegee through the negatives before hanging up to dry?
e) I should use distilled water instead of tap water?

Apologies for the very long post and for asking questions on something which has surely been answered many times before. Thank you in advance for your kind help!

 

[raytoei]

hi.

the spots you see are...... BUBBLES. Please tap harder. or do what many do, slam it on the table. okay lah not slam...but knock it abit.

The circles you see are NOT permanent. It is called Newton Rings. It happens when your film touch the scanner and the rings appear. It touches becauses it curls. It curls because certain film curls with certain developers. No real solution except to flatten it or curl backwards at the risk of scratching it. People suggest scanning it the other way, but the result is that the image isn't sharp. It is not permanent because, this is a scanner issue, if you were to print it in the dark room, this wouldn't be a problem.

It is very aggravating. see this beautiful shot spoilt by UFOs on the eyes.

Roll#171 Tri-x Microdol-x ei800 Leica Minilux

hope this helps.

raytoei

 

[kgston]

Dear experienced B&W developers,
a) I did not hit the bottom of the tank hard enough to release bubbles? (but then again, I thought by using the agitation stick and not inventions, there would be less bubbles)
b) I should wait to use the Ilfotol until after the washing is done and simply soak it in the water+Ilfotol diluted mix.
c) I used too much/too little Ilfotol (a few ml with 600ml of water)
d) I should run my fingers / squeegee through the negatives before hanging up to dry?
e) I should use distilled water instead of tap water?

Apologies for the very long post and for asking questions on something which has surely been answered many times before. Thank you in advance for your kind help!

Raytoei is right.. the dark spots are air bubbles. Also to answer a), you know sometimes when you drink coke or sprite, the bubbles stick to the straw.. even if you stir the straw vigorously, there will still be some small bubbles attached to the straw.. I believe that this is what will happen in the tank too.. Inversions, though it may seem counter intuitive, have been proven through time by many people to be a consistent way to agitate the tank without having bubbles staying on the film. Alternatively, others also recommend a pre-wash/soak in tap water before development..

b) I usually use the diluted wetting agent right at the end. There is no point washing the wetting agent off again. Just soak it in the wetting agent then hang it to dry.

c) you only need 3ml of ilfotol for 600ml of water

d) I don't use my fingers or squeegee to dry the film.. In my experience, it drys even worse after that and leaves loads of water marks.. While the film is in the reel, just shake hard to remove excess water, den hang straight to dry without touching it. Dry in a humid area with still air to prevent dust from sticking to the wet emulsion. It takes longer to dry.. but it will ensure the emulsion dries evenly with no marks. If there are residual marks on the base (shiny side) just take a lens cloth and add a few drops of diluted ilfotol to the cloth and wipe the marks off.

e) if you can afford or have access distilled water, go ahead.. always better. Otherwise, you can use it just for your final rinse.

The circles are indeed newton rings.. if you get them in the scans, you need to re adjust the film and pray they don't touch the glass plane. Some tips: Always emulsion side down as the emulsion is matte which will prevent total contact with the glass and scan in a non-air con room. Low humidity in my experience, causes the film to curl, especially MF films..

 

[DeltaOmega]

hi.

the spots you see are...... BUBBLES. Please tap harder. or do what many do, slam it on the table. okay lah not slam...but knock it abit.

The circles you see are NOT permanent. It is called Newton Rings. It happens when your film touch the scanner and the rings appear. It touches becauses it curls.

Thank you very much raytoei. Your response was very helpful!

Alternatively, others also recommend a pre-wash/soak in tap water before development..

b) I usually use the diluted wetting agent right at the end. There is no point washing the wetting agent off again. Just soak it in the wetting agent then hang it dry it.

I will try to pre-soak before development as well as only applying the wetting agent after the rinse. Thank you for your very detailed and insightful reply!

 

[zk-diq]

Fine White line is your scanner problem.

 

[oceanpriest]

Is Ilfostop and Ilfotol compulsory? The guy at Ruby said DD-X and Rapid Fixed are enough.

 

[catchlights]

Is Ilfostop and Ilfotol compulsory? The guy at Ruby said DD-X and Rapid Fixed are enough.

you can use vinegar as stop bath, a few drops of detergent as wetting agent.

 

[kgston]

Is Ilfostop and Ilfotol compulsory? The guy at Ruby said DD-X and Rapid Fixed are enough.

The guy is right.. but I prefer using a wetting agent over detergent, personal preference.. and ilfostop can be replaced by acetic acid.. The difference is that with the commercial one, you can tell how more you can use the stop bath while you can't really tell with the other...

On a side note, my recommendation (which I happen to read off somewhere) is not to to use acetic acid a.k.a. vinegar because it smells bad and its bad for the mucus lining in the lungs in the long run.. Use critic acid instead; can be bought from supermarkets and baking shops at a cheap cheap price. Dilute 1 part power in 66 parts water if my maths is correct.

 

[DeltaOmega]

Thanks a lot for all your help. As my questions have been answered, I will close this thread.