Doh! Basic errors to be avoided.

[Sandokan]

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These done in last few days as I get back into the groove of developing. 

Some films curl in opposite direction - about half way into rolling onto cassette, film started to come out of groove. Ferrania P30 but lets see if this repeats. Simply spooled it on other way and it was fine. 

Didn't put the funnel/lid on Paterson tank properly - got light leak briefly which fogged edge of film. 

Used a squeegee to take water off film after washing - scratch along length of film. Really really upset. Will only use fingers. 

Didn't put 2nd reel into tank when developing single film - film was not on base after washing. Hope nothing too wrong after I scan. 

 

 

[250swb]

The natural film curl should follow the spiral groove with the emulsion facing inwards. If you reverse it and have the emulsion facing outwards it can often lead to the frame numbers and other imprints not being developed or fixed properly. 

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[LocalHero1953]

4 minutes ago, 250swb said:

The natural film curl should follow the spiral groove with the emulsion facing inwards. If you reverse it and have the emulsion facing outwards it can often lead to the frame numbers and other imprints not being developed or fixed properly. 

Why would that happen? Intuitively, I wouldn't expect it to make a difference.

Edited May 17, 2023 by LocalHero1953

[convexferret]

As far as squeegees go I found a much better solution than fingers. Get a very clean microfibre cloth, of the type that you use to clean your lenses and use it to wipe down the film gently. If it's fairly dry then it'll leave the film without droplets (which cause the spots) and scratch free.

[250swb]

7 hours ago, LocalHero1953 said:

Why would that happen? Intuitively, I wouldn't expect it to make a difference.

If you are using a Paterson reel reversing the emulsion so it faces outwards puts the emulsion into direct contact up against the 'flanges' of the reel (the spiral guides that the film winds onto), and given it is emulsion to plastic touching there is a good chance developer or fix won't fully get between. So at worst you get partially or undeveloped frame numbers and edges, maybe not fixed properly, and maybe not washed properly. It's less of a problem with metal reels because the spiral is round section wire, not flat, so the chemicals can get between easier, but it's still possible to find a narrow grey band of undeveloped emulsion on the edges of the negs after they've been washed. It's less of a problem if you employ vigorous agitation (I don't) or if the development times are long, or if the film isn't very springy (some is some isn't).

[Sandokan]

On 5/17/2023 at 9:20 AM, 250swb said:

The natural film curl should follow the spiral groove with the emulsion facing inwards. If you reverse it and have the emulsion facing outwards it can often lead to the frame numbers and other imprints not being developed or fixed properly. 

I think the culprit was me and it sounds strange. I extracted the leader, cut off to square it and pulled it into the reel (I have a plethora of reels) to start the process before putting in the tent. However, I left it for a few days while I did a bunch of other films. When eventually having a tank free, i started to twist it on the reel, but half way through felt it all stiffen and heard it popping out of the groove. I pulled it back into canister and when opening the tent, found it had reversed the other way at the start. Strange as it sounds. Anyway after a couple of unsuccessful attempts, I reversed it and it reeled on nicely. This was with FP4 and Fomapan. If I put it straight away onto the reel from the canister, the problem does not happen. 

On 5/17/2023 at 11:40 AM, convexferret said:

As far as squeegees go I found a much better solution than fingers. Get a very clean microfibre cloth, of the type that you use to clean your lenses and use it to wipe down the film gently. If it's fairly dry then it'll leave the film without droplets (which cause the spots) and scratch free.

Thanks Andrew, That is what I did yesterday, very gently.