Help on Film

[kidslateinlife]

Hi Guys

Sorry to ask about film images, but if I can't get the advice here then I can't get it anywhere.

I have developed my own and have a lot of scratches, is this due to something I have done in the unloading and develop/ cut negative process, is it on the winding of the film inside the camera.

OM1n.... poor condition light seals, faulty manual wind, good battery winder 2, 50mm lens with minor fungus... 400 iso film






Any advice would be really appreciated, in fact I don't even remember how to get a decent size image for you to see.... sorry

[crimbo]

Too small to see the problem but if the cassette is new and likely clean then check the film transport for corrosion

[Jim Ford]

Re: Help on Film

Post bigger images. The ones you have shown are postage stamp sized and we can't possibly see where the problem might lie!

Jim

[Chevvyf1]

Re: Help on Film

The images are bigger in Alans gallery :

I must say "gorgeous children "

[kidslateinlife]

Re: Help on Film





Sorry Guys..............

[Seonnaidh]

Re: Help on Film

Crikey I can think of quite a few things that might have caused these marks.
Firstly are you sure the marks are on the negs?
The reason I ask is these marks are very symptomatic of dust and minute hairs
on the lenses in condenser type enlargers.
Normally when dust/grit or whatever lies within the film transport path then the scratches are quite obviously straight lines, or at the very least fairly identical on a number of frames.
If you developed these yourself was your changing bag spotless inside, as far as it can be? Were the negs air dried outside or hanging up in a fairly dry room within the house.
I once worked for a company who had neg drying cupboards which were fitted with extractor fans and were maintained at a constant temperature and humidity. We never got dust settle on drying negs.
But on one occassion on a field trip we air dried the negs pegged out on a clothes line on a scorching hot day and our negs were covered in debris which produced marks similar to these.
Hope you get this sorted as they seem well exposed.

[kidslateinlife]

Re: Help on Film

Crikey I can think of quite a few things that might have caused these marks.
Firstly are you sure the marks are on the negs?
The reason I ask is these marks are very symptomatic of dust and minute hairs
on the lenses in condenser type enlargers.
Normally when dust/grit or whatever lies within the film transport path then the scratches are quite obviously straight lines, or at the very least fairly identical on a number of frames.
If you developed these yourself was your changing bag spotless inside, as far as it can be? Were the negs air dried outside or hanging up in a fairly dry room within the house.
I once worked for a company who had neg drying cupboards which were fitted with extractor fans and were maintained at a constant temperature and humidity. We never got dust settle on drying negs.
But on one occassion on a field trip we air dried the negs pegged out on a clothes line on a scorching hot day and our negs were covered in debris which produced marks similar to these.
Hope you get this sorted as they seem well exposed.

I think the trouble comes down to handling, the film is rolled onto the developing tank roll in a cupboard, after developing I am perhaps assuming the film is now safe for handling, and being less than cautious

I am not convinced in the use of the squeegee, and then air drying probably allows the fine dust and hairs to settle, possibly the scanner collects miniscule hairs etc.

I have cleaned the negs, and re-scanned and the hairs are either no longer there..... or they have moved, therefore I am working in a dusty environment.

The roll is clearly a highly sensitive item even after it comes from the developing tank.

I am quite pleased with the exposures and the developing,

Thank you so much for your time.

Regards.........Alan

[OlyPaul]

Re: Help on Film

Any scratches done to the film in camera or while developing including using a squeegee will appear as black lines when printed or scanned.

Anything that appears white on the print or scan has settled on the film while drying.

[David M]

Re: Help on Film

I think most things have been covered. Film emulsion is very delicate when it's still wet so avoid handling until it's dry. Add a couple of drops of washing up liquid to the final rinse to help avoid drying marks.

[kidslateinlife]

Re: Help on Film

Any scratches done to the film in camera or while developing including using a squeegee will appear as black lines when printed or scanned.

Anything that appears white on the print or scan has settled on the film while drying.

I think I have found a few squeegee marks Paul, definately on a learning curve with this.

[kidslateinlife]

Re: Help on Film

I think most things have been covered. Film emulsion is very delicate when it's still wet so avoid handling until it's dry. Add a couple of drops of washing up liquid to the final rinse to help avoid drying marks.

Should I rinse in water after the fixer ?

[Jim Ford]

Re: Help on Film

The majority are hairs on the negs.

I used to hang the film up over the bath after fixing, and pour water with wetting agent down it before letting it dry. I never used a squeegee for fear of scratching. When enlarging I used take great care to eliminate any dust lying on them, with a lens brush.

I agree with 'Chevvyf1'. The kids were well worth waiting for if you had them late in life!

Jim

[snaarman]

Re: Help on Film

Oh dear this takes me back.

Develop. rinse. Stop bath maybe. rinse. fixer. rinse (several times). Last time rinse with a drop of fairy liquid.

Clip the film up somewhere dry and still with a peg on the bottom to stop it curling up.. Allow to dry overnight if possible.

I never used a squeegee, instead I got a well laundered cotton handkerchief and gently wiped the film down to brush off the big dust. Then you can squirt it with dry canned air just before it goes in the enlarger (or scanner these days).

After all this you still get dust and scratches.

That's why I went digital.

Pete

[David M]

Re: Help on Film

I rinsed for 30 minutes after fixing adding wetting agent to the final rinse. Wetting agent being the proper name for washing up liquid. If I remember correctly Kodak Photo Flo was a popular wetting agent in labs.

[Bikie John]

Re: Help on Film

And one further tip - if your water is very hard, do the final rinse in de-ionised or distilled water. You can get de-onised from car accessory places and it's dirt-cheap. The water here is very chalky, which tastes nice (to me anyway) but used to leave horrible smears on the film, even with wetting agent.

Looks like you're well on the right track already!

Ciao ... John