developing problems

[adamkat22]

i've developed four rolls of plusx with a tmax 100 kit so far. no problems i didn't know the causes of so far. last night i used the kit for my fifth roll. wheni took the film out of the can the images were pretty much sliding off the film...or peeling off. the kit says to wash for 20 minutes at the end and i only did 10...but i'm pretty sure i've never paid full attention to the wash time. is this a problem with that? chemicals getting too old? does it have somethign to do with the fix?

[audadvnc]

Did you run any of the chemicals or wash baths too hot, say over 80 degrees F? B&W emulsion doesn't like warm water baths.

And why did you use the TMax development kit? My understanding was that TMax and standard b&w processing were significantly different and should be used with their specific film types, not mix & match. Try again with a traditional MP b&w reversal process to see if the problem appears then.

[fritzcarraldo]

Yes, i also might assume it was the bath (too hot,), i used to have the same problem

[adamkat22]

i was using the tmax because i had found a site recommending that. i've mainly been developing stuff just for camera tests and to get a better understanding of s8 and so far its worked fine for that. i didn't know there was a better option.

as for the temperatures, i was trying to run at 75degrees. its possible that the rinse/wash was a little higher...like 78 but i don't think i broke 80 ever.

the second time i developed i forgot that i didnt' have any fix. i continued without it just to see what would happen. it was very similiar to the experience i had last night...except last night i had fix. the other times i was using someone elses chemistry and i wasn't reusing fix. last night i used a batch of fix that i had mixed for my prior reel. for some reason i thoguht that may have had something to do with it.

i don't have heat in my house and therefore the chemicals that i have get pretty cold (not freezing but pretty chilly). i don't develop in there, but could that have had anything to do with it?

[adamkat22]

oh, and the tmax is a reversal kit. what is an "mp kit"?

[richard p. t.]

i've developed four rolls of plusx with a tmax 100 kit so far. no problems i didn't know the causes of so far. last night i used the kit for my fifth roll. wheni took the film out of the can the images were pretty much sliding off the film...or peeling off. the kit says to wash for 20 minutes at the end and i only did 10...but i'm pretty sure i've never paid full attention to the wash time. is this a problem with that? chemicals getting too old? does it have somethign to do with the fix?

This is called 'reticulation'. In a mild form the emulsion gets wrinkled and puffy. In a bad form it comes right off. It is caused by too sudden changes in temperature, or excessive temperature. I would suggest using a temperature of 20C (68F).
It is quite difficult to rinse directly from a tap if you have to set the temperature of the water as you turn it on. You might try getting your rinse water at the right temp in a bucket then pooring it through a funel. Much more control than using a tap to get temperatures correct.

[christoph]

you're most likely having a problem with the bleach bath..

the permanganate bleach softens the emulsion a lot, so if it gets exhausted or if you dont follow the instructions precisely you might get emulsion damage.

some ways to try to avoid the problems are:
- always use fresh bleach (it goes bad within weeks, even in full closed bottles) and always replace well before exhaustion
- mix bleach with destilled water (doesnt have to be lab quality)
- only bleach for the minimum time required
- use a fresh clearing bath (it's cheap)
- try to keep temperature constant and rather low (around 20deg C optimum)
- try to keep total wet time short

if all that doesnt work consitencly
- use a hardener after first developer (never did that myself)
- use a dichromate bleach instead (which is very nasty and should be only used if you know what you're doing)

i had a permanganate bleach defect about two weeks ago, similair to what ccortez reported a while back. not sure how it could have happened though :)
++ christoph ++

[adamkat22]

oh wait a minute. i usually put all my detainers in a big tub with 75degree water to keep everythign constant. i use this water for my rinse as well. now that i think about it, i did this all the way till the end. during my final wash i rinsed with 75F water for the first 5 minutes or so, then for some reasoni decided to change the water. i did it right out of the tap thinking it wouldnt' have made a difference that late in the game (since that was the last step and the film should have been developed already). maybe that water was too hot? thanks everyone.

[ccortez]

I doubt it's temperature related. I just think the T-Max bleach type doesn't work well with the Kodak b/w emulsions. It's some kind of advanced form of "swelling" which I guess can happen a little with perm. bleach as per christoph's suggestion.

I'm reminded that I need to order some D-19...

[audadvnc]

Go to the source; refer to the Kodak B&W Motion Picture Processing manual, module #15:

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/suppo ... 16.8&lc=en