processing

Film Photography & Darkroom discussion

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jimmy
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Joined: Wed May 28, 2008 1:28 am

processing

Post by jimmy »

have had a nightmare of processing; three rolls of 120mm film. all from same camera. all processed in rodinal. one is prfect, othr two are all dark grey/silvery pretty much impossible to print.why o why o why?

Digitaltruth
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Post by Digitaltruth »

Its very hard to say what has happened, but it might be that your film was fogged during loading or development. The other possibility is that your film hasn't been fixed properly. If the film is fogged, you can try using Farmer's Reducer on the negatives, or if it hasn't been properly fixed, you can try refixing.
Digitaltruth Photo
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jimmy
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed May 28, 2008 1:28 am

Post by jimmy »

thanks jon have since worked out it is fogging due to a very nasty airport scanner; so the films which are fine must have been in the inner sanctum of a bag.
it is something of a vast greek tragedy-76 rolls of 120 film and 3 quarters fogged.but thank you; does the farmer reducer-i know they have it at silverprint-do much?

many many thanks;a heartbroke jimmy

ps i will just have to go back to vietnam!!!!

Digitaltruth
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Post by Digitaltruth »

Its definitely worth trying Farmer's Reducer, although you should be sure to use it in its subtractive form which is applicable to general fogging. Any Farmer's Reducer kit can be used as either a proportional or subtractive reducer depending on how you mix it, and instructions should be included. I'm sure that the Farmer's Reducer sold by Silverprint in the UK will work well. Alternatively, you can mix it yourself following these instructions:

http://www.digitaltruth.com/techdata/farmersreducer.php

Farmer's reducer does work extremely well if you use it correctly in the right situation. Based on what you describe, I would recommend testing a small strip of negatives in a white tray full of reducer to gauge the approximate immersion time that you will need to clear the fog without eroding any of the negative image. Then you can use it on additional negatives once you have run some tests to determine the best time to make printable negatives without the risk of losing shadow detail.
Digitaltruth Photo
https://www.digitaltruth.com

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