Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/01/08
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]No matter how poorly I expose things, I always get SOME silver to develop out. If your film is completely clear, it means that nothing developed, and that your fixed dissolved everything. I'd suspect the shutter on the Leica. I had one that capped at certain speeds, and it would explain your results. Otherwise, either your developer is garbage, or your fixer is something other than just fixer. Good luck- there are several variables, only change one, check your results, &c. You'll get there. Once you do, you'll remember what's critical about detail, and what can slide a bit (and too, you'll know what affect letting it slide will have on your film). JD On Jan 9, 2005, at 12:51 AM, Marc Osborne wrote: > Hello everyone, > > After a 10 year hiatus I decided to dust off the darkroom equipment > and start doing some B&W shooting, developing, and printing again. I > went to the local camera store and bought Sprint developer, stop bath, > and fixer. This is a local company, based in Rhode Island, that I > remember as making fairly good products, already in liquid form, so > the final mix was alway easy to do. > > I never had a problem through the 70s, 80s, and early 90s. I used my > father's (now mine) IIIf and generally Kodak film and chemicals so > ending up with a completely transparent roll of film was very > disappointing. Here was my process: > Loading the film onto the Patterson tank was no problem. I had > complete darkness. > Chemicals all at 68 degrees fahrenheit. > Sprint recommended time for Tri-X 400 was 10 minutes. Poured in the > diluted 1:9 developer and agitated and knocked off bubbles as per > standard photography book and patterson tank sheet recommendation. > Poured out developer back into what I thought was empty developer > bottle. > Poured in properly diluted stop bath > REALIZED I might have poured developer into fixer bottle:( > Poured out stop bath and ran downstairs to remix fixer...lost maybe 2 > to 3 minutes in doing so. At that time the stop bath had been poured > back into it's proper container but the roll of film was undoubtedly > still dripping with it. > Poured in fixer and agitated for three minutes. > Poured out fixer and washed for 30 minutes. > Mixed bottle cap of photo-flo with 1 quart of water. > After 30 minutes of washing and occasional agitation poured out water, > poured in photo-flo and thought it was pretty darn bubbly. Agitated > for a minute, made it more bubbly, poured it ouf, poured in more water > to get rid of bubbles. > Pulled film off the reel and looked right through it. Completely > transparent end to end. > > This was not the return to my glory years of B&W that I had foreseen. > I just bought an M2 to I could gradually retire the IIIf and make use > of all the advances of the M series. But this was a rude shock. Please > help. Where did I go wrong? Was it the interval between the stop bath > and the fixer? Could the Sprint chemicals have been on the shelf too > long? I don't know where to start again. > > Thanks, > > Marc > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > Jeff Sumner 3677 Glencairn Shaker Heights, Ohio 44122 USA Home: +1216 921-1941 Mobile: +1216 650-6663