Can anyone please identify what caused this scratch on my negative?

[DolphinDan]

Hi all,

I recently got some film back from the photo lab with 1 negative having a strange scratch on it. The scratch is on the base (not emulsion) side of the film and runs from near the center of the negative down to the bottom. The scratch is deeper than any scratch I have caused in my film and did not cause the usual bright blue line on the scan. I have drawn around the scratch in red on the attached JPEG to highlight it. I have been shooting film for 7 years now and never saw a scratch like this before. The technicians at the photo lab are similarly stumped. I am hoping somebody here has encountered a scratch/problem like this before.

Namaste
Daniel

[Andy Eads]

The edge character of the scratch may give a clue about whether it happened before or after processing. Does it look "fresh" or like it went through the chemistry? That knowledge will rule out certain things. Does it appear to be caused by a particle that rolled beneath the sheet as it was moved across a surface or does it appear to be caused by contact with a fixed object? The scratch does not appear to be perfectly straight so that might rule out damage when inserted or removed from the holder. Was it processed in a dip and dunk machine? Sometimes an errant film hanger will bump it's unlucky neighbor. Andy

[DolphinDan]

Hi Andy,

Thanks for responding.

The scratch looks clean. I talked with the film lab, and they were reasonably certain that the film was scratched before processing. The developer even made a note about the negative and to call me about it.

My best guess at the moment is that I must have scratched the negative on the metal bar that holds the dark slide in place.

Namaste
Daniel