Damn stripes on my negatives

[Brian C. Miller]

True, but aside from the dark slide not seating completely for whatever reason, that's the only idea I can think up that would give that pattern at the edge of the film. The only time I've had anything similar was when I turned on the lights with a pack of film between the cardboard, but not in the package. One end was fogged, but of course not in a holder pattern.

Yes, the flaps in a plastic holder have a groove light barrier which should rule out any light leak from that. Since Harley is getting it in one out of ten images, I'm guessing that it's a problem with the holder dark slide not seating, or else direct sunlight on the holder is causing light piping somehow. My best guess is on a Riteway and the dark slide isn't fully seated. The Fidelity and Lisco darkslides both stick way up when not quite seated, but the Riteway could possibly be missed if it wasn't fully seated. If the tape were truly terrible on a Riteway, like fixed with transparent tape, then it would have the best chance to leak light.

[Steve Gledhill]

Harley,

If this happens with just one holder OR just one type of holder then that points directly to a holder light leak. If it happens with different types of holder then that means it happens before or after the film is in the holder. If it's before then it must be a manufacturing fault associated with the cutting of the film. If it's after then you need to look for anything that would give the more or less even and parallel lines - which to me seems to rule out anything chemical because of the agitation.

My money's on a holder light leak. Easy to test - beg, steal or borrow (or buy) an alternative type of holder that is known not to exhibit the problem and try it out on an evenly lit subject so that any telltale lines are easily seen. And, be sure to let the holder containing the film be well exposed to be certain that any light leak has a chance to receive enough light to be visible. That will nail whether or not it's a holder light leak.

There are two reasons I'm confident it's a holder light leak The first is because there are only dark lines indicating their source is light from a leak. The "light" lines are in fact exposed the same as the adjacent areas of the image. Any uneven development for example would show up as lighter and darker lines. The second is they are perfectly parallel to the film edge.

But, I stand to be corrected ...

Or, it could be a light leak from the camera once the dark slide is removed for exposure. You can test for this by trying an exposure with your usual film and holder in a different camera - if you can get access to one.

[Deane Johnson]

How about eliminating or confirming if it's a holder issue by simply processing a sheet of film right out of the box that has never been in a holder. Maybe that's already been done and I missed it in one of the posts.

[Harley Goldman]

What I have done is cut unique marking notches on the five holders used where I got negatives with the lines. Just for yuks, I also lightly sanded the edges of the holder flap that face the film, just dulling the shiny surface. I reloaded the holders and will use them. If I get another negative with lines, the notches will tell me which holder and which side held the film. I can either then modify the holder or throw it away.

Here is a general description of how I notched the holders: http://www.jbhphoto.com/articles/filmno/filmholder1.htm

All five are either Fidelity or Lisco brand.

I very much appreciate all the input. It has been extremely helpful!!

Thanks!

[Andrew O'Neill]

I have been dealing with issues of stripes at the top of my negatives.

So, you're concerned about the lines that run parallel to the edge of the negative and not the squiggly stuff that looks like static but is infact reflections in the water? Wish you had been more clear... Looks like an issue within the drum. I doubt that it is a film holder issue.

[Bruce Watson]

Thanks for your insight, Bruce.

Unfortunately for me, this has not been a one-off occurrence. Out of the last two processing runs of 16 sheets, I had this show up on three sheets. I have been getting one or so per 10 sheets. With some it is hardly noticeable and with others it is a big problem. I need to fix it.

If you never see it with quickloads, but you do see it with regular film holders, what does that tell ya?

You could start with dulling down the edges of the hold down rails for one film holder. Track the film from that holder. If you never get this problem from that film holder, what does that tell ya?

Or, you could just stop shooting image with lots of water in them.

[SergeiR]

Reason why i am asking which side emulsion is - i had funky results like that few times when film got inserted wrong side, and then moved every now and then while rotating, but generally it tired to press itself next to film guide in drum.. so that bit didnt get developed right..

Anyway.. Now after second scan - notice how those lines getting more pronounced when they are next to darker wide area and getting bleaker when there isnt one.
Soooooo..

How about just moving film in scanner to the center, when you getting those in regular scan?.. It could be something as daft as scanner error (dust in CCD array or initialization issue). Also happens in my scanning back when connection to computer is funky / noisy (always use ferrite ring-ed USB connections or shielded firewire) and when powersupply going south.

[mandoman7]

This is a very interesting problem. You've mentioned putting markings on your holders, and I would reiterate the usefulness of doing something like that as part of a routine. I have quite an array of holders in 4x5 and they are all notched in some manner for identification. The benefit being that when there is some problem, I know exactly which holder was at fault.