Getting rid of tiny white spots

[rpagliari]

I'm usually getting tiny white spots on the developed film, much like these (https://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/100849/why-are-there-little-white-dots-on-my-bw-negative-and-how-can-i-fix-it), from another photographer.

In my case I have far fewer and I have to zoom all the way in to get to see them. Mine are much smaller and equal in size, so I don't think it's dust.

Is it normal, or do I have to wash for a longer period of time (I'm washing 10min and use the Ilford rapid fixer)?

[Pat Kearns]

This looks more like mineral contaminants in your chemicals and/or water but I'm not ruling out dust either. Solutions: mix your chemicals with distilled water, developer should be used as a one shot. Check your fixer for sediment, filter the fixer to rid any sediment, if you are using hypo eliminator to reduce washing time check that for sediment. Use Kodak Photo Flo or similar product in distilled water as a final rinse to break the surface tension of the water on the negatives prior to hanging the negatives to dry. Dry negatives in a dust free environment. This should help rid a lot of your problems.
Pat Kearns

[ic-racer]

I'm usually getting tiny white spots on the developed film, much like these, from another photographer.

The link shows as a positive on my computer. Reversing back to a negative demonstrates black spots, so I'm confused.

Either way, try a box of fresh film and see if the problem persists.

[Andrew O'Neill]

Are they actually white spots on the negative??

[tgtaylor]

IIRC white spots on negatives can be caused by using an acid stop. Anyway, a white spot on a negative results in a black spot on the print which is impossible to spot-out without using a razor blade to scrape it off which I have never been successful at = always ending-up with a bigger spot that was even more noticeable. What you want to do is to turn the white spot on the negative into a black spot on the negative which results in a white spot on the print which you can readily spot out. You can do that with a fine point sharpie, spot tone, ballpoint, crocein scarlet...etc. Years back I watched a guy at a rental darkroom sit down with an 8x10 print and spot out dozens of clear spaces in a foliage shot that he didn't want there. Upon close inspection when he was finished you couldn't tell it was spotted at all. It did improve the print!

Thomas

[koraks]

IIRC white spots on negatives can be caused by using an acid stop.

I have only seen this occasionally with xray film (very soft/thin topcoat) and developers with high pH (e.g. pyro). It doesn't happen with e.g. XTOL/MyTol. According to PhotoEngineer (Photrio), the acetic stop pinhole problem was limited to very old, soft emulsions in deep-tank processing. It's not a practical concern in contemporary films intended for photography.

The picture OP links to suggests that the problem is dark spots on the negative resulting in white spots on the positive. I would look into the direction of particulate contamination of processing chemistry. Ive had this happen myself especially with fixer that had been used or kept around for a bit too long, resulting in metallic silver precipitating out and embedding itself into the emulsion. Using fresh fixer resolved these problems for me. Other potential sources are calcium/magnesium salts precipitating from the developer (particularly when using tap water) or just plain dust/dirt in processing tanks, trays and storage containers.

[rpagliari]

Are they actually white spots on the negative??

Hi,
they are white spots on the positive image.

[rpagliari]

Thanks for your help. Using distilled water solved the problem.

[Tin Can]

Good to hear!

I also drink only distilled.


Thanks for your help. Using distilled water solved the problem.

[Willie]

Hi,
they are white spots on the positive image.

White spots on the print mean dark spots on the negative.

Any chance you have a Charcoal type filter in the water line?

Using a Charcoal type filter for taste means you get small bits of charcoal in the water. A lot when first installed. Diminish quickly with running water through them.

Might check and see.

[12pmc]

I also have the experience from time to time, totally random. I use deep tank, one shot dev, one shot citric acid stop and normal fixer but reuse several time. Water is house hold supply through a domestic water softener. Reading above comments I will thoroughly clean all my containers, and look at using distilled water for mixing.

Thomas above suggested spotting the negatives - can I use the same ink used to spot prints, but on the negatives?

Thanks for any comments
Peter

[alfredian]

I just developed a couple of batches of Ilford FP4+ (5x7) in Poilot 2550 drums w/their 5x7 spool (six in first batch, four just tonight). I used Rodinal 1:25 (12ml up to 300ml). Tap water to dilute, then Kodak Indicator Stop Bath, then either Kodafix or Sprint Standard fix w/hardener. Half the negs have clear white specks which appear to be pits in the emulsion. I rinse w/distilled water as last step before hanging, the the pits are there before the DW. At holding a wet neg edgewise to the light the water is visibly flowing around something - a pit, distinct from a few actual tiny bits of some grit that I can wash off with bubbly tap water. I make my diluted chems up with DW (the stop bath & fixer). From now on I'm using white coffee filters for anything that goes into the tank. I find this all a bit odd given that I use rotary drums & a Beseler reversing roller - tough job for something to stay in one place long enough to eat all the way through the emulsion to the base. A Luddite, I'm just guessing that once I have the negs scanned I can then point & click at the bright spots on the scanned image & "solve" the problem. Look on the bright (no pun intended) side, fellow Analogites - my colleagues over on Rangefinder Forum are constantly gnashing teeth & rending garments over dust speck on the photosensor. That, and the inevitable "dropped-out" pixels that occur in every single sensor that comes out of the "clean room". -alfredian