Issues with faint splotches on negatives when home-developing

[senderoaburrido]

206105206106

I develop at home with an SP445 tank and Rodinal. Before hanging the film, I do a final wash and quick soak in distilled water. Throughout development, agitation is even and vigorous. I tap the tank to eliminate bubbles. I don't know what could be causing these tiny splotches. Anyone recognise these? For what it's worth, I have a hard time spotting them on the physical negative, yet see it in every scan. Is it possible that these are out-of-focus pieces of dust inside the scanner itself?

[Ulophot]

You have both out-of-focus and sharp "splotches." Sharp are probably on the neg, as embedded dust in the emulsion or stuck to the base, or on the glass. Out of focus might be on the glass underside, but someone who does far more scanning than I would be a better judge.

If the splotches are the same from neg to neg, they could be on your scanner glass, likely the underside side. It's not clear what you mean by difficulty in spotting the neg. Are the raised physically, i.e., embedded in the emulsion? If so, where are you drying your film? Dust in the drying environment air is a typical problem. Otherwise, I would filter your developer and mix it only with distilled water. Also, make sure your developing vessel is free of dust, lint, etc.