Mystery lines across top and bottom of neg and print

[Ben Calwell]

I shot a still life on Tri-X using my Linhof Tech III 5x7, and the resulting image has faint, shaded lines (looks like a group of 3) across the top and bottom (see image). On a different vertical shot, the same lines are along the sides. Could internal bellows flare have caused this? I developed the sheet by itself in a tray, so I’m ruling out any kind of serge pattern or “bromide drag.” I used the modeling lights of my strobe system to light the scene — a soft box to left, and a gridded light on the background. It was a 25 second exposure at F22.
The film was outdated by several years and was in a hot attic environment, which might factor into it. The bellows is light-tight. I used a 210mm lens, and shaded it from the left.
It almost looks like the cast shadow pattern from blinds, but that’s not the case. 236872236872
Any ideas?

[Ben Calwell]

Sorry for double picture upload

[Mark Sampson]

Looks like a developing artifact. But the abused film might well be a factor- it's definitely a joker in the deck. The only way to know is to expose another sheet to a broad even subject (like the sky) and process it the same way.

[Chauncey Walden]

What developer, how large a tray and does the tray have a flat bottom or?

[Ben Calwell]

What developer, how large a tray and does the tray have a flat bottom or?

Developer is HC110, and the tray is 5x7 with grooves on the bottom. I agitated once every minute by lifting the sheet out and placing it back in twice every minute. This was 6 minutes at 1:31. If it’s developing artifacts, I’m surprised at the uniformity of the lines.

[paulbarden]

I'm betting this is the result of age/improper storage.

[Ben Calwell]

I'm betting this is the result of age/improper storage.
I think you’re right. This film was in loaded holders in my attic. Forgot they were up there (shouldn’t have been up there in the first place), but when I found them, decided to expose them. I had shot way out of date film before, with no issues that I could see. But the multiple summers of heat in my attic no doubt took its toll. Anyway, I hope that’s the cause and not some weird thing with the bellows or flare or whatever. I don’t have any sheets left, so I can’t test it by shooting a broad even surface as Mark suggested above.