Expired TMAX 100 getting light pink negative no image

[minesix66]

Hi,

I have some expired TMAX 100 since 2013 and thought I would try it. I exposed 3 negatives, one at 64 and 2 at 100. I developed 2 in PyroCat HD 10 ml A to 10 ML B to 900 ML distilled, plain water stop, TF-5 fixer 250 ml to 750 distilled.

PyroHD was @ 70 f for 14 mins
FA-1027 was @ 68 F for 6 1/2 mins

Any ideas? I thought I would see something.

Everything properly exposed

[wclark5179]

Don’t know what you did.

I use Tmax 100 120 roll with 2004 expire and it still works. Little grey on the edges from cosmic rays (muons I understand). Info on muons:

https://www.energy.gov/science/doe-explainsmuons#:~:text=The%20muon%20is%20one%20of,than%20207%20times%20as%20much.

[Vaughn]

It sounds like they were not exposed (assuming no processing errors such as fixing first). Any sign of a rebate, fogging, or any other non-image exposure?
Check the shutter -- make sure it opens when fired. If an electronic flash was used, was the shutter set at "X" and not "M"?

[paulbarden]

Hi,

I have some expired TMAX 100 since 2013 and thought I would try it. I exposed 3 negatives, one at 64 and 2 at 100. I developed 2 in PyroCat HD 10 ml A to 10 ML B to 900 ML distilled, plain water stop, TF-5 fixer 250 ml to 750 distilled.

PyroHD was @ 70 f for 14 mins
FA-1027 was @ 68 F for 6 1/2 mins

Any ideas? I thought I would see something.

Everything properly exposed

My guess is, if there is no Tmax rebate identification on the film margin, then either your developers are dead, or you fixed before you developed.
If the rebate lettering is present in the margin, then you didn't actually expose the film, so your settings may have been wrong or the shutter isn't opening correctly.

[minesix66]

shutter works no rebate lettering

[minesix66]

fa 1027 was feb 27 2021 Pyro HD was just recent never used until now I will try some HC110

[Steven Ruttenberg]

Pink sounds like bad developer. I have been developing 4 year old negatives in Tmax Developer and HC110 (syrup) with no issues. I shot D100. Getting ready to work on my Tmax100 an 320TXP which are from as far back as four years. My developer expired 4 years ago too, and it still works just fine.

[Corran]

no rebate lettering

Then your film was not developed, either bad developer or fixed before developer.

[RandyB]

Hi,

I have some expired TMAX 100 since 2013 and thought I would try it. I exposed 3 negatives, one at 64 and 2 at 100. I developed 2 in PyroCat HD 10 ml A to 10 ML B to 900 ML distilled, plain water stop, TF-5 fixer 250 ml to 750 distilled.

PyroHD was @ 70 f for 14 mins
FA-1027 was @ 68 F for 6 1/2 mins

Any ideas? I thought I would see something.

Everything properly exposed

What size film are we talking about here? To my knowledge, sheet film doesn't have edge rebate lettering, at least the Tmax 100 that I have used in the distant past and you do state that you exposed 3 negatives. It does look like dead developer which to me is odd since I've used 5 year old Pyro HD in glycol with excellent results.

[Mark Sampson]

Pink film base has been a common issue with TMX-100 since its introduction. It's remaining anti-halation dye, and has nothing to do with any developer. I remove it by putting my processed films into a 1% Kodalk bath before washing, but there are other methods that I won't go into here.
If your films are completely blank, I suspect that you put your film into the fixer before the developer (we've all done it once). Even exhausted developer will show some faint image density (I've done that too).
On the other hand (I am a Gemini after all) I will quote from the late, great Beaumont Newhall; "A blank he lived and a blank he died, he never remembered to pull the slide!"

[Corran]

What size film are we talking about here? To my knowledge, sheet film doesn't have edge rebate lettering, at least the Tmax 100 that I have used in the distant past and you do state that you exposed 3 negatives. It does look like dead developer which to me is odd since I've used 5 year old Pyro HD in glycol with excellent results.

Every sheet of TMX I have exposed has had edge markings, thousands of them. It's one of the things I like about it.

[RandyB]

Every sheet of TMX I have exposed has had edge markings, thousands of them. It's one of the things I like about it.

I just looked at my Tmax 4x5 negs from 2001---no edge markings--- there are notch codes, which most sheet films have, but no lettering of any kind. Can you show a sample of your sheet negs with the factory lettering on the edge. This would be a big advantage since I don't always have the notch code list handy. The OP hasn't yet stated if his film is sheet or roll.

[Kiwi7475]

I just looked at my Tmax 4x5 negs from 2001---no edge markings--- there are notch codes, which most sheet films have, but no lettering of any kind. Can you show a sample of your sheet negs with the factory lettering on the edge. This would be a big advantage since I don't always have the notch code list handy. The OP hasn't yet stated if his film is sheet or roll.

4x5 sheets have “Kodak 100TMX” on the short edge where the notches are, but towards the other end.

[minesix66]

4 x 5 developing in a job 2336 manually 1000ml solution243022

[RandyB]

It has been 20 something years since I have bought Kodak sheet film, it is nice to see they have updated things. Does anyone know when they started doing the edge imprinting?

[paulbarden]

If there is no Tmax identifier in the margin of the film, you either fixed the film before developing it, or the developer was dead.

[John Layton]

Minesix66 - are your "blank" films the only ones that you've processed in this particular batch of Pyrocat? You may want to process another couple of sheets in the same batch of Pyrocat - and be very deliberate in your process so your further results can be truly objective.

...and I seriously doubt the fact that your TMX film is moderately post-dated is the issue here. I happen to have a few sheets of 11x14 Tri-X (arguably less stable than TMX)...dated June of 1988 - which has been through several moves, with long stretches of having been stored in very warm attic environments. While this film has certainly seen better days - I am still getting useable results from it:
243023

[minesix66]

Developed with HC110 very old maybe 8 years at least DIL H Invert for first 5 secs then 5 inversions very 30 sec temp @ 68.2, I now have a visible negative, I used Kodak stop bath then TF-5 for 6 mins 5 inversions every minute. Then TF-5 is starting to have a light purple color to it.

[Mark Sampson]

That's good news.
The TF-5 turning purple is the anti-halation dye coming out of the film- it won't affect anything. As I posted above, an after-bath in a 1% Kodalk (Balanced Alkali or sodium metaborate) solution will take all that pink out.