A cloud-like pattern on my negatives

[Thomas Greutmann]

Hello,
I have found a cloud-like pattern on one of my latest batches of negatives.

I was using the following setup:
- Film: Kodak TMAX 400, 4x5
- 12 negatives in a Jobo drum 2551 with two 2509n spiral holders
- Rotary development in D76 on a Jobo station
- N-1 development, I overexposed the negatives by one stop

I have used that setting a number of times before, with good results, so I don't know what went wrong this time.
The pattern almost looks like a double exposure with a sheep-clouded sky and is visible on all 12 negatives.

This is what I already ruled out:
- It cannot be a developer problem, I developed another Jobo 2521 drum with 6 negatives at the same time with the same soup with good results.
- It cannot be a film holder or storage problem, I was developing 6 negatives from a Grafmatic and 6 negatives from double dark slides. Plus, the 6 negatives developed successfully at the same time were stored in the same type of holders and loaded at the same time.

Any ideas what I might have done wrong here?

Greetings, Thomas

[Thomas Greutmann]

I have attached a sample scan from one of the negatives. You can see the cloud-like spots very well in the sky, but the spots are all over the negative.

Thomas
http://www.blackandwhitegallery.de/test/Dev%20problem.jpg

[Maretzo]

Holes in the bellow?

[GSX4]

Question, did you presoak your film? If not, maybe that would help? Also, this pattern looks like some type of bubble formation. Did you use photo-flo or other type of wetting agent in the tank the last time you used it prior to developing these negs? That could be your problem. Also, where was this sheet of film located in the Jobo tank? Was it the inner most, middle, or outermost sheet on one side? Was it just one neg, or was the neg on the same location, but other side of the film spiral showing similar marks? If it was the inner most negative, then it could be insufficient developer.

[Don Hutton]

A bit of liquid getting into the drum before the developer? Perhaps some water in the lift assembly or a tank which wasn't dry? A prewet is an excellent way to avoid some potential issues.

[Thomas Greutmann]

Maretzo / GSX4 / Don,

regarding your suggestions:

I don't think it's holes in the bellows, as I have developed some negatives from the same series (same camera, same lens) in another drum without these spots.

Water in the tank: that may have been the case, I recall the tank was still wet. I was thinking of that already. But I had not used wetting agents in this tank, I develop without these. I did presoak, however. I generally presoak. But the negs were sitting in the not-entirely-dry tank for an hour or so before I started soaking and developing. Maybe this is a reason.

Location of the sheet in the tank: the pattern shows on all 12 negs in the tank, inner and outer, so I don't think location was the issue.

Thanks for your suggestions, Thomas

[Brian Ellis]

"But the negs were sitting in the not-entirely-dry tank for an hour or so before I started soaking and developing. Maybe this is a reason."

Yes, that's almost certainly your problem. Presoaking doesn't help when the negatives have gotten spots of water on them before the presoak.

[David Vickery]

"But the negs were sitting in the not-entirely-dry tank for an hour or so before I started soaking and developing. Maybe this is a reason."

This is probably your problem. You would be better off either making completely sure that everything is dry, or just filing the tank with water and allowing the film to soak until you are ready to process. The other possibility that it looks a little bit like is a too-short development time. This was what I would have suggested until I read the quote above. Anytime that film gets wet, even a little, and then dries, the emulsion will be irreparably changed. What I mean is that the film must be uniformly wet or it will be ruined.

[Brian Ellis]

"But the negs were sitting in the not-entirely-dry tank for an hour or so before I started soaking and developing. Maybe this is a reason."

That's almost certainly your problem. Presoaking doesn't help when the negatives have gotten spots of water on them before the presoak.