Problems with RA4

[SeanEsopenko]

http://www.seanesopenko.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/img121.jpg

http://www.seanesopenko.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/img122.jpg

http://www.seanesopenko.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/img123.jpg

I tried RA4 for the first time with Kodak chemicals using a Jobo CPA-2 I picked up on Friday. I printed one contact sheet which looked like the top-most image and thought I did something wrong. I retried, filling the little jobo graduates with fresh chemicals from my accordion squeeze bottles. I got the exact same results, producing the image at the top.

Then I read that the above might have been caused by exposure to "white light" so I thought maybe the light was reflecting around in the glass for the contact sheet. Kinda strange but I thought "what the hell, I'll see what it does with a negative in a carrier" and printed the second image above.

The two topmost images were done with 30 seconds pre-wash, 45 seconds developer (started dumping at 40 seconds and poured the stop bath in within 8 seconds). 30 seconds of stop. 30 seconds of rinse. 1 minute of blix (recommended by jobo). 30 seconds of rinse 3 times. Everything was done at 35 celcius +- 0.2 degrees (digital thermometer with readings down to 0.1 degrees)

Then, according to some documentation from Fuji, I learned the brownish colour could be caused by being in the blix too long. I shortened the blix to 45 seconds and it got pretty much the exact same result.

I'm at a loss as to what's causing this. My starting filter was 40 magenta and 40 yellow after reading that as the general advice for fuji CA paper on the net. I have a dichroic head. Any advice?

forgot to mention: after the contact prints I realized the non-expert jobo drums with the cogs aren't daylight tanks. so I kept the lights out until the tank was installed for the second contact print (shown above) and it got practically the same results. You can see the light leak streaking across the page in the contact print but the two enlarged prints didn't have any contact with white light.

[jayabbas]

Have you looked at any issues with the paper itself? Old color paper can look reallly bad -- base fog, heat fog, etc.

[Robert Ley]

Exactly what Jobo tanks were you using? The Print tanks should have a cup in the lid to hold the chemicals and will be light tight. Are the paper and chemicals fresh? Are you using enough chemicals. Over Blixing like you did should not cause the problem as blix is essentially a run to completion step.

Let us know more of the perimeters of your printing session.

Why are you giving it a pre-rinse? You have the CPA-2 and you should be running a water bath. Let the water bath preheat the drum for a few minutes.

[jayabbas]

Does your enlarger have white light focus lever( like my Omega D5) If you flip the dichros out of the light path and expose; the image looks much like what you are showing--reddish, way overexposed -- check your enlarger for that feature.

[SeanEsopenko]

Exactly what Jobo tanks were you using? The Print tanks should have a cup in the lid to hold the chemicals and will be light tight. Are the paper and chemicals fresh? Are you using enough chemicals. Over Blixing like you did should not cause the problem as blix is essentially a run to completion step.

Let us know more of the perimeters of your printing session.

Why are you giving it a pre-rinse? You have the CPA-2 and you should be running a water bath. Let the water bath preheat the drum for a few minutes.

I'll try to be as detailed as possible describing what I did.

I'm using a CPA-2 at 35C (confirmed +/- 0.2C with a digital thermometer left in the bath). I'm using a 2830 tank and 2850 (without the extension so basically another 2830). they both have the cog lids, not the rubber ones with the light trap.

I'm using brand new Fuji crystal archive ordered from B&H. Arrived 2-3 weeks ago and was put in the freezer right away. I pulled it out of the freezer last night in preparation for today (sat in the basement at around 18C for 10 hours before use).

I have the thermostat light on the jobo taped over with electrical tape (man that thing's bright!). After sitting in the darkroom for 5 minutes it's very well sealed against light leaks so I know fogging of the paper isn't happening. The perfectly clean white borders of the enlargement prints show that.

Both the jobo instructions and the kodak instructions "for tray and rotary tube processing" recommended a pre-rinse, development, rinse, blix, rinse, rinse, rinse. They both recommend 35C temperature, both recommend 30 seconds pre-rinse, both recommend 30 seconds stop bath and both recommend 1:30 of final rinse (3x 30 seconds). The jobo instructions recommend 1 minute of development and 1 minute of blix. The kodak instructions recommend 45 seconds of development and 45 minutes of blix. For all prints I did 45 seconds of development but I switched up the blix time after reading kodak & fuji recommended something shorter.

The first two prints (the first contact sheet, not shown, and the second contact sheet shown above) were done where I wasn't aware of the lid not being light sealed. You can see the light leak across the lower left of the contact sheet. The first two contact sheets and the one enlargement test sheet shown above were done at 1 minute of blix.

The final enlargement was done at 45 seconds of blix without much change.


Does your enlarger have white light focus lever( like my Omega D5) If you flip the dichros out of the light path and expose; the image looks much like what you are showing--reddish, way overexposed -- check your enlarger for that feature.

As far as I'm aware my enlarger doesn't have this feature or I don't know how to engage it. I could see the light colour changing when rolling the colour wheels to 40M and 40Y for the above prints. I was looking Robert Hirsch's Exploring Color Photography and thought I probably had too little filtration. My omega head has 3 digits for each colour and I had 040 magenta and 040 yellow. Does that mean 40 or 0.4?

[jayabbas]

Try adding substantially more filtration say 80-90M and 90-120Y -just throwing that out there. If your enlarger does not have white light focus feature ,it looks like too much light getting to paper with the filtration you are currently using. Adding filtration to the head decreases total light reaching paper which your tests look like could use.

[SeanEsopenko]

Try adding substantially more filtration say 80-90M and 90-120Y -just throwing that out there. If your enlarger does not have white light focus feature ,it looks like too much light getting to paper with the filtration you are currently using. Adding filtration to the head decreases total light reaching paper which your tests look like could use.

Ok so the good news is I probably don't have 8 liters of botched chemicals by the sounds of it :). I'll be printing again next Saturday so I'll try the filter amount you're recommending. Thanks for the advice.

[Greg Blank]

You forgot to answer his question completely do your tanks have the light trapping print cups?



[QUOTE=SeanEsopenko;748110]I'll try to be as detailed as possible describing what I did.

I'm using a CPA-2 at 35C (confirmed +/- 0.2C with a digital thermometer left in the bath). I'm using a 2830 tank and 2850 (without the extension so basically another 2830). they both have the cog lids, not the rubber ones with the light trap.

[Greg Blank]

http://www.gbphotoworks.com/lfimages/Printcup.JPG

[SeanEsopenko]

You forgot to answer his question completely do your tanks have the light trapping print cups?


Nope none of the cog lids I have for the 2XXX tanks have those light trapping chemical cups. I'm using a lift so the chemicals are poured in and out through the lift and not in cups within the tanks so I think that's why the cups aren't there. Are you referring to non-jobo tanks? I have a few tanks meant for old fashioned rotary bases that have what you're talking about but between the various jobo tanks I've scrounged up none of the jobos I have appear to have that.

I have an expert 3063 drum, which has light traps, but I haven't used it yet because I haven't figured out a way to get the lid on evenly enough to keep it from wobbling while rolling. Plus I have to figure out how to have 360mL of chemicals handy when the little jobo graduates only hold about 250mL.

[Greg Blank]

If you do not have the the light trapping chemical cup or the internal funnel with the plug in place then the drum will leak light even when the drum is on the lift.

http://www.gbphotoworks.com/lfimages/Button2.JPG
http://www.gbphotoworks.com/lfimages/Button.JPG

[SeanEsopenko]

If you do not have the the light trapping chemical cup or the internal funnel with the plug in place then the drum will leak light even when the drum is on the lift.

I have a few lids with the rubber caps that appear to be used for stand development and they have little light trapping funnels inside. Could the funnels be transferred to the geared lids without funnels?

[Greg Blank]

The way you are stating, am not sure if you're making this more difficult than need be
;) In the second photo "lower" I just showed you, you will observe the funnel with the plug in place. The Funnels and Light trapping Cups function the same as far as blocking light.

The Funnels however require the plugs to make them light proof if doing prints. The Funnels and Cups both twist lock into the lids. On Expert Drums they are glued or sealed in place.

You can add a plug to the funnel as shown or to remove it simply push it out of the hole with a pencil eraser.




I have a few lids with the rubber caps that appear to be used for stand development and they have little light trapping funnels inside. Could the funnels be transferred to the geared lids without funnels?

[tgtaylor]

Besides the light leak, the exposure time under the enlarger is too long.

When making a contact sheet first run a test strip of exposures at 3 second intervals to determine the ideal exposure time. Then make note of the filter pack, the height of the enlarger above the paper, and the lens used so that you can forgo the test strip in the future.

A correctly printed contact sheet will show a well exposed rebate - not too dark or too light.

Hope this helps.

Thomas

[Drew Wiley]

If you're using a 3-part developer, you need to mix A&B well together before mixing in Part C into it. At least to me, that looks like what happened, unless one of the
ingredients was exhausted. I alway mix fresh for each session.

[SeanEsopenko]

Hey everyone. Thanks for all the help so far. In case anybody's interested, I mixed up entirely fresh developer replenisher and I noticed the developer solution wasn't red like the last time I mixed it. I suspected my measuring wasn't accurate enough the first time because I was getting cross curves on properly exposed prints. Brown shadows and cyan hilights.

So with the fresh developer replenisher I went back to printing and the results so far are much more in line with where they should be. I didn't get very far, only 3-4 test prints in a 4 hour period (getting used to the new workflow) but the cross curves appear to be gone.

Now when I print a sheet using the jobo I give the lift's solution input/output system a good rinse before each print, too.

Oh out of all the "jobo stuff" my buddy found & gave to me, I scrounged up a few light trap inserts for the lids. The plugs are missing from most of them but I have two inserts with plugs all together, and 2 more without.

I gotta say using the foot pump to remove the lid from the 3063 is a jarring experience! It always shocks me because I don't know exactly when it's going to come off and even if I pry it off after pumping it a bit it's still shocking :D.