large artifacts on black and white.

[albinh]

My name is Albin Holmgren and I'm a new member here. I've recently started using my graphlex supergraphic after a ten year break. Used to shoot C-41 but I am now doing black and white (Ilford HP5).
I'm very happy to get into large format again. Slowly remembering all the common mistakes and hopefully learning to get away from them.

On some images I get strange artifacts. Please see the attached photos (they are scanned on a flatbed scanner and somewhat exaggerated in lightroom to show the problem more clearly.

I guessing this is a problem in development. I'm using Ilford ID-11 in a tank with the mod 54 holder. Aggitating with the small plastic pin to rotate the holder 10 seconds each 60 seconds).
This does not appear on all negatives and to me the shape looks like there is something liquid causing this but that's just my guess.
They are washed in our normal tap water (from a private well)




Any help identifying what's causing this would be greatly appreciated.

[Larry Gebhardt]

I agree it looks like development issues. Based the second image maybe the sheets are touching for part of the cycle. I've never use the mod 54 holder, so I don't know if that's feasible. Try leaving an empty slot between sheets and see if it goes away.

[albinh]

Thank you! I'll try to only load 4 (instead of 4 sheets) and see if it helps.

My most recent theory is that this has something to do with aggitation. One sheet ended up like the attached photo and the bands seems to align with the "holders" of the 54.
I'll also try inversing the tank (instead of rotating) next time.

[j.e.simmons]

When I had problems that looked similar to those, I wasn’t agitating vigorously enough. I was just sloshing the developer around. For small tanks, be sure to invert several times. I don’t know what the equivalent would be for your system.

[ASA1000]

When I had problems that looked similar to those, I wasn’t agitating vigorously enough. I was just sloshing the developer around. For small tanks, be sure to invert several times. I don’t know what the equivalent would be for your system.

I was thinking agitation too

[Ulophot]

albinh, first of all, welcome back to LF! I had a similar hiatus, and the process of getting all my processes back under control, with new equipment and chemistry, took much longer than expected, partly due to limited time and long stretches between tests. Keep at it! You'll get there.

In the first two negatives, those sharp lines are quite different from the patterns in the third. Also, some are dark, suggesting lack of developer reaching the emulsion along the curved lines. The suggestions offered above are good ones. Keep clear notes as you go along; in my experience, they can make a huge difference in tracking down gremlins.

Best of luck as you continue. Looking forward to seeing your work.

[Doremus Scudder]

Pour in the developer quickly. Agitate vigorously for the first 30 seconds of development and then again for five seconds on the one minute mark. Agitate once every 30 or 60 seconds therearfter (every 30 seconds if you have unevenness problems) for five seconds after that. If the unevenness continues, try a 3-4 minute presoak in water before development (make sure it is at the same temperature as the rest of the processing chemicals).

That should solve your problem.

Doremus

[Bill Poole]

I would argue against its being the MOD 54 holders if they are loaded properly, which takes a little practice and then is simplicity itself (IMHO). I use 30 seconds of rotary agitation using the Paterson spindle; then I put the cover on the tank and do five inversions every minute. I used to have a lot of uneven development with trays. These tanks just work for me. Hope this helps.