T-max100,pinkish cast, fix for 24 minutes too long?

[Jfnphotography]

Just finished developing 6 4x5 sheets of T-Max 100. I'm having a problem getting the pinkish cast out of the negative. I develop my film in a light tight box, D-76 at 68 temp. for 9.5 minutes, stop bath 2 minutes, Kodak Fixer for 18 minutes (Kodak recommends 10 minutes for 4x5 film), water rinse, then Kodak Photo-Flo for 2 minutes, then rinse with water and re-fix for 6 minutes or until the pink is out. Than photo-flo 2:00 minutes. All my chemicals are 1:1 dilution and new only 3 days old. I haven't noticed any fogging on my film.

Is fixing for 24 minutes too long?

Is it better to fix or wash with photo-flo to get the pink out?

Thanks, Jacob

[eddie]

i learned the longer you fix the longer you need to wash.

here is what i do for tmax 100. develop (hc110), stop, fix for 4-6 min or until clear. ( you can take off the top and look to see if it is clear not milkly/foggy) then i rinse. i use a daylight tank normally so i fill and dump it ten times. then i fill and let it soak for a few min. i repeat this till the pink is gone. usually i let them soak for 10-25 min all total. i dump when i think about it. then i use photo flo then hang.

cheers
eddie

[David A. Goldfarb]

24 minutes is longer than necessary, and at that point it's not getting the dye out. Fix for the recommended time for T-Max films, rinse and use a wash aid like hypo clearing agent or Permawash, final wash, then PhotoFlo or Agfa Sistan, and then hang. Do not wash after PhotoFlo, or you are defeating the purpose of using PhotoFlo, which is to prevent drying marks.

PhotoFlo should not remove the pink dye. A proper fix, wash, and hypo clearing agent or Permawash does.

[Oren Grad]

>> Is it better to fix or wash with photo-flo to get the pink out? <<

Neither.

Even 18 minutes is way too long for fixer. If you're having trouble clearing the dye, add a wash aid step after the fixer - Kodak Hypo Clearing Agent, Heico Perma Wash, or Ilford Wash Aid. Agitate the negatives in the wash aid until the dye clears, then do a final water wash, then dunk briefly in Photo Flo before hanging up to dry.

[Ed Richards]

Do the wash aids really do anything to the dye? I thought they were aimed at the fixer, and really for paper, not film. Tmax is on an impervious base and is a really thin emulsion, it should not be hard to get the fixer out. I would presoak, that really helps clear the dye, plus it can help even out development.

[Oren Grad]

Do the wash aids really do anything to the dye?

Yes. I first learned the trick in Phil Davis' darkroom. He used Perma Wash to clear TMX negatives that came out of the BTZS tubes with residual dye. Although my standard size sheet films all clear completely when processed in Jobo Expert drums, which maintain excellent circulation on the base as well as the emulsion side, I've pressed the trick into service recently to clear some J&C/Forte 400 7x17 negatives that had residual dye when I pulled them from the Jobo print drum I used for processing.

[David A. Goldfarb]

Yes, I also use PermaWash, and it makes a huge difference in removing the dye.

[Jfnphotography]

How long do you presoak? Do you agitate when presoaking?

[Jfnphotography]

I will give the presoak and PermaWash a try.
Thanks for your help. Jacob

[Brian Ellis]

PermaWash preceded by a brief (1-2 minute) rinse will definitely help remove the dye. However, a slight magenta tint isn't going to hurt anything so I wouldn't become fanatical about removing every last trace of it.