So to get it straight, are these dark specks in the negative or clear ones? If they're dark on the negative (white on the positive), it could be debris. But that usually leaves quite uneven patterns; what does it look like? Can you post a scan or photo?
They are both light and dark depending on background, so I don't think it is the film, as they are not uniform, yes I think they are contamination. I have used RO9 and Rodinol and get the same result, so my guess is it is the fixer oxidizing. Will check today with a different fixer.
When I saw the oxidizing on the bottle neck I did filter the fixer through a coffee filter.
Have tried to post a pic for the last week but internet speed is poor at the present.
Last edited by andrewch59; 17-Mar-2017 at 14:41. Reason: more to add
This suggests you have (at least) two different problems.They are both light and dark depending on background
I'm not sure what you mean by the fixer oxidizing, but generally, when fixer decomposes, the thiosulfate is broken down into elemental sulfur, rendering it ineffective, but it doesn't cause specks in my experience. Crud, dust and to a lesser extent iron contamination of the developer can cause issues though.
That looks like an interesting exhibition, I wish I could see it in person!
The picture isn't very conclusive; what I see looks mostly like grain. Are you sure it's not just the grain of the film that you're running into? I find x-ray film isn't particularly fine-grained for its speed. Another possibility is reticulation, which could occur if there are quite large temperature differences between the processing chemicals. A notorious example is developing at 20C and then using a stop/rinse at a much lower temperature. However, I can't be sure as I haven't had any films reticulate yet in my darkroom despite my habit of washing film with unheated tap water (around 10-12C during colder spells in winters).
Hi Koraks, no I don't think it is grain, although it covers the whole pic it is not uniform. I will have to try rotation again, it was giving me great contrasty results, the only prob was the constant threat of scratches. I have a close gallery next week for an important visitor and don't want to ruin my one chance at a good pic. May have to do some practice shots through the week. Yes I have 17 pics on display, all done with xray negs. 30 or so large format cameras, magic lanterns and the three in the pic are two hunter penrose and one deardorff studio.
Thodoris not much in the way of feedback coming your way, so I'll say it a pretty damn good shot for xray. I love my new to me super angulon 90mm too. Its a pretty adaptable lens, from landscapes to architecture to studio stills.
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