Failure First Attempt

[nray]

I made my first attempt at developing 4x5 negatives. (T-Max 400) I tried two sheets and when I turned the lights on the film was translucent. I used Pyrocat-HD and TF-4 fixer.

My sequence(@70F):
1) soaked 2 minutes in distilled water
2) 12 minutes Pyrocat (10 second agitation/min.)
3) 1 minute water bath
4) 5 minutes TF-4 fixer (30 second agitation/min.)
5) 15 min. rinse

The pyrocat tray was black the first time and the second time the pyrocat tray was dark and the water bath tray was black.

After development I put the film back in the pre-soaking tray for the minute. I was having slight difficulty in keeping the temp. at 70F. It crept up to 73F the first time. Second time was accurate.

So, I screwed up somehow. I used 400ml in each tray.

-4ml each A&B Pyrocat/400 ml distilled water.
-133ml fixer/400 ml distilled water

My A&B concentrate is 100ml.

Any ideas/suggestions what went wrong, I would appreciate.

Thanks.
Norm Ray

[Herb Cunningham]

I presume you mean the sheets were clear? If they were black, over exposure or bad fogging- I am assuming clear:
If you got your pyrocat from a vendor, the developer was bad. I had this happen early on, and the developer from the vendor was the culprit.
I make up my own pyrocat now and have never had the problem again.

You might try a test shot with 1:25 developer from the same batch. If that works, it may just be weak.

[Mike Anderson]

What does the film look like? solid black? translucent?

...Mike

[nray]

I presume you mean the sheets were clear? If they were black, over exposure or bad fogging- I am assuming clear:
If you got your pyrocat from a vendor, the developer was bad. I had this happen early on, and the developer from the vendor was the culprit.
I make up my own pyrocat now and have never had the problem again.

You might try a test shot with 1:25 developer from the same batch. If that works, it may just be weak.

What does the film look like? solid black? translucent?

...Mike

I'm sorry, they were translucent. I made up my own developer from the powdered chemicals.

[Brian Ellis]

I'm sorry, they were translucent. I made up my own developer from the powdered chemicals.

In addition to potential developer problems is it possible that the film was never exposed? Like you didn't pull the dark slide or the shutter never tripped or the shutter tripped but the aperture was closed? Or you processed the wrong sheets of film? I'll never forget coming back from a week-long photography trip with about 75 clear sheets of film - using Readyloads, the film had come up along with the outside envelope every time it was pulled.

[nray]

In addition to potential developer problems is it possible that the film was never exposed? Like you didn't pull the dark slide or the shutter never tripped or the shutter tripped but the aperture was closed? Or you processed the wrong sheets of film? I'll never forget coming back from a week-long photography trip with about 75 clear sheets of film - using Readyloads, the film had come up along with the outside envelope every time it was pulled.

Yeah, I though of that. I used brand new film holders. I reversed the dark slide to show they were exposed. Shutter tripped. I don't know. Frustrating.

[Gem Singer]

"The Pyrocat turned black after use".

Are you sure that you mixed the powdered chemicals correctly?

The pre-soak water usually turns a dark color due to the anti-halation dye dissolving out.

However, the Pyrocat developing solution should remain clear.

Also, try mixing solution A with 200ml water and solution B with 200ml water. Then mix the two together when you are ready to develop the film.

400ml seems like a very small amount for tray development.

I use 500ml to develop one roll of 120 film in a Paterson tank.

[Ken Lee]

It's probably a few dollars well-spent to purchase a set of 1/2 liter bottles from Photographer's Formulary, pre-mixed. This way you'll get to see what things should look like.


Pyrocat HD oxidizes fairly quickly once A & B are combined, so use it soon after you mix it. I use Sterilite food containers, since they are tall and deep, but narrow (like a canyon). There is much less chance of oxidation than when using a tray. Trays are wide and shallow - just the opposite of what we want.

Like Gem says, use more solution. I never use less than 1 liter.

[Ken Lee]

On a related note: A friend of mine once took an "Introduction to Photography" class, where the first assignment was to simply take an elevator to the top of a tall building, and throw a 10-dollar bill into the wind. I don't know who the instructor was, but whoever it was, was a wise soul.

[BradS]

On a related note: A friend of mine once took an "Introduction to Photography" class, where the first assignment was to simply take an elevator to the top of a tall building, and throw a 10-dollar bill into the wind. I don't know who the instructor was, but whoever it was, was a wise soul.

Wow! That is an excellent assignment. I've never heard of it before. Thanks.