underdeveloped film, damage done, help!!!

Hi folks,

better do a test, thats never worth printing, I told myself already.

My last test of Efke 25 in Rodinal turned out to have pretty pictures

though. But definitively underdeveloped! A lot!! Grade 5 printing is

still really soft and "wishiwashy". (Turned out to be better between

5:30 and 6 minutes then 4:30 i did)

Ok, the damage is done, have I just to forget this one, or is there

any mystical trick, to reinforce this one? I already tried selenium

toner with nearly no effect. Any other suggestions?

Enhanced grain is no problem, or at least bearable, whereas it`s 6x9

(2 1/4x3 1/4) film.

Still hoping for help,

 

Martin

Can you intensify the negative? They sell some kit now to do that.

I would soak the negatives in straight selenium toner. It will work proportionally on the areas of greatest density on the negative. If that doesn't work, then you had best forget this batch.

Hi Donald,

straight means undiluted???

Yes that is what I meant. Follow with a wash of the negative and a rinse in water with photoflo to eliminate spotting.

Check out http://www.photoformulary.com/ for the right intensifier for you. Another alternative is to redevelop the negatives. Too bad I don't have the book for this process here at the moment. :-/

Ditto the suggestion to try straight or 1:2, at most, selenium toner. Any further dilution will require hours of soaking to effect any change. I'd try this before intensifiers, which can be far more difficult to work with. And I don't think the selenium toning will prevent you from trying other intensifiers down the road if you choose - just be sure to wash the film thoroughly after toning.

 

Finally, try scanning the negatives. Yeh, I know, blasphemy. But scanning and digital editing give you controls that simply are not available to any practicable degree in the wet darkroom.

Hi Martin, so I won't make your mistake, what developer did you use, and what times? Thanks, Bill (good luck with the scanning).

If they are severely thin, selenium might not be enough, and I don't know how other intensifiers will work if you've already selenium toned. For negatives that I just want about a stop more contrast with, I use Kodak Rapid Selenium toner 1:3, and my times are around 8 minutes. For something more severe, I would use Chromium Intensifier instead of selenium.

Hi Bill, and all the others, who asked for reasons, here is what I did:

Efke 25, Agfa Rodinal (shop new) 1+50, as suggested by digitaltruth 4.5 minutes. I did the next film 6.5 minutes, and it was slightly overdeveloped (a little bit hard, still good printable). Therefore I ended somewhat at 6 minutes. At 20 degrees.

Possible problems: dilution 1+50 for 500ml means 10 ml of Rodinal. Unlikely to miss that bad. 20 degrees temperature the same.

Especially for I did three films, one after the other imediately like described above with at least logical results. There might have been an additional mistake in underexposing, but unlikely too, for the three films where taken during my holidays, each one at several locations, three more TriX and PlusX (developed in TMAX), all same camera, meter a.s.o. and the problem is striktly correlated to the one film.

Maybe our water contains something retarding only rodinal.....

After that experience I`d say, don`t believe me, only rely on your own test ;-)

Although thanks for all your help.

Martin

If you are interested on trying Chromium Intensifier, I can copy the method and recipe from a book I hown, but probably you have already solved the problem. If you want just say so.

 

Joao