Underprocessed Tri-X

I developed a couple of rolls of film tonight after not doing it for

awhile. Instead of agitating the film every 30 seconds, I only shook

once a minute.

When I looked at the film the stock is opaque. I can see the image on

both sides of the film, but can't see through when holding the film up

to the light.

Is this film ruined or can I re-process it? If not that is there

anything else I can do?

I feel like a fool for this, I even thought half way through

devoloping that I wasn't doing it right.

Chad

You really don't have to shake every 30 seconds, you can do it every minute, or shake it more than every 30 seconds it all depends what you want to do with it. It sounds to me like you dev just fine and it's just a fixer issue. Try re-fixing-->wash for 1 minute-->hypo-->archival wash--> photo flo --> dry.

The same thing happened to me and I was flipping out but when I refixed it, everything was fine.

Refix as above, but figure out why the fix was insufficient.

Redo with fresh new fix at film strength, not paper.

At once per minute, use four inversions. At 30 sec, two seems to be ok although.

Kodak recommends 5-7 inversions in 5 sec. It works for me with the stainless steel tanks. Stick with 2 for plastic ones.

Thanks, that's a load off my mind. The fixer probably was too weak. I'll get more and try again.

Of course the film was irreplacable. This stuff never happens with pictures that can be done over.

Chad

Chad,

As the other posts indicate, your film is NOT ruined. You just need to wet and fix again with fresh fixer. The image has been developed and development has stopped. Now you need to clear and fix the developed images with fresh fixer. I hope you did not discard the negatives.

Paul

Be sure to avoid actually "shaking" the film during processing. It's not a martini. ;>

If the agitation is too vigorous surge marks can result, which are permanet. Inversions should be fairly gentle, taking one full second for each inversion.

I didn't dicard the negatives. I was going to wait until I got some advice before I did anything else. I went and got some more fixer and am planning on refixing the negs now.

I'll let you know how they turn out.

Chad

Hi all!

When I started out in photography same thing happened to me once... only difference is that I used print dev instead of film developer. Silly me, the negs was so buggered up it even had a bright orange colour around the sprocket holes!

regards

Confession: Once years ago while working as an assistant for a professional photographer I botched a roll of TRI-X after doing a few rolls correctly. I was distracted by the sound of a couple in the next apartment, also the chemicals were in a left to right order instead of the right to left order I was used to in my own darkroom (I'm left handed.) I was beginning a roll when the banging noise started and somehow I poured in the fixer first and although I immediatly poured it out, rinsed with water and then processed in the normal order not even the frame numbers were visible. Needless to say he was not pleased as he had to go and re-shoot part of the team. He pointed out in so many terms that Pro-hockey players do not like to re-pose.

After that I only worked as a courier for him.

That was the only roll I ever botched before or since, color or B&W!