boiling film

[fima_zaltsman]

does anyone know the directions to boiling film before developing

it, so the emulsion cracks, and produces interesting effects?

[chris_waller]

Your talking reticulation here. This is produced by the rapid contraction of the gelatin and can be caused by immersing the film first in warm water (but NOT boiling!), e.g. 40 C, then immersing in very cold water, e.g. water plus ice. However, this may not cause reticulation with modern films due to their being much harder than emulsions of old. In this case try a rapid change between alkaline and acid solutions, e.g. after development use a very strong acid stop bath (e.g. 5 percent hydrochloric acid).

[jim_malone]

As an addendum to Chris' comments, I have accidentally caused reticulation in 4X5 film by processing it normally, then rinsing with hot tap water for a few minutes. While I was not very happy with the results (it ruined some nice shots), the reticulation effect was quite pronounced.

 

Fortunately, I haven't tried this with 35mm film.

 

Good luck

Jim

[lex_jenkins]

Boiling would probably strip the emulsion completely off the film base. Start out a bit more conservatively. Try a presoak in water at 120-160F, then immersing immediately in developer at a "normal" temperature of roughly 68F.

 

However, it might be a better idea to develop first at a normal temperature, with no presoak, and use hot water as a rinse before fixing. Or wash in hot water after fixing. This might ensure more consistent development and more aesthetically pleasing reticulation.

 

I recall experimenting with this technique as a kid. It did occasionally produce some interesting results.

[wickedmartini]

Another trick I used to like is to put your wet film in the freezer after processing. It can create some sool patterns in the emulsion. I would also suggest that you stay away from the T-Max films for these effects. They are almost impossible to reticulate.

[frank.schifano]

I've had this happen quite by accident simply by letting the wash water become too warm. I wasn't paying attention and the tap water temperature crept up to about 100 deg. F. The damage wasn't too bad, but I'll bet if I'd plunged the film into cold water it would have been worse. I wouldn't go much above 105 to 110 deg. F for fear of stripping the emulsion right off the film.