Orange peel

[pete_rearden]

I got my hands on a long expired box of 4x5 Kodak pan SuperXX. It had been in cold storage since new, and it was free. Every negative

so far has had an orange peel effect on the emulsion side. I've been using Harvey's 777 @ 68 degrees, 18 minutes, agitate for the first 30

seconds, 10 seconds every minute after. Any thoughts?

[Zootman]

Is your stop, fixer, and wash all about the same temperature? They don't need to be as precise as the developer, but it is

good if they don't vary more than about 5 degrees. The only time I have had orange peal was for that reason.

[pete_rearden]

All my chems are at the same temp.

[Alan Marcus]

<p>Orange peel – a pebbly surface?<br>

Look at the negatives both by transmitted light and reflected light. Can you see the emulsion surface being uneven as to height? Water droplets remaining on the emulsion during the drying process can cause this condition. The water droplets inhibit drying while the surrounds dry. The binder that hold the light sensitive goods on the film base is gelatin. When film is wet the gelatin swells allowing the fluids of the process to enter and percolate about. As the film dries the gelatin shrinks back to almost its original thickness. If water droplets are present, the shrinkage rate is changed and this is the cause of the orange peel effect. If you don’t see, by reflected light, a height difference (you may need a magnifying glass), then likely it’s a case of uneven fixing. Test the time a piece of film takes to clear, observing an undeveloped piece of film in the fix in the light. Fix time is twice the time it takes to clear. Anyway, try re-fixing and re-washing, allowing the film to remain in the fix solution for about 10 minutes. Wash in running water for 20 minutes and place in a wetting agent bath for 30 seconds. Hang by the corner allowing the film to air dry naturally. Hope this helps!</p>