Where did the green go?

[bruce watson]

When I was processing Tri-X 4x5 sheets in Jobo, I would presoak. The

presoak water would come out dark green. I'm told this is the

anti-halation backing from the film. The developer itself, HC110,

would come out sort of pinkish. Fixer would come out a little yellow.

 

Then I switched over to XTOL 1:3. No prewash. The XTOL comes out sort

of pinkish also. Kodak Rapid Fixer comes out a touch yellow, as before.

 

So... where did the green go???

[sk_arts]

hogarth-

 

I assume that it's the same film size?

 

I know when I was taking photo 1 I was the only person shooting 120, I think I was using Illford, everyone was washing happily, Travis came out of the loading room with a mutilated hand from the can-opener, I dumped the water from the canister, and to my horror, it was purple!

 

everyone else was like WTF, and so was I, I called the teacher and he managed to calm us all down. Travis still needed stitches.

 

Funny story aside, if you are by chance shooting a smaller format, it may use a different backing?

[trooper]

I had posed a similar question.... Check this thread:

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=005eut

[chris_waller]

With some films the AH layer dissolves in the pre-wash, with

some its stripped off by the alkaline developer. And with some it

bleaches in the fix. It varies from manufacturer to manufacturer

and even between film formats.

[micah_vennard]

When you switched over that is what probably changed the color. The anti-halation backing always comes off pink when i fix my film

[michael_fraser1]

The green anti-halation dye will disolve out in the pre-soak. If you don't use a pre-soak, the developer will neutralize the green color, hence no green color when you pour out the developer. The pink color, most pronounced with T-Max (and the purple color with Delta) is actually a sensitizing dye that makes the film 'panchromatic.' Using an alkaline fixer, like Photographers' Formulary TF-4 helps disolve that, as will extended (and with T-Max I do mean extended) wash times. It's important to remove it if you are printing with VC paper, no matter what EK or Ilford says.

[lex_jenkins]

For folks using rapid (acid) fixers extending fixing generally won't help clear any remaining tint from the anti-halation or sensitizing dyes.

 

What can help is to save the expended developer (assuming you're using a one-shot process) and use it to "wash" the fixed negatives in. The more alkaline the developer the more it will help in clearing these dyes. Then rinse, refix quickly and wash as usual. (The refix may not even be necessary, your choice.)

 

If you used a highly alkaline developer to begin with, such as Rodinal, there will be little or no tint leftover by the fixing stage anyway.

 

Folks who don't use one-shot developers or highly alkaline developers may wish to prepare a special alkaline bath to help clear those dyes. Some folks have suggested recipes for such baths - these are in the archives but I can't recall where right now.