Negative come out 100% transparent

Lemaildetom

Lemaildetom

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Hi there,

I've been developing two 120 black and white film at home and the 2 results were some negative 100% transparent :grumpy:. The first roll is a bit purple (tri-x 400), the second is a bit blue (fomopan 100). But both are 100% transparent, no marking to the edge, no frame number, no density anywhere nothing....

Films have been shot with a pentax 645n which is the first time i have used. When a film isn't loaded i can see the shutter/ curtain / aperture are working fine at all speed/aperture. When i load the film i think i can't be wrong there because the arrows on the paper back of the film line with the arrow on the camera. Then the camera automatically rolled the film in to frame 1 without error message. Then i took all the shot and then the camera wind the film to the end. When I take it out, it's in the right way with the paper back saying exposed film.

Then to develop i have used some equipment and chemicals that a friend gave me, chemicals are 18 months old. I follow these steps
-approx 10 min (depending of film and charts) at 20C developping time with 1:50 solution using R09 freshly mixed (the bottle is half full and there's a few crystal in the bottom)
-1/2 min stop bath with 1:19 Ilford stop (the bottle is half full)
-4 1/2 min 1:4 Ilford rapid fixer (the bottle is half full)
Bottle have been store in dry and cool place in the house

So what can have been happening?
-the picture are not exposed at all?
-the picture are not developed at all? Are the chemical can go so much off that nothing will come out of the picture.
-i'm i did the steps in the right order no fixing before developping... the second time my friend that gave me all the equipment was with me and he has done it many time. I was here just to check i haven't done something silly.

Any idea what is going wrong and where?
 
Must be the developing at fault. If it was the camera then you still have edge markings.

Chemicals should be okay but for the sake of trouble shooting start with fresh developer. Next, are you absolutely sure you put the developer in before the fixer?
 
not exposed or not developed

if you take not exposed out of the equation, 1 to 50 Rodinal seems a bit weak for 10 minutes


edit....as above
 
Thanks for such a quick answer guys!

steveo_mcg said:
Must be the developing at fault. If it was the camera then you still have edge markings.
Chemicals should be okay but for the sake of trouble shooting start with fresh developer. Next, are you absolutely sure you put the developer in before the fixer?
Click to expand...

Yes developper R09 then stop then rapid fix.
Would you only buy the developper or the whole lot?

joxby said:
not exposed or not developed
if you take not exposed out of the equation, 1 to 50 Rodinal seems a bit weak for 10 minutes
edit....as above
Click to expand...

The timing are taken from chart at http://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.php?Film=&Developer=Rodinal&mdc=Search the fomopan was only 8 1/2 minute the other was 13 1/2.

Gosh it's annoying 2 filmed ruined. I have an almost finished 35mm film but a bit too worry to put it through.
 
If there are no edge markings it is most likely that you fixed first and then developed.


Steve.
 
Lemaildetom said:
Hmmmmm... I was really carefull about that specially the second time.
Click to expand...

Then the developer is goosed, must have been contaminated some how as Rodinal (R09) has an enormous shelf life.

Get some fresh chemicals, fixer is cheap just bin it, don't risk it.
 
Before you get rid of anything, put a piece of film (cut off a small piece from the leader) into the developer. It should turn black. Put another small piece into the fixer. It should go clear.

If both of theses things happen, you must have swapped the two over.

Even if the developer was very bad, it should still have shown a very feint image, especially of the edge markings.


Steve.
 
steveo_mcg said:
Then the developer is goosed, must have been contaminated some how as Rodinal (R09) has an enormous shelf life.

Get some fresh chemicals, fixer is cheap just bin it, don't risk it.
Click to expand...

The original Rodinal had an absolutely legendary shelf life but in my experience RO9 goes off after a few months. When it does go off it happens very quickly, one day it's fine, the next it's useless.
 
Ok sounds like a test i can do tonight,
Do i just do it in the light so the film get fully exposed?
I have 500ml of developer just mixed and i can do some fixer too.
 
NickT said:
The original Rodinal had an absolutely legendary shelf life but in my experience RO9 goes off after a few months. When it does go off it happens very quickly, one day it's fine, the next it's useless.
Click to expand...

Well i need to test that with steve method then!
 
NickT said:
The original Rodinal had an absolutely legendary shelf life but in my experience RO9 goes off after a few months. When it does go off it happens very quickly, one day it's fine, the next it's useless.
Click to expand...

My bottle is over 18 mths at still worked fine two weeks ago, I'll keep an eye on that. TBH its getting a bit crusty so I was thinking of binning it any way.
 
Lemaildetom said:
Ok sounds like a test i can do tonight,
Do i just do it in the light so the film get fully exposed?
I have 500ml of developer just mixed and i can do some fixer too.
Click to expand...

Sorry not sure if you have seen this post. To test the developper and fixer do i do that in day light or using the tank? I really just cut a bit of and dip it in?
 
I bought some because it's cheap and according to Silverprint's blurb it keeps forever. A 1977 bottle was still OK 25 years later. That might have been true once but it isn't now.
 
Lemaildetom said:
Sorry not sure if you have seen this post. To test the developper and fixer do i do that in day light or using the tank? I really just cut a bit of and dip it in?
Click to expand...
Daylight is fine, just clip a bit off and drop it in your diluted developer.
 
I bought up a (lifetime?) supply of Agfa Rodinal when the writing was on the wall for Agfa. I still have several bottles, and it's still working fine. I've heard that R09 has a short shelf life - I have to admit that I thought it was about 6 months once opened, but my memory may well be at fault.

I keep some old HP3 film (left over from a 1960s bulk load) to test fixer, and of course it can be used to test that developer still develops.

The Rodinal formula (or one of them) does result in a certain amount of precipitation (and has to be left for a few hours after making up) so some crystals may not be a warning sign. But it should only be a small amount.

On the original problem - if no edge markings, then the film was not developed. Either inactive developer or fixed first.
 
Last edited:
Ok, i did the dipping test with the start of a roll (pffffff i had one black and white 35mm film in stock!).

The bit of the film in the fixer became all clear, exactly like both previous films did.

The bit of film in the developer didn't change at all and is excatly the same as when i put it in. So i guess that mean it's the developper (R09) that gone totally wrong.
 
Lemaildetom said:
Ok, i did the dipping test with the start of a roll (pffffff i had one black and white 35mm film in stock!).

The bit of the film in the fixer became all clear, exactly like both previous films did.

The bit of film in the developer didn't change at all and is excatly the same as when i put it in. So i guess that mean it's the developper (R09) that gone totally wrong.
Click to expand...

Sounds like it. Sorry mate.
 
Thankk you all for the help guys! Hopefully a new developper will be on its way at some time soon!
 
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