Poundland Vista in Rodinal, complete failure

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NickT

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I've processed Poundland Vista in 1:100 Rodinal before, and whilst the negatives were pretty muddy, there were images to be seen. I've just shot a roll and done the same as before, i.e 1:100 for an hour, started at about 20 degrees no agitation after four inversions at start. I fixed and washed it as before but can't even see a frame line this time.

I know the camera has worked before, the shutter does open and it was winding on. Comparing the negs with the Vista that was OK, I can say that the emulsion side of the failure is more greyish than the brownish successful one. The leader looked no different from the supposedly exposed portion of the film. I'm at a loss to explain the complete lack of anything on the roll; any ideas please?
 
The film didn't wind on at the beginning?
 
excalibur2 said:
The film didn't wind on at the beginning?
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I think it did, as there was resistance when I wound it back, which stopped at the end of the wind. The trouble is I can't tell whether the film is fogged, unexposed or undeveloped. My best theory is that I forgot to zip up the changing bag (maybe). I'm just going to have to repeat the experiment as it's bugging me. I'll go down to the beach after tea and run off another roll.
 
Were there frame numbers?
 
RaglanSurf said:
Were there frame numbers?
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No, but I can't make out the numbers on the successful roll either. There is some edge printing on the successful roll but I can't read it. The failed roll has nothing discernible on it, even when held up to a very bright light.
 
I bought a Konica FT1 at the bootie for £5 (really wanted the battery cover), anyway put batteries and thought that's a bit of luck everything works..h'mm No! the shutter was firing from 1000 to 2 secs by sound but on opening the back and the first curtain wasn't opening and it was the 2nd curtain making the sound.
So you could check yours?
 
Are you sure you put the Rodinal in? :p
 
It would go clear if the Rodinal didn't work - try refixing with fresh fixer?
 
I've just repeated the process - same camera/lens, times etc. This time I have images. The first failed film looks like the leader section of the one I've just done, so my conclusion is that I fogged it somehow. I probably didn't zip the bag up properly. My neighbour has just rung the bell to tell me that I'd left the front door keys in the lock, so I wouldn't put anything past me today.
 
Sorry to reopen this thread but I've still not got to the bottom of the problem. I've processed two rolls of Vista in Rodinal in the last two days and the results have been terrible. The first roll was firstly in one camera then rewound after a few frames and finished off in the camera that shot my 'Shadows' entry. This roll was stand developed starting at 22 degrees, 1:100 for an hour, shaken a bit at 30 minutes and fixed for 9 minutes. Roll two was shot in that second camera and devved in 1:50, at 20 degrees for 11 minutes agitating for the first minute, then tipping gently every 30 seconds. Both rolls have very faint images. You can just about see the divisions between frames but can't see any of the barcode type marking by the sprocket holes which is very plain to see on successful rolls.

I have used Rodinal before on Vista and the results have been OK http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae326/NickBT1/OK_Vista_zpsed497930.jpg

Whereas the best I can get from the last couple of rolls is http://i984.photobucket.com/albums/ae326/NickBT1/FU_Vista_zps508681b6.jpg
(I did retrieve this roll from the bin before scanning it as I'd rather lost my temper with the whole business when I saw the negs. That's why it's spotty and the stripes are down to aggressive squeegeeing.)

I can't account for this huge difference in quality at all, unless it's either the film itself or the RO9 that's gone off. I haven't fogged it, the camera's OK and I put the chemicals in the tank in the right order.

Does anyone have any further thoughts please?
 
NickT said:
..unless it's either the film itself or the RO9 that's gone off...
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I would say that has to be your starting point, I assume that the agfa film is reasonably fresh and the R09 hasn't been sitting on a hot windowsill for months.

All you can do is rule out potential causes, have you got a roll of standard b&w film you could do a test with?
 
RaglanSurf said:
I would say that has to be your starting point, I assume that the agfa film is reasonably fresh and the R09 hasn't been sitting on a hot windowsill for months.

All you can do is rule out potential causes, have you got a roll of standard b&w film you could do a test with?
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Well the RO9 is about two years old but I believe that it's supposed to have legendary long life characteristics. Silverprint's guff says "We have a 1977 bottle which was still working ok when tested in 2002!"

I think you are right in that I have to test the RO9. I don't mind wasting Poundland film but I'm reluctant to waste a whole roll of Tri-X. I think I'll use my bulk loader to wind off about 10 frames from a roll into a plastic cassette and try that in Rodinal.
 
NickT said:
Well the RO9 is about two years old but I believe that it's supposed to have legendary long life characteristics. Silverprint's guff says "We have a 1977 bottle which was still working ok when tested in 2002!"

I think you are right in that I have to test the RO9. I don't mind wasting Poundland film but I'm reluctant to waste a whole roll of Tri-X. I think I'll use my bulk loader to wind off about 10 frames from a roll into a plastic cassette and try that in Rodinal.
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Sounds like a plan, I had a bottle of Rodinal that was about 2 years old and used the last of it earlier this year, it had always been stored in a cool dark place and I even had to strain the crusty bits out of the last drops but it performed as it should. I know what you mean about wasting a roll of Tri-X so a 10 frame test roll sounds like the way forward, at least then you can eliminate that as the cause.
 
It looks like it was the developer. A short roll of Tri-X processed as per the instructions on the bottle for 1:50 gave the faintest of images and the fogged leader just about made it to a pale grey. The bottom of the bottle was full of black flakes. So much for its legendary long life properties!
 
NickT said:
It looks like it was the developer. A short roll of Tri-X processed as per the instructions on the bottle for 1:50 gave the faintest of images and the fogged leader just about made it to a pale grey. The bottom of the bottle was full of black flakes. So much for its legendary long life properties!
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It is unusual, I have had to strain out the black flakes before now but it still did the job. Is it possible it got either very hot or very cold?
 
RaglanSurf said:
It is unusual, I have had to strain out the black flakes before now but it still did the job. Is it possible it got either very hot or very cold?
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I wouldn't say it got hot or cold. Maybe it's been contaminated with something. I have another unopened bottle which I will try. I only intend to use it with Poundland Vista as I don't much like it with Tri-X. I thought that I had used it many moons ago and liked it, but it must have been something else.

It's very odd that it just went from working OK to not at all as a step function though.
 
NickT said:
It's very odd that it just went from working OK to not at all as a step function though.
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I agree, odd that it's failed so quickly, is it possible that it was contaminated?
 
Just to put this thread to bed at last - RO9 doesn't keep forever like Rodinal is supposed to do. I had another bottle of RO9 which I bought about a year ago and had not opened. I put two rolls of Vista in 6ml of RO9 to 600ml water, left it for an hour and both developed OK.

In short, RO9 goes off and it goes off all of a sudden, so much so that you get no image at all. My first bottle was OK for about 2 years that's all.
 
Thanks for the update, I'll keep an eye on my stuff although I'm not sure how I'd tell.
 
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