Hi everyone! When I develop Delta 100 I have a problem. After development(and hypo) I notice the film is still a light purple, instead of a light gray. I took a slice of the leader and put it in the hypo thinking it was just a bad batch but I noticed the silver disappearing and only the fog was left (after 7 min,). But the film was still a light purple, almost magenta. Is this the way it is supposed to be or am I having hypo problems.

-- Bart Lund (bal1210@sprynet.com), February 07, 1998

Answers

I should also mention...

I should say I am developing in T-max and am using Kodak Hypo.

-- Bart (bal1210@sprynet.com), February 07, 1998.

Probably a fixing problem. You should fix for at least twice the clearing-time. With Delta 100 (and T-Max), some people (including myself) prefer three times.

Dunk some film in the fixer. Time how long it takes for the film to go through a milky stage to totally clear, with no trace of whiteness. If this is 4 minutes, then it needs 12 minutes in total.

Of course, the fixer should be roughly the same temperature as the developer. If it takes 7 minutes to clear the fog (so it needs 21 minutes total), there's something wrong with the fixer.

-- Alan Gibson (gibson.al@mail.dec.com), February 08, 1998.

Some of that magenta coloring washes away when you rinse the film. Ilford suggest a water saving approach: change water in tank five times; after the first water change invert or rotate the tank once, after the second change do it five times, after the third change ten times and after the fourth change twenty times. You can see the coloring disappear when you flush out the first waters. Anyway different films usually look a bit different, and the same film may look different when developed in a different developer. What really counts is if you can make good enlargements from your negatives.

Ilford also have a proposal for establishing clearing times: take a small piece of the film (the leader) and put one single drop of hypo on it and wait for thirty seconds. Then put the whole piece into hypo. (I use a small glass jar for this, it allows you to inspect the clearing progress easily without having to take out the film.) When there is no difference between the area where you placed the initial drop and the rest, then the film is cleared. Make a note of the time needed with unused hypo. You should discard the hypo when it is so used that the clearing time is twice the time for unused hypo. If you monitor your hypo quality this way, there should be no need to fix for more than twice the (current) clearing time.

By the way, have you seen that Kodak has changed its developing instructions from 'use vigorous agitation' (for T-Max developer) to 'gentle ......agitation' (for XTOL). If you are a fine grain freak, try gentle agitation with your T-Max developer and see what it does to your grain.....

-- chris almqvist (chris@propellerheads.org), February 09, 1998.

I recomend a two bath fixing routine. The first fix bath wears out first. Then you toss it and use the second bath in place of the first and mix fresh fixer for the second bath. Theses are stored in two bottles, of course. Determine the clearing time in new fixer wit ha piece of leader. Put the film in each for 1 1/2 times this period. Visually inspect the film after the first bath. When the film takes twice the original time to clear the first bath is exhausted. Replace both baths after four swaps. Fixer capacity is greatly extended this way.

-- Tim Brown (brownt@ase.com), February 09, 1998.

I have been using Ilford Rapid Fix at the recommended times and dilution with Delta 100 and 400 for about 2 years and have only had excess magenta cast once. I usally wash (with no wash aids) for about 20 minutes at a fairly low flow rate in tap water. I wonder why there is so much variability with fixing. Perhaps there is a problem with shelf life or something.

-- Andy Laycock (aglay@interchange.ubc.ca), February 09, 1998.

I've been fixing my film in a Jobo using Heico fixer. I then wash the film in the Jobo, dumping the water after each minute. The fist minute I wash in water, the second minute in Hypo Clear, then wash in water again for the last three minutes (remembering to change the water each minute). The last water bath is distilled water. Every type of film comes out clear, including T-Max 100 and 400, Iford Delta 100 and 400, and Tri-X.

-- Darron Spohn (dspohn@clicknet.com), February 09, 1998.

Bart: Try to use TF-4 Archival Rapid Fixer from Photographer's Formulary at formulary@montana.com. No stop bath is necessary Just use water rinse after developing. Non Hardening. Maintains an alkaline pH throughout the process. No image bleaching. I myself use it and no more magenta or even pink neg in Tmax or Ilford Delta 100 or 400. I hope be helpfull. Mauricio (from the south of Brazil)

-- Mauricio M. Falcao (mmfalcao@convoy.com.br), February 09, 1998.

The color of purple/magenta

My solution to this problem is to dunk and shake the film in the fixer for another five minutes if I have this magenta coloring after the regular wash. Yes, you can re-fix a film again and again; in the case of Delta and T-Max it works wonders when I have some residual magenta after the usual 7 to 10 minutes fix. I have been told by Koday and somebody with Ilford that these "new generation" films work somewhat differently than the old ones.

I know you are not asking for advice beyond the one you asked, but have you considered using Agfa film? It does not have this problem and it gives far superior images...try it, you may like it!

Bye - John the Fisheye

-- C. John Nemaric (foto64@yahoo.com), February 22, 1998.

Delta and purple tint

This was covered previously above. But here it is again. Use Fotographers' Formulary TF-4 alkaline fixer. Use a plain water stop bath. Most of the residual tint in Delta and T-Max will wash out during normal washing. TF-4 is an excellent fixer for all film. It is long lasting and economical. I don't reccommend it for prints because the required plain water stop often results in stained prints.

-- Michael D Fraser (mdfraser@earthlink.net), February 26, 1998.

Delta and purple tint

I might be wrong, but my position is that Delta 100 and the t-max films should be fixed twice the amount of time it takes to clear. Then if you rinse throughtly, the pink stain will come off. I use perma wash to speed up the process.

-- Kenneth Williams (loftacall@email.msn.com), April 29, 1998.

purple tint

Fixing for 5 minutes in Photographers' Formulary TF-4 and normal washing will result in clear film with no tint in either Delta or T-Max. Be sure to use fresh fixer. Wash aids have little effect on film because film is not porous like paper.

-- Michael D Fraser (mdfraser@earthlink.net), April 30, 1998.

Hello Bart,

I agree with every body. Before starting processing I always use a Fuji Neopan ss lead for fixer test. Take some fixer in a film container put the lead- shake for 30 seconds and watch. If the lead is clear then you are sure that your fixer is ok. Give me a mail if your problem is solved.

Thank You

Mohammad Irfanul Islam Dhaka,Bangladesh E-mail:darkroom@drik.net http://www1.drik.net mirror site in Europe : (services.toolnet.org)

-- Mohammad Irfanul Islam (darkroom@drik.net), May 09, 1998.

yes. i had this problem. i was using heico nh-5. it seemed that i could fix and wash all day and not rid myself of the purple. recently i switched to edwal's "quick-fix" and after a normal 3 min. fixing time the purple is almost completely gone (the rest is gone after washing).

-- chris marker (marker@ksu.edu), October 30, 1999.

Gads..I should put this on a macro; I've written it at least five times this week.

The purple stuff you see is leftover sensitizing dye and can safely be ignored. It'll fade over time.

But if you must get rid of it...

There's NO NEED to fix the film practically forever.

Use a _rapid fixer_ for three to 6 minutes, depending on temperature, with _constant agitation_.

After fixing, rinse in a wash aid for two to three minutes. The wash aid can be the store-bought stuff or you can make your own by dissolving a tablespoon of sodium sulfite in a quart of water. (25g/liter)

Agitate continuously in the wash aid.

Then wash normally, 20-30 minutes in an efficient washer, use wetting agent and dry normally.

T-grain films, and Ilford's equivalent core-shell types, will still be left with just a hint of the magenta or often none at all.

With all films, you really should be giving constant agitation in the fixer, whether ordinary or rapid, and using a wash aid anyway.

-- John Hicks / John's Camera Shop (jbh@magicnet.net), October 31, 1999.