Blotchy fuzzy spots on developed 4x5 Tri-X

[DavidPalermo]

Hello all,

I decided to develop 2 sheets of Tri-X along with 2 sheets of HP5 for 9 mins in the same tank (SP-445). (Tri-X wanted 8 mins but the HP5 photos were more important so I just decided to go 9 min for all of the film).

The HP5 negs look ok and do not have the "blotching". This negative as you can see has weird blotching at the bottom. The top image is the positive, the bottom is the negative.

I expected the Tri-X negs to be more contrasty but I didn't expect the blotchiness.

Developed for 9 mins at 68F in Ilford Ilfotec DDX. Inverted first 30 seconds and then every 30 seconds. This method of agitation worked well for Fomapan 200 and HP5 last week.

I also tapped hard for air bubbles after agitation each time.

Can anyone tell me what these spots are?

Frustrating...

Thank you!

David

[EricV]

Looks possibly like stray light, from a light leak somewhere in the film handling process.  Are there any areas of the film which should be completely black (no light), which nevertheless show these blotches?

[mcbroomf]

Possibly a wetting problem.  Is it possible that the Tri-X became damp/humid at some point in storage or before developing?
If you have some more Tri-X (same box) then I'd suggest exposing another sheet (blank wall, mid-grey) and developing it to see if you get the same issue. 

[DavidPalermo]

Is the best way to test a film holder for light leaks to expose at a white wall at mid gray? Should I put the film holder in sunlight for a few seconds and rotate it around a bit also?

[EricV]

I suggest three tests.  in all cases the developed film should be uniformly clear.

1) Develop an unexposed sheet straight from the box.
2) Place a loaded film holder in sunlight, then develop without exposure in camera.
3) Load film holder in camera, open dark slide, expose camera to sunlight (shutter closed), then develop without exposure in camera.

[DavidPalermo]

Ericv

I did your test and sure enough I have light leaks in one of my holders. I loaded the holder and went out into the sun and rotated the holder in my hands for a few seconds. The pattern looks almost identical to the suspicious image I posted here. The film is drying so I have not looked closely yet. 4 more holders to test. This is getting expensive.

Thank you!

[Harold Clark]

No need to waste expensive film for light leak tests, use paper instead. Paper is much slower with ISO in the single digits I think, so be sure to leave the holders out in sunlight for a longer time.