Base layer fogging on long-expired HP5?

[YorkshireBloke]

Hi,

Before I start, thanks in advance for the time folks are taking reading and responding to my many questions

A nice extra bit of learning (from the LF course I have been posting about in another thread) has been my processing 2 x sheets of my own stock, 5x4, 2018-dated HP5. A full box bought with camera.

I can see on the negs that the rebate is an even, very light gray rather than the totally clear rebate the other students achieved.

The tutor, Mathew said it was probably "base layer fogging" caused by the film being so old. I haven't been able to refrigerate - just kept in a cool inside the house, under stairs type area, stable ambient temperatures.

He further said that fogging while loading was possible, it was less likely as the rebate fogging was so even. Also he said suggested that the whole pack was likely to produce lower contrast images, and that I might change dev choice and/or agitation method to compensate.

I wasn't able to use my negatives in the scanner because of time constraints (would have needed to scan all of sheet, to show the rebate, without the Epson 850 negative carrier everyone else was using so I can't immediately show the results here...

I have some 35 mm FP4 also to process I was thinking of continuing with a purchase of Euro HD (ID111) from Nic + Trick and modifying the dilution and/or agitation to increase contrast - any thoughts?

Robert

 

[Alan Clark]

My thoughts are that you should give yourself a break and buy some fresh film.....

 

[YorkshireBloke]

My thoughts are that you should give yourself a break and buy some fresh film.....

Good point...

I will do that, after trying a bit of this "dodgy" stock to practice loading dark slides and the Patterson drum.

On the course a fellow learner and I managed to load 6 x sheets into the Patterson drum... His 4 X sheets he loaded the correct way... My 2 I had the emulsion touching the plastic so got the little square marks other users of the Patterson system might recognise.

Cheers!

Robert

 

[David M]

It’s possible to scan the entire neg directly on the glass on the 850. This is how you scan 10x8 negs.
Before you jump off any processing cliffs, see what kind of prints you get from these negs. It’s the print that’s the arbiter of the process, not the way the neg looks.
No reason why you shouldn’t treat yourself to a new box of film.

 

[Nas]

I use Benzo to reduce base fogging in some expired films. As others have said, treat yourself to some fresh film. Fomapan is great for practicing with without hurting too much in your pocket book.

 

[Dave_P]

It's probably just a bit of base fog, but 2018 isn't all that old really, I'd just shoot it and not worry about it, you'll probably still get good images. I'd only worry about it if after scanning/printing you're getting problems. A box of HP5 you already own is cheaper than any box of Fomapan (which is harder stuff to use, and I would suggest is very much NOT a beginner film).

 

[David M]

Do we expect all films to develop out to a perfectly clear base? I haven’t used enough different ones to know the answer.

 

[Ian Grant]

It's probably just a bit of base fog, but 2018 isn't all that old really, I'd just shoot it and not worry about it, you'll probably still get good images. I'd only worry about it if after scanning/printing you're getting problems. A box of HP5 you already own is cheaper than any box of Fomapan (which is harder stuff to use, and I would suggest is very much NOT a beginner film).

I've used hundreds of rolls of Fomapan 100 & 200 120, probably over 1000, and quite a few boxes of 5x4. Definitely not "Beginner" films, the worst possible choice, by a long way.

Back I guess 2007 when I'd move to Turkey I ran out of the Tmax100 120 I'd taken with me, I went to Izmir the second-largest city, I could buy no Tmax only Tri-X, a few rolls of FP4 (3 or 4), or Fomapan - I noticed it had just expired, a quick phone call to Istanbul, and a good discount, the loose rolls were, the bricks weren't

I had to do a visual speed, and dev time test, at that time Foma roll films were in a blue base, which didn't help. Took 2 films to get it right, I was amazed when back in the UK at how the Foma images were to print/

But that's decades of experience . ;. . . . . . . .

Ian

 

[Kevin Allan]

Do we expect all films to develop out to a perfectly clear base? I haven’t used enough different ones to know the answer.

The only film I've used which has a perfectly clear base is Adox HR50 (which is only available in 35mm). My FP4+ and HP5+ developed LF sheets both have significant density in the rebate (especially HP5+) but it makes no difference in scanning or printing.