Still having problems

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soupdragon

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I'm still seeing red stains on the edges of all my E100 slides.
Some of you kindly responded with suggestions on my previous post for which I am thankful.

So, I'm using a different camera and lens with brand new Toyo film holders and still see the problem.
It's not a light leak as it would look like white flares on slide film.
The red stains are close to but not always in exactly the same place.

What am I doing wrong?
Should I load the film holders and mod 54 wearing cotton gloves?
Is it worth me running the mod 54 through the dish washer?
Should I learn Macrame instead?

1701339157927.png
 
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1701339157927.png

The shadows in the bottom area are of less power, and so are the frame lines of the slide.
These come in different shades and with a kind of progression from nearly black to slightly grey instead.

I have no experience with E6 development but have a feeling that something went wrong with shadow building.
Which probably doesn't explain red stain, but may add to the problem.
 
Are the sheets exhibiting these red areas all from the same box? If not then it only leaves your film holder or process.
 
After you’ve tried everything else, it does suggest something in the grooves. That could be either some sort of contamination of the plastic, or possibly that the groove is a tight fit and some chemical is retained and carried over to the next stage of processing.
Two things suggest themselves.
Firstly expose two identical sheets and send one off for commercial processing. If the problem is present in both, then it’s the film itself and presumably just that batch.
Secondly, as the problem seems to be confined to the non-image borders, you might just shrug your shoulders and put up with it, at least for the time being. Not the most welcome or useful advice, I know.
The dishwasher sounds like a possible idea but only if the material will stand the heat. Have you tried any other kind of tank?
Another, late thought. Do you get similar effects with any other film, B+W, perhaps?
 
I would soak the mod 54 is warm water for a couple of hours and then resoak, some of those chemicals are really hard to shift without extensive soaking. This is what I found with Pyro developer at least. After a while an apparently clean measure turned brown after my soakings.
 
Terry Jones said:
Are the sheets exhibiting these red areas all from the same box? If not then it only leaves your film holder or process.
Click to expand...
Three boxes of film show this. They were all bought from the same supplier at the same time.
 
David M said:
After you’ve tried everything else, it does suggest something in the grooves. That could be either some sort of contamination of the plastic, or possibly that the groove is a tight fit and some chemical is retained and carried over to the next stage of processing.
Two things suggest themselves.
Firstly expose two identical sheets and send one off for commercial processing. If the problem is present in both, then it’s the film itself and presumably just that batch.
Secondly, as the problem seems to be confined to the non-image borders, you might just shrug your shoulders and put up with it, at least for the time being. Not the most welcome or useful advice, I know.
The dishwasher sounds like a possible idea but only if the material will stand the heat. Have you tried any other kind of tank?
Another, late thought. Do you get similar effects with any other film, B+W, perhaps?
Click to expand...
Right now I am processing film from todays outing.
I am using another brand new spearman press tank with fresh chemistry.
In about three hours I should have an answer.

Watch this space.
 
Reginald S. said:
View attachment 4409

The shadows in the bottom area are of less power, and so are the frame lines of the slide.
These come in different shades and with a kind of progression from nearly black to slightly grey instead.

I have no experience with E6 development but have a feeling that something went wrong with shadow building.
Which probably doesn't explain red stain, but may add to the problem.
Click to expand...
I'm a bit new to large format photography and don't really understand what you mean when you are referring to shadow density.
Sorry.
 
Let me simplify my observations on your slide:
The frame lines (non image borders) of the slide come in different shades and with a kind of progression from nearly black to slightly grey.

I would start my struggle against the red dots from thinking about the untypical borders.
 
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I hear what you are saying.

After a short and very cold day at Hayling island I can conclude the following.

It is not the camera or a light leak as I have tried with two separate cameras and a light leak on positive film would be manifest as white flares..
It is not the Film holders as they are brand new and show no light leaks.
It is not the way I load the holders (film or processing) as the red patches are always in approximately the same place.
It is not contamination from me handling the film as the red areas would be randomly placed around the sheets of film.
It is not the tank/film holder contaminated through chemical carry over as I have used three new tanks and had the same result.
It is not the chemicals as (at huge financial expense) I have been using fresh every time.

So I can only conclude I have bought part of a defective batch of Kodak E100.
 
Apologies if I missed this before. Using the 445, when you load the film into the "hangers" for want of a better word, do the red splodges line up with the lugs on the "hangers". Could it be some sort of entrapment of chemical near the lugs if so ?
 
He's used different tanks John, same issues, similar places.

You would do better dancing naked at midnight in the middle of Stonehenge during the Winter Solstice, but maybe before that contact your supplier and also Kodak.

Ian
 
I can vouch for the Stonehenge thing Ian ......(don't ask)

Understand different tanks but I was meaning the "holders" that you insert the film into in order to put them into the tank have little lugs to hold the film into them , one of which is at the bottom....roughly where the depicted red splodge is. But clutching at straws really with this one.

Agree talking to Kodak in case there is a "batch" with an issue perhaps starts to look more likely after exhausting everything else !
 
The spiral/holders are very different so they can be ruled out. As to DDS film holders even if the tape has deteriorated there's still a light trap.

Ian
 
You are correct and I now realise I have read 2 separate threads by the OP and confused myself into an answer that will not help ! Apologies.
 
John said:
You are correct and I now realise I have read 2 separate threads by the OP and confused myself into an answer that will not help ! Apologies.
Click to expand...

I've not been processing colour films very long. I started colour printing with the Paterson Pavelle materials, Kurt/Curt Jacobson's process, and the horrible Ferrania reversal processes. E3 in comparison was so easy, E6 a piece of cake, I used the Photocolor Photochrome E6 3 bath kits for many years, never a problem.

This is an odd issue.

Ian
 
Hook up with somebody local, both load 6 sheets of E6, shoot 3 of each in each camera and share them out over the two sets of developing equipment.
 
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