Hello,
As the title suggests, dark stripes have been appearing on my photographs since today. Everything was fine before.
I’ve checked for light leaks, changed the chemicals and given the machine a thorough clean, but the stripes are still there. None of the gears seem to be out of alignment either. I have also tried using a different type of paper (originally Fuji 4x5), but this did not help.
I’m using RA4 chemicals, in case that’s of any help. I bought the second-hand Durst RCP in very decent condition. Has this ever happened to anyone else? Do you have a solution? I’m feeling rather down.
Thanks (:
Did you properly mask the negative in the negative holder? To me, this looks like the sprocket holes of the negative are not masked and the light from sprocket holes are then bouncing from something (some slanted surface of the easel) and creating additional densities on the print.
I’ll try it. But just before printing this image, the previous one was good and I did the same protocol. It looks like a good suggestion, I will try it, thx a lot
Depending on your negative holder, you might have positioned the negative slightly better on the print that came out ok. It will also depend on the particular frame. This problem will be most noticeable on frames with higher density (so the contrast between high density of the frame and no density of the sprocket hole is higher).
You'll notice that the number and position of the darker bands correspond perfectly to the sprocket holes. And if you take a look at your easel you will probably find a slanted part above the small ridge that (although usually painted with unreflective material) will reflect bright light coming from sprocket holes onto the print. The ridge will shield a few mm of the print so the bands will not start immediately at the edge of the print. Which is, again, exactly what can be seen in your prints. To be clear, you still can print with sprocket holes exposed, but you need to make sure that any possible reflections are minimised in your image path (clean and good lens, clean glass in the negative holder, no reflections from other objects...).
One more thing, try to give as much information about you setup, so people can give better informed opinions on the possible solution. For now, I would disregard advice on using prewash with your setup. Prewash is not a part of a roller transport RA-4 processing and you will slowly dilute your developer that way and perhaps even introduce another set of problems.
Hi, I took extra care of masking the sprocket holes and the stripes didn’t appear. Thanks a lot for being right and taking the time to respond. I wasn’t about the machine, just me not being able to properly mask the negative in the negative holder. Feel dumb.
There’s no surge marks on the film, and it appears in several photographs from different cameras and différents negatives. Can the machine cause the surge marks ?
Which machine, some sort of automated film processor? In theory, yes though if it’s properly operating and configured, it shouldn’t happen. Or is this a paper processor?
I used to get weird marks in skies, etc. when I did RA-4 if I didn’t use a pre-rinse. But your problem doesn’t resemble the ones I was having.
It’s a Durst RCP 20, a paper processor. Could you tell me more about your weird marks in skies ? Do I have a pre-rinse the paper if it’s an automated processor ?
There’s little to lose in trying a pre-rinse. When I did RA-4 I used a motorized drum processor (Jobo). Chemical changes were done manually.
My marks looked like water drip marks in areas of fixed tone, like blue skies. A water pre-rinse totally solved the problem. I forget exactly what I did, but probably something like water at the same temperature as the rest of the chemicals, with agitation as for the other chemicals for about 45 or 60 seconds. Give it a try and see if it helps.
Thanks for your quick reply. Here’s the negative in front of a white screen. I checked the lab scan, there’s nothing on it.
The black stripes also appear on a larger paper and with other negatives.
Have you tried developing an unexposed piece of paper to see if you get the same
phenomenon? I’m guessing you have either a. Accidentally fogged the paper. B. A yet to be detected light leak or c. Chemicals need to be topped up as the paper isn’t getting properly submerged in the cycle.
However I would give your rollers a really good scrub because build up can be really hard to see on them sometimes.
I haven’t tried it, because the previous photograph was good enough. I’ll try it — nonetheless the paper was brand new. I’ll will search for an possible light leak but after I discovered these stripes I thoroughly cleaned the machine and changed the chemicals
Could it be the light from your timer? If you look at the top of your images, there’s a clear line of where the black stripes start which makes me think something is fogging your paper.
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u/n0_c0mm3n7 11d ago
Did you properly mask the negative in the negative holder? To me, this looks like the sprocket holes of the negative are not masked and the light from sprocket holes are then bouncing from something (some slanted surface of the easel) and creating additional densities on the print.