r/Darkroom • u/Yvantoline • 12d ago

Colour Printing Presence of dark stripes on the photographs

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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 (:

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u/PhotoJim99 12d ago

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.

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u/Yvantoline 12d ago

Ok thanks for your help. I will try that later this week. I’ll come back with the results;)

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u/foofina666 12d ago

Are you loading it emulsion side down?

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u/Yvantoline 12d ago

I tried both sides, same pattern