[montman]

This is my first time developing B&W. I am using the Paterson super 4 Tank that holds 3 35mm. It's a one liter tank.
I have developed 6 batches and have had the same problem every time. I even bought another tank because I thought maybe it was a crack, still had the same problem.
One develops perfectly the other is messed up when developing two rolls at a time.

Please help!!! I have gone through 12 rolls of tri-x 400.

[blackcloudbrew]

It's very hard to tell from these negatives much of anything. I assume the one on the right is the problem one. If so, it looks like you didn't fill it enough as the right edge of the right negative doesn't look developed. I've had the problem in my Patterson tank (it's not the tank it's the measurement). It also looks to me that the right negative needs more hypo time and is not clear. You can try re-hypoing the negative until the pink goes away. The pink negative gives it away. That's as much as I can say.

[montman]

Thanks blackcloudbrew. Thanks for the input, here is another example. It is a 1 liter tank and I am putting a whole 1 liter in.

[blackcloudbrew]

I have several Paterson system 4 tanks. One can develop 3 35mm rolls as I recall. I use it for 35mm and 120 film. I know that the required volumes are on the bottom of the tank. The only time I've had a problem with it was when I didn't get it full. I'm not sure what to tell you. If you really think it's the tank, try developing just one roll in it and be very sure of your quantities. Your negatives look pink which suggests your fixer is old.

[Adam]

Are you agitating the film evenly? Try shaking it longer and in more ways next time, dunno what else it could be unless one of your reels is broken.

[montman]

thanks Adam!

[blackcloudbrew]

I was going to ask about your technique.

[Not a Number]

Inadequate agitation would be my initial diagnosis too. Is it always the same position reel that is bad (e.g. top vs bottom)? If so go with an agitation problem. If not the problem could be in the reels or perhaps you just need more practice loading the film on the reels.

[Professor Batty]

You need a spacer below the bottom reel, to keep the bottom edge of the film above the bottom, and a spacer (or empty reel) on top. Make sure you have enough solution to cover. Work on agitation technique- fairly vigorous for the first 30 seconds, then two gentle inversions every thirty seconds thereafter. Use distilled water to mix chemistry. Reel must be bone dry when loading film.

[montman]

It's typically the bottom reel that comes out bad. I think I have been pausing for a second when I invert the tank, I will try constant agitation next time. I have been following the agitation times with the great development chart. Thank you so much for the input. It's been a pain going through 12 rolls of tri-x but I am not going to give up.

[John Poirier]

To me the problem looks more like a light leak than anything else. Is it the top roll in the tank that has the problem? If yes, it is possible that the lid is not on properly. It is fairly easy to misalign the bayonet lid fastening on these tanks so that the lid seems to be on tightly, but is in fact at angle. IIRC you can get a light leak if this happens.

I think did it a couple of times when I first started using this type of tank sometime in the 90s.

The solution is to carefully practice putting the lid on in full light.

[Not a Number]

I'm trying to find something similar with better examples (or at least one with larger images). I might have something in one my darkroom techniques books.

Olympus Microscopy Resource Center | Photomicrography - Black & White Film Processing Errors

HTH

[montman]

The lid has a snaps when it is sealed so pretty hard to mess it up. I thought the tank might have a light leak so I bought another one but had the same problem.

[Chuckie]

I used to work with the screw-on lid Paterson tanks back in the 80's and 90's. Once you had the threads lines up they sealed very well and no light leaked in.

It also looks like a chemical issue to me: one reel is not getting enough. Old chemicals should affect both reels equally in development quality. The spindle should have a "flange" on the bottom it which is the bottom spacer to allow chemicals to flow around the bottom of the bottom reel. There should be a spacer (5mm white ring) between the following reels and on top of the last one. I only ever used the two-reel tanks so I cant comment on the 4-reel tanks.

I used to also agitate vigorously in the beginning and then a gentle swirl every 30 seconds to minute after.

[John Poirier]

The System 4 tanks have two lids. My guess is that the problem is not with the snap on outer lid, but the inner lid that locks in place using a bayonet type system. If the bayonet is not properly engaged there can be some light leakage.

Either that or you may have a light leak in the room where you are loading the tank.

In any case the problem looks much more like light fogging than uneven development to me. Uneven development would not cause the film edge to be dark on one side in the way that it is in the first example. That is much more likely the result of light striking the film from a leak fairly close to the film.

The extent and pattern of the fogging indicates to me that the damage is probably not happening in camera or as the result of a leaking cassette light trap. Assuming that you are using preloaded cassettes rather than bulk loading, that leaves only the tank loading and processing stages where that degree of fogging could occur.

If you are bulk loading, the problem looks very much like damage from opening the access door on the loader without closing the light trap.

That's my educated guess based on having screwed up in just about every possible way over a 40 year period.

(I've also used the older version of the Patterson tank with the screw on lid, which I prefer.)