Emulsion dissolving during reversal processing...

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Hello guys and gals,

So, yesterday, while processing some Tri-X Super 8, something nightmareish happened during the second developpement after re-exposure : after 1 min in the 2nd developer (where the emulsion properly reacted and darkened), it slightly started to lift from the plastic and then it litteraly disloved into the developper : no floating gelatin flakes, just a plain black developer...

The weird thing is that I already processed Tri-X this way, here is an example :

Here is my protocole, I have included as much info as I can :

1 – Soaking in a 25°C water bath.
2 – 1st Developer : Ilford Multigrad 1+9, 20min (continuous agitation on 1st minute, then 10sec each minute), 25°C.
3 – Hardening stop bath : Adox EcoStop 1+29 + 40ml/L of Tetenal Hardener. 6 min, 20°C, continuous agitation. (https://www.fotoimpex.com/chemistry...er-or-stop-bath-1000-ml.html?cache=1564733928)
4 – Washing, runing water, 2 minutes.
5 – Bleach : Potassium permanganate 0,4% + Sulfuric Acid 10% equal part, 6 min, 20°C, continuous agitation.
6 – Washing, runing water, 2 minutes.
7 – Clearing bath, Sodium metabisulfite 6%, 2 min, 20°C, continous agitation.
8 – Washing, runing water, 2 minutes.
9 – Hardening stop bath : Adox EcoStop 1+29 + 40ml/L of Tetenal Hardener. 6 min, 20°C, continuous agitation.
10 – Washing, runing water, 2 minutes.

RE-EXPOSURE : 2x1min 80W 1m in a white tank filled with water.

11 – 2nd Developer : Ilford Multigrad 1+9, 4min (stand), 25°C. The same solution I used as 1st developer. And that's where the emulsion dissolved....

Usually, after that, I use an hardening fixer for 5 minute, washing 10 min on runing water, rinse with distilled water, let it dry and digitalise with a Retroscann Universal.

It's fastidious, but cheap !


Side notes :
- Processing in Lomo Tank.

- I know Ilford says not to use Ilford Multigrade for processing film (Universal PQ is recommanded instead), but through my test phase it was the only thing I had on hand, so I tried and it worked as you could see on vimeo.

- I've never found any information about the shelf lif of the Tetenal hardener. As it is supposed to be mixed with Stop or Fix, I mixed it with the Adox Eco Stop to be sure I won't use an hardening bath tha is no longer working. Anyway, I mixed a new solution and it was still a disaster.

- I use the hardener to compensate the softening of the emusion by the bleach. One bath before to strenghten, one bath after to reinforce. I thing the bleach isnt to blame, otherwise it the continous agitation in the clearing bath would have the same mechanical effect, so I guess it is a chemistery issue. The film is perfectly fine during re-exposure, bleaching is complete, after touching the film, the emulsion is normal.

- I dont know why the developper is dissolving the emulsion on second use but work perfectly fine on the first one.

So that's it, if anyone have an idea, i'm all ears !

Thanks !

Jérémy
 

Anon Ymous

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Your bleach contains 4g/l potassium permanganate, which is double what Ilford suggests in their reversal processing notes. It has been blamed for being too strong at 2g/l, leading to emulsion lifting off the base. In my experience, 1g/l potassium permanganate plus 50g/l sodium bisulfate work very well and has bleached 135 Tri-X in 5' at 20 degrees C. Your bleaching time is also a bit long for a "normal" bleach, not for your double strength one.

To keep a long story short, try reducing permanganate concentration to 1g/l, bleach for 5' and see what happens.
 
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Jeremy Saint-Peyre
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Thanks Anon Ymous, i got more or let the same feedback, but on the sulfuric acid concentration.

By any change, do you know why/how it happenet in the second developer ?
 

Anon Ymous

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Checked on Ilford site : For solution A add 2g of potassium permanganate to 500ml water.

https://www.ilfordphoto.com/reversal-processing/
Yes, they do say so, but that's part A of the bleach. Part B is 10ml sulfuric acid in another 500ml water, so the final volume is 1l, containing 2g potassium permanganate. And this is probably already high, hence the recommendation for half strength, 1g/l permanganate concentration.

Now, regarding why it happened in the second developer, I can't really say why, but the alkaline conditions of the developer promote emulsion swelling and this might make it more prone to dissolve in the solution.
 
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