Strange problem printing today; fogging

I had a strange problem printing some film today that I've never
experienced before in my years in the darkroom. I'm getting what
looks to be some clouding in some of the shots, and it's driving me
nuts. Two photos in particular have been giving me grief, I've posted
them at http://www.reachone.com/nickandstacy/panoram_1.jpg and
http://www.reachone.com/nickandstacy/panoram_2.jpg

These photos were shot with an old Kodak Panoram #1 on Kodak Plus-X
Pan 125, developed with HC-110 (b) and contact printed on Kodak matte
RC paper, paper developed with Dektol. I've used these chemicals,
film, and paper for years with no previous trouble. Here's what I've
tried to pinpoint the cause of the fogging:

1. Safelight test in my darkroom-negative
2. Light-tight darkroom test-negative
3. Changed out all chemicals and confirmed good dates
4. Checked paper stock for some sort of batch-fogging: negative

What I think could be happening:

1. Something "off" with the camera and/or lens: Doubtful, recently
overhauled and not all pictures are printing like these two.
2. I rarely contact print, some sort of peculiarity with the process?
3. Prints are overexposed, causing fogging in the highlights (I've
already dumped my chemicals for the night, can't test this until the
morning)
4. Bad chemicals and/or paper...if so, why aren't the other prints
like this?
5. Negatives themselves were fogged when exposing, changing, or
developing...I don't notice negative fogging with a loup,
unfortunately I don't have a film scanner to look really good.

Then again, my wife says she doesn't really notice anything. The
problem is I do and I won't be able to rest until I figure it out.
Any ideas or suggestions?

Is the mottling visible on the negative?

Did you fix adequately?

Dom wrote:
I had a strange problem printing some film today that I've never
experienced before in my years in the darkroom. I'm getting what
looks to be some clouding in some of the shots, and it's driving me
nuts. Two photos in particular have been giving me grief, I've posted
them at http://www.reachone.com/nickandstacy/panoram_1.jpg and
http://www.reachone.com/nickandstacy/panoram_2.jpg

These photos were shot with an old Kodak Panoram #1 on Kodak Plus-X
Pan 125, developed with HC-110 (b) and contact printed on Kodak matte
RC paper, paper developed with Dektol. I've used these chemicals,
film, and paper for years with no previous trouble. Here's what I've
tried to pinpoint the cause of the fogging:

1. Safelight test in my darkroom-negative
2. Light-tight darkroom test-negative
3. Changed out all chemicals and confirmed good dates
4. Checked paper stock for some sort of batch-fogging: negative

What I think could be happening:

1. Something "off" with the camera and/or lens: Doubtful, recently
overhauled and not all pictures are printing like these two.
2. I rarely contact print, some sort of peculiarity with the process?
3. Prints are overexposed, causing fogging in the highlights (I've
already dumped my chemicals for the night, can't test this until the
morning)
4. Bad chemicals and/or paper...if so, why aren't the other prints
like this?
5. Negatives themselves were fogged when exposing, changing, or
developing...I don't notice negative fogging with a loup,
unfortunately I don't have a film scanner to look really good.

Then again, my wife says she doesn't really notice anything. The
problem is I do and I won't be able to rest until I figure it out.
Any ideas or suggestions?

On 29 Dec 2005 17:42:09 -0800, "UC"
wrote:

Is the mottling visible on the negative?

Did you fix adequately?

No, the mottling is not visible on the negative, at least not to my
eye. Yes, I fixed just as I have for RC paper for years, 2 minutes in
a tray in Kodak Fixer.

Dom wrote:
On 29 Dec 2005 17:42:09 -0800, "UC"
wrote:

Is the mottling visible on the negative?

Did you fix adequately?

No, the mottling is not visible on the negative, at least not to my
eye. Yes, I fixed just as I have for RC paper for years, 2 minutes in
a tray in Kodak Fixer.

How long did you develop the paper?

Is the pattern the same on eevry print?

Dom wrote:
On 29 Dec 2005 17:42:09 -0800, "UC"
wrote:

Is the mottling visible on the negative?

Did you fix adequately?

No, the mottling is not visible on the negative, at least not to my
eye. Yes, I fixed just as I have for RC paper for years, 2 minutes in
a tray in Kodak Fixer.

How long did you develop the paper?

Is the pattern the same on every print?

In article ,
Dom wrote:

I had a strange problem printing some film today that I've never
experienced before in my years in the darkroom. I'm getting what
looks to be some clouding in some of the shots, and it's driving me
nuts. Two photos in particular have been giving me grief, I've posted
them at http://www.reachone.com/nickandstacy/panoram_1.jpg and
http://www.reachone.com/nickandstacy/panoram_2.jpg

These photos were shot with an old Kodak Panoram #1 on Kodak Plus-X
Pan 125, developed with HC-110 (b) and contact printed on Kodak matte
RC paper, paper developed with Dektol. I've used these chemicals,
film, and paper for years with no previous trouble. Here's what I've
tried to pinpoint the cause of the fogging:

1. Safelight test in my darkroom-negative
2. Light-tight darkroom test-negative
3. Changed out all chemicals and confirmed good dates
4. Checked paper stock for some sort of batch-fogging: negative

What I think could be happening:

1. Something "off" with the camera and/or lens: Doubtful, recently
overhauled and not all pictures are printing like these two.
2. I rarely contact print, some sort of peculiarity with the process?
3. Prints are overexposed, causing fogging in the highlights (I've
already dumped my chemicals for the night, can't test this until the
morning)
4. Bad chemicals and/or paper...if so, why aren't the other prints
like this?
5. Negatives themselves were fogged when exposing, changing, or
developing...I don't notice negative fogging with a loup,
unfortunately I don't have a film scanner to look really good.

Then again, my wife says she doesn't really notice anything. The
problem is I do and I won't be able to rest until I figure it out.
Any ideas or suggestions?

Dirty glass, contact framed not holding negative snug on
the paper? I use a vacuum easel to suck the paper film and glass
together.
--
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President,
or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong,
is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable
to the American public."--Theodore Roosevelt, May 7, 1918

www.gregblankphoto(dot)com

On 29 Dec 2005 17:51:20 -0800, "UC"
wrote:


How long did you develop the paper?

Is the pattern the same on eevry print?

I developed the paper for 2 minutes, 30 seconds in stop, 2 minutes in
fixer. This is the same process I've used for years. The pattern was
not identical for the affected prints. I think I have, however,
identifed a potential cause of this fogging. I noted that some of the
prints that were okay came from a different box of paper. When I
looked at the box that the affected paper came out of, I noted on the
side, "Use by 2/2004." That means my paper is at least 2 years
outdated, it was probably bought a couple years before that. I've
never had paper expire before, but that seems to be a reasonable cause
of this fogged paper. I'll give it a try again tomorrow morning with
some newer paper and see if that aleviates the problem.

I just recently had a similar problem on 8 prints in a row but I wasn't able
to reproduce it on the ninth. I chalked it up to 8 bad sheets of paper in a
box....Hmmm, I figure that as good as QC is things can still go wrong.

"Dom" wrote in message
...
I had a strange problem printing some film today that I've never
experienced before in my years in the darkroom. I'm getting what
looks to be some clouding in some of the shots, and it's driving me
nuts. Two photos in particular have been giving me grief, I've posted
them at http://www.reachone.com/nickandstacy/panoram_1.jpg and
http://www.reachone.com/nickandstacy/panoram_2.jpg

These photos were shot with an old Kodak Panoram #1 on Kodak Plus-X
Pan 125, developed with HC-110 (b) and contact printed on Kodak matte
RC paper, paper developed with Dektol. I've used these chemicals,
film, and paper for years with no previous trouble. Here's what I've
tried to pinpoint the cause of the fogging:

1. Safelight test in my darkroom-negative
2. Light-tight darkroom test-negative
3. Changed out all chemicals and confirmed good dates
4. Checked paper stock for some sort of batch-fogging: negative

What I think could be happening:

1. Something "off" with the camera and/or lens: Doubtful, recently
overhauled and not all pictures are printing like these two.
2. I rarely contact print, some sort of peculiarity with the process?
3. Prints are overexposed, causing fogging in the highlights (I've
already dumped my chemicals for the night, can't test this until the
morning)
4. Bad chemicals and/or paper...if so, why aren't the other prints
like this?
5. Negatives themselves were fogged when exposing, changing, or
developing...I don't notice negative fogging with a loup,
unfortunately I don't have a film scanner to look really good.

Then again, my wife says she doesn't really notice anything. The
problem is I do and I won't be able to rest until I figure it out.
Any ideas or suggestions?

"Dom" schreef in bericht
...
I had a strange problem printing some film today that I've never
experienced before in my years in the darkroom. I'm getting what
looks to be some clouding in some of the shots, and it's driving me
nuts. Two photos in particular have been giving me grief, I've posted
them at http://www.reachone.com/nickandstacy/panoram_1.jpg and
http://www.reachone.com/nickandstacy/panoram_2.jpg

These photos were shot with an old Kodak Panoram #1 on Kodak Plus-X
Pan 125, developed with HC-110 (b) and contact printed on Kodak matte
RC paper, paper developed with Dektol. I've used these chemicals,
film, and paper for years with no previous trouble. Here's what I've
tried to pinpoint the cause of the fogging:

1. Safelight test in my darkroom-negative
2. Light-tight darkroom test-negative
3. Changed out all chemicals and confirmed good dates
4. Checked paper stock for some sort of batch-fogging: negative

What I think could be happening:

1. Something "off" with the camera and/or lens: Doubtful, recently
overhauled and not all pictures are printing like these two.
2. I rarely contact print, some sort of peculiarity with the process?
3. Prints are overexposed, causing fogging in the highlights (I've
already dumped my chemicals for the night, can't test this until the
morning)
4. Bad chemicals and/or paper...if so, why aren't the other prints
like this?
5. Negatives themselves were fogged when exposing, changing, or
developing...I don't notice negative fogging with a loup,
unfortunately I don't have a film scanner to look really good.

Then again, my wife says she doesn't really notice anything. The
problem is I do and I won't be able to rest until I figure it out.
Any ideas or suggestions?

Hello Dom,
A couple of years ago i had the same problem.
It was mould between lenses in the enlarger lens, if possible try another
lens with the same negative that went wrong.
If you look through the enlarger lens to a light bulb( on ) , and you have
bad luck, you can see the mould.
I also tried everything as you discribed and had to buy a new enlarger lens.
Greetings from the Netherlands,
Hans
http://surf.to/HansBrouns

In article ,
Dom wrote:

side, "Use by 2/2004." That means my paper is at least 2 years
outdated.


What Brand of paper?
--
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President,
or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong,
is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable
to the American public."--Theodore Roosevelt, May 7, 1918

www.gregblankphoto(dot)com