Re: Pinholes

[mturner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Marc Turner)]

     >Hi all,
     >I have read a lot of theories on this LIST about nasty white spots on 
     >negatives. I must say, I never got them and I really don't know why. 
     >However I realise that I could meet this decease any moment! Reading 
     >all your stories again I wonder if we ever get a proper answer. In 
     >this respect I wonder why Kodak as the manufacturer of HIE keeps so 
     >silent about this problem. Were they ever asked by one of our list 
     >members about these spots? If so what was their answer and if not who 
     >is taking the lead?
     >
     >Sincere greetings
     >Jaap Los
     >The Netherlands
     
     As I recently experienced a few of these pinholes on a roll of HIE for 
     the first time, I thought it would be worth contacting Kodak about it. 
      I had read before that it is worthwhile using distilled water when 
     mixing developer due to sensitivity to local water variations, and 
     I've always done that.  I also rap the tank after each inversion cycle 
     to dislodge bubbles.  And I use liquid developers, so it couldn't be 
     from specks of undissolved chemical.
     
     I spoke with Tom who mans one of the Kodak professional information 
     lines (800-242-2424 ext. 19).  He said that this has always been a 
     common problem with HIE and from some reports with Plus-X.  Their 
     recommendation is:
     
     Instead of pouring chemicals into the tank after the film reel is 
     loaded, drop the loaded reel into a pre-filled tank.  This minimizes 
     the turbulence that occurs when developer is rapidly poured into the 
     empty tank, and will help prevent bubbles from sticking to the film.  
     His other recommendation was to avoid too strong a stop bath.  I am 
     personally going to start using about 1/4 strength stop bath with B&W 
     films, since I have heard enough positive testimonies from those who 
     skip it altogether and just use a water rinse.
     
     Tom said to look at the pinhole carefully under a loupe.  If it has 
     "soft" edges surrounding it where the film is thinner, and which look 
     like an indentation, this is a bubbles problem.  This will also help 
     you be certain that the problem is not due to a light spot on the 
     negative caused by a spec of dust on the film during its camera 
     exposure.
     
     -- Marc
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End of Infrared-Digest V0 #485
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