I'm getting streaks and developer marks on my prints (8x10, RC Papers) in my darkroom. Have tried all the usual things, all fresh chemistry, moving print during developing, and not moving print, time in developer, etc. Has not happened before, and have usually found the papers pretty forgiving if roughly developed. What could be causing the, what looks like uneven development and streaking//// David Strachan

-- David Strachan (strachan@cww.octec.org.au), February 23, 2000

Answers

do you think the paper might have gotten fogged?

-- brad daly (bwdaly@hiwaay.net), February 23, 2000.

Fogging might have occured by exposure of the papers to the fumes of sodium-sulphide-based sepia toner. Other chemicals, and, of course, light leaks might cause problems, too.

-- Thomas Wollstein (thomas_wollstein@web.de), February 24, 2000.

one obvious source of streaks is when the print emulsion faces the developing tray bottom and during the agitatioin it scratches the print emulsion. this results in dark streaks.

-- hoko hoko (photoq@hotmail.com), February 26, 2000.

or your not sinking the print under the surface. If you develop emulsion side up, try one upside down and see how you go.

-- Nigel Smith (nlandgl@eisa.net.au), February 26, 2000.

Are you seeing the odd streaks while the paper is still in the developer, or are you only noticing them after the print has been fully processed?

I experienced similar problems once when printing (not that this is the source of your problem). The cause: I was going straight from the developer into fixer(using it both as stop & fix). I had minimal printing to do and wasn't concerned about exhausting my fixer. I had printed this way many times before with no problem. Once I added a stop bath the problem went away. There was something about the way the developer was reacting with the fixer. For what its worth.

Also you have eliminated the possibility of any light fogging-a faulty safelight filter?

-- Paul Swenson (paulphoto@humboldt1.com), March 02, 2000.

Thanks everyone for your help. I solved......and it was the weirdest problem. I had previously used the developer tray for some selenium toning and selenium must have attached to the very slight grey developer dirt we all get in our developer trays. (Even though I keep them pretty clean). So I thoroughly scruubed the trays and again mixed new chemical and the problem was solved. So in a nut shell I reckon it was a very small amount of selenium in the developer tray causing the uneven developing and streaking. Cheers David S

-- David Strachan (strachan@cww.octec.org.au), March 26, 2000.