[jim appleyard]

Originally Posted by rjr

<rant>
Sometimes I´m soooooooo tired
</rant>

This has been discussed so often and rarely ever one finds the true answer. ;-)

Worse - the film producers rarely ever bother to tell it to the customers. Why? There is nothing wrong with it, nothing to be ashamed of!

The purple tint has nothing to do with insufficient fixing - and it will appear on most old and "new style" emulsions currently in production.

The cast derives from sensitizing dyes added to the emulsion, making the film respond to a defined spectrum of light. These particular dyes have been in use since the 1970s, when people complained about pink Orwo films. And it got worse in the mid-1980s when TMax hit the shelves.

It´s not a sign of insufficient fix - fixing MIGHT remove it, but you can´t judge from the grade of stain if your fixer was exhausted or the fixing time too short.

The stain will fade in sunlight, it can be removed by use of a washaid (alkaline medium, sodium carbonate will just do it right and thats why alkaline or neutral fix will easen the situation) or with excessive washing.

The color of the cast depends on the type of dyes used. Usually you can distinguish the maker by the color - Fotokemika is a bright and light pink, TMX, TMY and TMZ are more purple while Ilford films have a violet cast that changes slightly from batch to batch.

You don´t need to worry - it doesn´t degrade the storage life of your negatives.
If the cast disturbs you - hang the sleeve with the cut film strips on the inside of your window for 2 - 5 hours in indirect sunlight and it will fade while the silver image won´t be harmed if properly fixed and washed.

At last, someone who has it right!