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.
Itīs not a sign of insufficient fix - fixing MIGHT remove it, but you canīt 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 donīt need to worry - it doesnīt 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 wonīt be harmed if properly fixed and washed.
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.
Itīs not a sign of insufficient fix - fixing MIGHT remove it, but you canīt 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 donīt need to worry - it doesnīt 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 wonīt be harmed if properly fixed and washed.
I got my information from the Kodak data sheets regarding the Tmax stain and my own experience with it.
From Kodak Techincal Pub F-4016 (Tmax films):
"Important: Your fixer will be exhausted more rapidly with this film than with other films. If your negatives show a magenta (pink) stain after fixing, your fixer may be near exhaustion, or you may not have used a long enough time. If the stain is slight, it will not affect image stability, negative contrast, or printing times. You can remove a slight pink stain with KODAK Hypo Clearing Agent. However, if the stain is pronounced and irregular over the film surface, refix the film in fresh fixer."
Again, I have never seen this on TRI-X films.
Sorry if my attempt to help bothers anyone, no need to rant.
The TriX 400 film has come back with Purple tinting throughout. Previously the lab has developed all my TriX film and none of them are purple but black/grey/silver... as expected.
So why do they now have a purple colouring?
They have a purple coloring because your lab is not treating you in an acceptably professional manner.
I fix 400TMax for as long as 20 minutes to get rid of the heavy magenta cast due to the sensitizing dye. Tri-X shouldn't take nearly that long to fix.
No matter what the film, however, the lab should do whatever it takes to get rid of the coloration, and should consult with Kodak to find out what that might be. Not doing so is tantamount to blaming the victim.
If it were me, I'd get a new lab.
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Listen to this guy named "rjr." He does indeed have it right. Most of the other replies you've gotten are just plain wrong. Sorry folks if I've offended anyone, but I've been through this and I can't argue with my observations. I was considering writing the same thing while reading through this thread until I came across his post. The older formulation of Tri-X did show a different base color after processing when compared to the newer version. The later version does exhibit a slight magenta cast after processing. Your eyes are not playing tricks on you and neither is your lab. Don't worry about it. Interestingly enough, I have no problem clearing all traces of this color cast in TMax films by using a mildly alkaline wash aid or simply by letting the film sit in water for a while. Tri-X has proved to be a bit more difficult, but the color cast is also much less pronounced. It doesn't affect the printing qualities one bit and your film is most likely done correctly.
Could someone explain to me why a magenta/pink/purple cast to a negative is not going to alter printing contrast with VC paper when a magenta filter is often used to alter contrast when printing on VC paper. (I realise that the exact colour of the VC filter and the film cast are probably not identical, but they are both going to cut some green, aren't they?)
It doesn't affect the printing qualities one bit and your film is most likely done correctly.
If I read Nicole's original post properly, I think this batch is different to the previous test batch, and don't print as well. I think she's trying to find possible causes, with a view to avoiding them in the future.
I have just started developing my own (too late for the shoot with the purple negs though) and love it! Should've started a lot earlier! After this shoot even my DH is motivated to help me finish the darkroom.
Hey Nicole, welcome to the wet side of B&W. Good on you for getting your hands dirty!
I'm certain you will LOVE this part of the craft..... I do!!!
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