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Black and White Slide Reversal came out completely black

Photography Asked by Phyxiis on June 9, 2021

I tried to develop my first role of Adox Scala 160 with Caffenol, Hydrogen Peroxide+Vinegar and the final outcome was an all black role of film.

Here is the process I went by:
-Rinse film
-First development in Caffenol-C mixture (that I use for normal BW film) for 6-min (normally I do 10min for BW same strength)
-Rinse
-Hydrogen + Vinegar mixture
-Rinse
-Expose (note: I could see the images on the film as if I just finished with the fixer with BW as normal. The only difference was that the lights were much more noticeable compared to a negative, perhaps due to the base layer of the film)
-Second development in Caffenol-C (I made a new batch of the developer with the same amounts as the first development) for 10-min (my normal developing times for BW film that works)
-Rinse
-Ilford Rapidfix for 10-min as I normally do for my BW film

The outcome was a completely black role of film. Under extreme LED flashlight lighting, I can barely make out the individual slides, but no details. If you didn’t know there were images, you may not even notice them with the LED flashlight.

Wondering where the mix-up was. Did I expose it for too long? Did I not develop the first step for long enough? Was the second dev too long? Something to do with the fixer?

I only have a couple more roles of Adox Scala 160 left and want to be able to actually develop it properly (Caffenol dev only, not harsh chemicals)

One Answer

Sounds like your 1st development was off and/or the peroxide (bleach) bath didn't remove the developed silver from the developed negative image, either because the dilution was off or the time was off. The fact that you can see some vestige of image points to the bleach step being the culprit.

The bleach step gets rid of the negative silver image, and the re-exposure and 2nd development affects only the silver halide which is left after the bleach step. If you leave the bleach step out, the second exposure will overexpose (blacken) the entire film strip.

Here's a guy that's doing it in a similar way. He has times and temperatures for each step.

Answered by BobT on June 9, 2021

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