Friday Tip - Four ways to Stop Those Dreaded Airbells!

Last week I showed an insurance policy you could use against airbell damage to your negatives and this week we look at four ways to stop them completely! Yes, never have them again! I haven't had airballs in donkey's years so follow this system and you'll be free of them too.
I include a great method offered by Geoffrey Crawley in the Acutol Instructions (www.photomemor...)
See last weeks video for more: • Friday Tip - Airbells...
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John
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[@carstennorwaynorge2195]

It is also very important not to use wetting agents in the tank or to clean everything very well. I already said, my two favorite analogue photography channels come from England, yours and Roger Lowe his (shoot film like a boss). You go very deep into the theory and practice, Roger has more of his photo walks with him. great videos!!! thanks and greetings 🇳🇴

[@PictorialPlanet]

Nice addition, thank you!

[@reneholbrugge7920]

I do it exactly as you do: constant agitate for the first 30 seconds, then tap the tank on my countertop. And then two agitations and tapping after every 30 seconds until the development time has passed. The only other thing i do with my Paterson tank is to press firmly on the soft plastic lid of the tank after i put it on the tank. That way some of the air goes out and that helps to keep the tank from spilling developer. But to have less air in the tank might also help to avoid bubbles.

[@raybeaumont7670]

I ALWAYS use a pre-soak - at 2C above my dev time. It stays there while I mix my dev and make sure the fixer is up to temp. I don't use a stop bath - just 2 water rinses before fixing. Cheers John!

[@PictorialPlanet]

Thanks, Ray!

[@ehsanesbati]

I find giving a few hard whacks around the sides of the tank works better than rapping the tank on the working surface.

[@PictorialPlanet]

Good idea 👍

[@martinjones1390]

If you are worried about rapping the tank too hard you can place a folded tea towel on the benchtop. Nearly 50 yrs ago I put a nice chip in the bottom of a near new System 4 tank through rapping too hard. Grr! I still use that tank amongst others. What I do nowadays, after inversion, is to hold the tank in one hand and rap the bottom with the fingers of my other hand. Three good taps does the job. This could be a bit awkward if you are developing several films in a heavier tank but I rarely process more than two films at a time.

[@PictorialPlanet]

Good tip Martin, thanks! (Sorry about your tank 🥺)

[@kinopilot]

Sir, say something about keeping film flat after drying, fighting spots and dust.

[@andrewbartram2478]

Excellent tips - never heard of the Crawley method. Personally my Hewes reels did away with air bells - fewer places for bubbles to get trapped. But not everyone gets on with SS reels I know

[@PictorialPlanet]

Hewes reels, good tip! Thank you, Andrew.

[@filmlovephotography]

First of all thank you for all the tip you have been given to us. I always develop my films with the twizzle stick, never do the inversion. So far so good. Cheers and keep the awesome work 👍

[@PictorialPlanet]

Great comment. Yes, the twizzle stick is a very good way to develop the film and doesn't generate bubbles the way inversions do. For some reason many don't believe that it agitates the developer enough but it certainly does in my experience. Thank you.

[@ikeeppek]

I always wait 5 seconds before rapping the tank. With Paterson Super System 4 tanks, that's about the time it takes for the liquid (in the head funnel) to flow back into the tank and for the liquid level to reach the top edge of the reel again. It makes it even worse if you stop rapping before this time, as the top structure of plastic 220-type reels acts as a bubble trap. 120-type steel reels are less prone to this effect.

[@user-qm8sx8ne8g]

A very comprehensive video on the various solutions. I have always used just the "tap the bottom of the tank" method and do it after every agitation cycle throughout the development cycle on a belt and braces basis Seems to be foolproof - at least in my case

[@PictorialPlanet]

Good advice. I too find that keeps them at bay. It's such a habit I can't not do it. I'd not be able to sleep at night :)

[@atf2940]

Same method here. In 30+ years I never ever had a single bubble on film, neither in 35mm nor in medium format.

[@janjasiewicz9851]

I never have airbells...I always pre soak for 5 minutes in distilled water at 20 degrees..I know some don't or recommend it.....but I get consistently good results.

[@PictorialPlanet]

Great! That's good to know. I included pre-soaking in my video exactly because of photographers like you where pre-soaking has made a difference and continues to do so. Thanks for your comment!

[@ruudmaas2480]

Perfect. Thanks for sharing.

[@PictorialPlanet]

Thanks, Ruud!

[@arneheeringa96]

Our teacher taught us the tapping of the tank after the first agitation eliminates the airbells, which you do quite often.

[@PictorialPlanet]

You had a good teacher.

[@arneheeringa96]

@@PictorialPlanet Your tip to put the sky at the bottom is very good as well

[@eugenezagidullin4893]

You can sharply twist the tank itself and the mass of the liquid will do the job

[@PictorialPlanet]

That's an interesting idea and makes perfect sense. Good for people with steel tanks.

[@davidottman9501]

Thanks John. I get them occasionally, mostly on 120 film. Haven't tried the twizzle stick for first agiation yet. If Crawley suggested it, I'll not argue! Developing a roll of 120-size x-ray film, I looked in the tank under safelight after the first agitation, by inversion. There were lots of bubbles, reminding me of what we see in Photo Flo final rinse. It made me wonder if maybe I hadn't rinsed off my reels and tank well enough after last session's clean-up? Also, what would you think of using a little more developer, which would raise the foamy top surface of the developer farther away from the film?

[@lilkngstr]

mirroring my comments from the first video. the bubbles are coming from photoflo, being carried over from last developing and/or dried residual. I toothbrushed my reels and cleaned out the bottom of the tank and now photoflo in a separate photoflo only cup. Easiest way to test is to put your reels into tank with hot water. shake like crazy and open the top. should be bubble free.

[@grampadoug100]

The best way to eliminate contamination by Fotoflo is to use a dedicated container. Don't use your developing tank for this necessary task.

[@stephensmith8325]

Do you have any thoughts about using only twizzle stick agitation as opposed to inversion?

[@PictorialPlanet]

I actually address this in an early video if mine: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5WQcqpsipx-fpYsi=-4NJu4XcuvGHw_TT

[@stephensmith8325]

@@PictorialPlanet Thanks! Would be interesting to make some tests to see if the two methods produce different results.