RE: lith film and pinholes

[Joachim Oppenheimer <joachim@microdsi.net>]

Let me add one more HYPOTHESIS that I have not subjected to scientifically
controlled study. I, too, have seen pinholes with litho at times that I have
absolutely not seen with panchromatic film like Tri-X (even in tray
development of 8x10). Litho film, for whatever reason, may be structurally
more subject to pinholes and it MAY be that it is more sensitive to changes
in temperature than REAL film. Since I have been meticulous with temperature
control I have not seen pinholes in my litho, but that is about as
scientific as observing that I do not get pinholes in litho when I sleep,
because I never develop film in my sleep. I have other problems with litho
(especially dust, dust, and tiny scratches and bigger scratches, and dust
again) more than with REAL film (where I have those enemies well cornered),
but, since close attention to temperature seems to do the trick for me I
will not do any academic, and useless, study of the temperature thesis. Of
course, there may be multiple factors to cause a problem, and temperature
change may be one of many. There is always more than one way to destroy
something. Joachim

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Judy Seigel [mailto:jseigel@panix.com]
> Sent: Thursday, May 09, 2002 1:52 AM
> To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
> Cc: alt-photo-process-error@sask.usask.ca
> Subject: Re: lith film and pinholes
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, 6 May 2002, Bob and Carla wrote:
>
> > Dear Chris,
> >      Pinholes in lith film are a slamdunk sign that your
> developer is getting
> > exhausted, old, or too dilute...
> > Robert
> >
>
> This question seems to recycle at intervals, and tends to come out like
> this one -- that is, there is NO consensus that it's stop bath, dust,
> whatever... so Bob's off-developer is as good an idea as any -- tho the
> water has been blamed as well.
>
> Anyway, as I've said before, my space-cadet undergrads making lith negs in
> their filthy dirty darkrooms probably not cleaned since the building was
> built, didn't produce pinholes, nor did my cellar darkroom next to the
> boiler room, with openings to the great NYC outdoors, a fact variously
> attributed to local virtue, local water, and now it seems virtuous
> developer.
>
> In any event, if the spots are perfectly round, odds are its pinholes.
> Dust makes squiggles, curves, wisps, blobs and dashes.
>
> Judy
>
>