Ilfosol-S Again

Hi Doug,

I have been using liquid concentrate developers (Ilfosol S and TMax)
since recently building my darkroom. I would like to try a variety of
developers to get a general feel for their characteristics, including
D76 and ID11 ( I also have some of Ilford's Microphen and Perecptol).
My darkroom is small, but does have a ventilation fan. I may proecss
one or two 36 exp rolls a week and develop them. Any suggestions on
mixing powder based developers in the darkroom?

Thanks,

Dave
Fort Collins, CO
Douglas K wrote:
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Hash: SHA1

A golden / Straw colour for the developer is normal. More golden for
the concentrate, more straw for the 1+9 dilution. I used it for a
time .. but I'm moving back towards the D-76h and ID-11 as I prefer
the results and find mixing chemicals to be somehow relaxing.

Douglas

On Mon, 02 Apr 2001 04:44:38 GMT, "Gern"
wrote:

Can anyone tell me what color the fresh Ilfosol-S should be? When I
opened the bottle, it was a bright gold/yellow color. It was not
opaque dark brown or copper like bad Dektol. It was a perfectly
clear color, and it actually resembled fresh Indicator Stop Bath.
It has developed two rolls of film apparently fine. I was just
wondering if color is normal for this
developer.


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Read the directions? Seriously, the darkroom is the worst place to mix
powdered formulations--the dust does get around. I use the adjoining
laundry room in my house. Or will mix in the sink. Where ever you need to
work you should try not to raise any dust.

If you are mixing from packaged preparations the maker will include good
instructions on procedure, if mixing from bulk ingredients there will
usually be mixing instructions as well. A bit like in a cookbook, a recipe
is more than a list of ingredients.

In general, if mixing from a formula:

Use water at the specified volume and temperature

Dissolve in the order given

Make sure each chemical is completely dissolved before adding the next
(unless the author advises that the chemical will NOT completely dissolve
until some subsequent process is undertaken). One exception is the "pinch
of sulfite rule" not really a rule but in formulas that use both metol and
sodium sulfite it is the usual practice to add a bit of sulfite (from the
quantity already measured out) to the water before adding the developer
agent.

It is also useful to do what cooks call "mise en place" (def. mise en place
[MEEZ ahn plahs] A French term referring to having all the ingredients
necessary for a dish prepared and ready to combine up to the point of
cooking) in darkroom practice have all components measured out before mixing
the brew.

--
darkroommike

----------
"Pathos" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi Doug,

I have been using liquid concentrate developers (Ilfosol S and TMax)
since recently building my darkroom. I would like to try a variety of
developers to get a general feel for their characteristics, including
D76 and ID11 ( I also have some of Ilford's Microphen and Perecptol).
My darkroom is small, but does have a ventilation fan. I may proecss
one or two 36 exp rolls a week and develop them. Any suggestions on
mixing powder based developers in the darkroom?

Thanks,

Dave
Fort Collins, CO
Douglas K wrote:
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

A golden / Straw colour for the developer is normal. More golden for
the concentrate, more straw for the 1+9 dilution. I used it for a
time .. but I'm moving back towards the D-76h and ID-11 as I prefer
the results and find mixing chemicals to be somehow relaxing.

Douglas

On Mon, 02 Apr 2001 04:44:38 GMT, "Gern"
wrote:

Can anyone tell me what color the fresh Ilfosol-S should be? When I
opened the bottle, it was a bright gold/yellow color. It was not
opaque dark brown or copper like bad Dektol. It was a perfectly
clear color, and it actually resembled fresh Indicator Stop Bath.
It has developed two rolls of film apparently fine. I was just
wondering if color is normal for this
developer.


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http://www.pgp.com

iQA/AwUBOsnW5z0Tkv5UigTsEQIMqgCfS5uQKbb3yhKZkxW8Fm2Gfh BjdpkAoN1F
RshUMT8KHiOYk5Dfl1geqZt2
=Mjie
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

Read the directions? Seriously, the darkroom is the worst place to mix
powdered formulations--the dust does get around. I use the adjoining
laundry room in my house. Or will mix in the sink. Where ever you need to
work you should try not to raise any dust.

If you are mixing from packaged preparations the maker will include good
instructions on procedure, if mixing from bulk ingredients there will
usually be mixing instructions as well. A bit like in a cookbook, a recipe
is more than a list of ingredients.

In general, if mixing from a formula:

Use water at the specified volume and temperature

Dissolve in the order given

Make sure each chemical is completely dissolved before adding the next
(unless the author advises that the chemical will NOT completely dissolve
until some subsequent process is undertaken). One exception is the "pinch
of sulfite rule" not really a rule but in formulas that use both metol and
sodium sulfite it is the usual practice to add a bit of sulfite (from the
quantity already measured out) to the water before adding the developer
agent.

It is also useful to do what cooks call "mise en place" (def. mise en place
[MEEZ ahn plahs] A French term referring to having all the ingredients
necessary for a dish prepared and ready to combine up to the point of
cooking) in darkroom practice have all components measured out before mixing
the brew.

--
darkroommike

----------
"Pathos" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi Doug,

I have been using liquid concentrate developers (Ilfosol S and TMax)
since recently building my darkroom. I would like to try a variety of
developers to get a general feel for their characteristics, including
D76 and ID11 ( I also have some of Ilford's Microphen and Perecptol).
My darkroom is small, but does have a ventilation fan. I may proecss
one or two 36 exp rolls a week and develop them. Any suggestions on
mixing powder based developers in the darkroom?

Thanks,

Dave
Fort Collins, CO
Douglas K wrote:
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

A golden / Straw colour for the developer is normal. More golden for
the concentrate, more straw for the 1+9 dilution. I used it for a
time .. but I'm moving back towards the D-76h and ID-11 as I prefer
the results and find mixing chemicals to be somehow relaxing.

Douglas

On Mon, 02 Apr 2001 04:44:38 GMT, "Gern"
wrote:

Can anyone tell me what color the fresh Ilfosol-S should be? When I
opened the bottle, it was a bright gold/yellow color. It was not
opaque dark brown or copper like bad Dektol. It was a perfectly
clear color, and it actually resembled fresh Indicator Stop Bath.
It has developed two rolls of film apparently fine. I was just
wondering if color is normal for this
developer.


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http://www.pgp.com

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Thanks for the info (and the obvious ;-)). Maybe not so obvious, as I
recently painted the area around the enlarger, flat black, using spray
can paint. It took another 3 hours to totally clean out the room,
glassware, etc. from the black dust that settled over everything. I
repainted over with regular flat black paint to add insult to injury.

I live in the foothills of CO and our place in general is a dust bowl-
keeping negs clean after drying is a challenging process.

I do have a larger room outside the darkroom (basement), that I can mix
in. I'm wondering about getting the water to the correct temp for
dissolving- do you use a heating plate, or initially start with water
from the tap that is warmed?

One other challenging aspect at this point, is trying to get a workflow
worked out, so that chemicals do not expire prior to use. Photography
right now, plays second fiddle to my regular work, and most weeks I may
expose one to two 36 exp rolls, and try on the weekends to develop and
print. For film developing, I have stuck to one shot developers, and
have used mostly Ilford Multigrade for paper. There have been times
when it has been longer than a week (or two) between processing and
printing, and I am always hesitant about reusing chemicals that have
sat for a while (I do keep them in light tight plastic containers, but
do not routinely use a procedure to minimize air in the containers
-dropping in marbles, collapsable containers, etc.).
Thanks again for the info, and happy holidays.

Dave

I recently picked up a magnetic stir plate with a heater at a flea market
near my house. Before that I just used the microwave to heat distilled
water in a 1 litre Pyrex measuring cup. Then I would alternately add the
hot water and room temp water to a larger vessel until I acquired the
desired mixing temp. Hot tap water is not the best since it has a lot of
dissolved solids in it from the water heater.

When you mix your developers, decant them into smaller bottles with only a
very small air space, cover the mouths of the bottles with "original
formula" Saran wrap, then screw down the caps. I have opened bottles of
developer a month later and found that the wrap was depressed in the center,
this suggests that the tiny bit of oxygen in the air trapped in the bottle
was depleted by oxidation and that no more could get in through the plastic
wrap.

You can also store stock solutions in the fridge, since all chemical
reactions slow down at cooler temps (including the oxidation of developers)
you stock will last much longer. (Need I add that the solution should be
warmed to room temp prior to use, and that if you see precipatation in the
bottom of the bottles that that solution probably cannot be stored in the
cooler?)

--
darkroommike

----------
"Pathos" wrote in message
oups.com...
Thanks for the info (and the obvious ;-)). Maybe not so obvious, as I
recently painted the area around the enlarger, flat black, using spray
can paint. It took another 3 hours to totally clean out the room,
glassware, etc. from the black dust that settled over everything. I
repainted over with regular flat black paint to add insult to injury.

I live in the foothills of CO and our place in general is a dust bowl-
keeping negs clean after drying is a challenging process.

I do have a larger room outside the darkroom (basement), that I can mix
in. I'm wondering about getting the water to the correct temp for
dissolving- do you use a heating plate, or initially start with water
from the tap that is warmed?

One other challenging aspect at this point, is trying to get a workflow
worked out, so that chemicals do not expire prior to use. Photography
right now, plays second fiddle to my regular work, and most weeks I may
expose one to two 36 exp rolls, and try on the weekends to develop and
print. For film developing, I have stuck to one shot developers, and
have used mostly Ilford Multigrade for paper. There have been times
when it has been longer than a week (or two) between processing and
printing, and I am always hesitant about reusing chemicals that have
sat for a while (I do keep them in light tight plastic containers, but
do not routinely use a procedure to minimize air in the containers
-dropping in marbles, collapsable containers, etc.).
Thanks again for the info, and happy holidays.

Dave

Hi Mike
Is remixing the precipate a big no-no? Or is it a big NoNo w/ some
formulas, & doesn't matter w/ others? Or none of the above?

Also, Pathos, a good way to obtain longevity w/ developers is to use
Phenodone based developers. Although I'm prejudiced favorably toward
Phenodone due a strong allergic reaction to Metol.
Happy Holidays. John

Mike and John,

Thanks for the info.

Happy Holidays to all.

Dave

Redissolving precipitates is OK with most darkroom formulas but is (in my
opinion) a pain in the you know and I would rather be processing film than
re-mixing formulas. Some chemicals are barely soluble at room temp or lower
so then you need to rewarm the soup, stir the stuff, and then cool it off
again to working temperature. And with so many other formulations out there
I'll stick with the ones I can either just mix and use right away or with
ones than will stay dissolved in the cooler.

Phenidone is good, too, but I prefer some classics that have metol in them
and was less than satisfied with the phenidone substitutes (and I've never
seen a phenidone based D-23 clone--anyone that has shoot me an email!).
Phenidone and metol can both go bad on the shelf but with metol it's pretty
obvious (PU).
--
darkroommike

----------
wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi Mike
Is remixing the precipate a big no-no? Or is it a big NoNo w/ some
formulas, & doesn't matter w/ others? Or none of the above?

Also, Pathos, a good way to obtain longevity w/ developers is to use
Phenodone based developers. Although I'm prejudiced favorably toward
Phenodone due a strong allergic reaction to Metol.
Happy Holidays. John