400TX Developing Questions

"Geoffrey S. Mendelson" wrote:

In article t,
Nicholas O. Lindan wrote:

I use distilled water for developer stock solution, diluting stock film
developer to working strength and again in the final Photoflo rinse.

I was able to get a used reverse osmosis water filter for free from someone
who found that the water produced was too costly and "too pure" for drinking.

For those that don't know, a reverse osmosis filter produces almost distilled
quality water from tap water. The down sides are that it has too much of the
minerals removed for drinking in large amounts and almost 90% of the water
that passes through it ends up down the drain.

Since I only use it for photographic solutions, I want the quality and I
don't care about "wasting" a few hundred liters a year of water, I just
dump it in my garden.

Geoff.
--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson
Film speed and contrast are not intrinsically related. That is, if you
over expose, you should not necessarily under develop to compensate. You
should under develop to compenstae for a higher than normal scene
brightness range. Under developing an over exposed normal SBR will lead
to printing problems. The old rule was "Expose for the shadows. Develop
for the highlights." Ask your instructor what this means if you don't
already know.

"Adam Attarian" wrote in message
om...

I'm a student out at NCSU in Raleigh, and I'm in a documentary
photography class...basically, I have some developling questions about
400TX 135. My instructor, who is a very..very...intelligent man, I
trust anything that comes out of his mouth told me to really only
shoot Tri-X at EI 200, since it's really only a 400 speed film 'in the
lab'. He spoke to contrast issues that I think I understand, but I
didn' 100% understand him.

Tri-X has lots of latitude for overexposure, but very little for
underexposure. So if you deliberately overexpose by a stop, as rating it at
EI200 does, you are likely to get a higher proportion of easily printable
negatives. Once you lose shadow detail by underexposing, there is no way to
get it back.

Anyways, I went ahead and shot some 400TX at EI 200, and I'm ready to
develop. He told me to develop it at the 400 times..this is in D-76
1:1, or around 9.5 minutes. I'm just thinking this will give me really
thick negatives. Should I develop at the 400 time, since 400TX 'really
is' an ISO 200ish film, or should I run it in D-76 at the EI 200 time?
Or should I split the difference?

Whatever. Just do something, and see how you like printing the negatives
that result. If your prints are mostly too flat, increase the developing
time next time. If they're mostly too contrasty (block highlights in
particular), decrease development next time. If you're not getting enough
shadow detail, increase exposure.

I also have access to XTOL (my favorite) and Microdol-X, which I'm
starting to use more of. I also have some normally exposed (EI 400)
that I'll run normally in the Microdol.

Many people who use Tri-X swear by HC-110.

I also have access to XTOL (my favorite) and Microdol-X, which I'm
starting to use more of. I also have some normally exposed (EI 400)
that I'll run normally in the Microdol.

Many people who use Tri-X swear by HC-110.


I've used XTOL and I love the qualities that it gives the negatives. But the
last couple of times I mixed up the solution I had a hard time getting Part
A dissolved and into solution. I use distilled water and tried mixing at
70F or so. Does anyone else have this problem? I get good results using
Tri-X 400( I can only find the t-grained any more) exposed at 200EI and
developed 1:1 for 9min 30sec at 68F, agitating continously for the first 60
sec then 5 sec every minute thereafter. I pull the film at 9:30 and directly
into a distilled water only tank for a minute with initial 10 sec agitation,
then I let it sit while the developer exhausts itself in the shadow details.
Then fix, wash, photo flo, then dry. I find I get good latitude for my style
of shooting without excessive grain. What developers do others like best and
what are some of your favorite tried and true techniques?





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Nicholas O. Lindan wrote:
"Tom Gardner" wrote


Are you talking about our wonderful Cleveland water? If so, I will be using
bottled water from now on. How about rince [sic] water?


The water quality around here is just too variable: are the steel mills
running? what about in Detroit? has the bottom mud been stirred up by
wind and wave? what is the organic load? how are the zebra mussels doing?
does the water department have enough money to buy chemicals this month?

I use distilled water for developer stock solution, diluting stock film
developer to working strength and again in the final Photoflo rinse.

Distilled is _really_ needed around here when using homeopathic dilutions
of Rodinal. I couldn't get anything weaker than 1:25 to work at all
until going the distilled water route.

Richard Knoppow suggests, when making up developer stock, to boil the water
first to get rid of dissolved oxygen, cooling it to 100F and then slowly
(no air bubbles) stirring in the powder. If you go through stock soln.
slowly I am sure this is a good idea.


You are also supposed to decant the water after boiling to get rid of the
precipitates caused by boiling. That is important.

Bert

"BertS" wrote:
Nicholas O. Lindan wrote:
"Tom Gardner" wrote:
... talking about our wonderful Cleveland water ...
I use distilled water for developer stock solution ...
Richard Knoppow suggests ... boiling the water ...
to get rid of dissolved oxygen
You are also supposed to decant the water after boiling
to get rid of the precipitates caused by boiling...

Agreed when using tap water and you are trying to get rid of some
of the salts and organics.

When using distilled water there isn't any precipitate
and the developer can be added when the water has cooled to
~100F.

FWIW, I use jugged grocery store distilled water and don't
boil. Developer lasts long enough for my purposes - but
Dektol is the only chemical I make up as a stock solution.

For film all my developers are mixed just before use and used
1-shot. Ditto stop, fix, tone and clear.

--
Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio
Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics.
psst.. want to buy an f-stop timer? nolindan.com/da/fstop/

Nicholas O. Lindan wrote:

"BertS" wrote:

Nicholas O. Lindan wrote:

"Tom Gardner" wrote:

... talking about our wonderful Cleveland water ...

I use distilled water for developer stock solution ...
Richard Knoppow suggests ... boiling the water ...
to get rid of dissolved oxygen

You are also supposed to decant the water after boiling
to get rid of the precipitates caused by boiling...


Agreed when using tap water and you are trying to get rid of some
of the salts and organics.

When using distilled water there isn't any precipitate
and the developer can be added when the water has cooled to
~100F.

FWIW, I use jugged grocery store distilled water and don't
boil. Developer lasts long enough for my purposes - but
Dektol is the only chemical I make up as a stock solution.

For film all my developers are mixed just before use and used
1-shot. Ditto stop, fix, tone and clear.


I was referring to Richard's recommendation to boil the water, not to the
distilled water part.

Bert