Want to processes Tri-X but....

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mllanos1111

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I just went through all my chemicals and all I have is Microphen.
Would this be ok to use or should I just wait until I can pick up something else tomorrow?
 
If you have Microfen processing data for Tri-X and don't mind experimanting to some degree then why not. otherwise whats a day :)
 
Microphen is an excellent choice for Tri-X. What makes you think there's anything wrong with the combo?
 
Microphen is very good indeed with Tri-X. It comes as a powder, so you will need a jug to mix it, and a bottle in which to store the developer of course.

The Ilford documentation is found here.
 
If you have not done development tests, how are you going to know how to do it?

Wait until you can get what you need.
 
I was under the impression that it was used more for pushing film than using it for Tri-X shot at 400. It's been a while since I processed my own film and I was a little nervous of messing it up. I hear more people were using HC-110 and such so I thought I might need that.
 
Microphen is a great developer, and works very nicely with Tri-X. I use it mostly for pushing Tri-X- where it can look so good people will swear you shot at 400, not 1600- but I don't use it much outside of pushing. My notes indicate a time of 8.5 minutes for Tri-X in Microphen (straight) at 20C/68F. I know many folks dilute Microphen and use it one shot- I use it straight, and pour it back into the jug. A gallon will run 45- 50 rolls before it's exhausted. If you like, you can increase the time by 10% for every 5 rolls you have run through it, to compensate for reduced activity over time; but I find if I use it up fairly quickly (within a month, say) I don't really need to bother compensating the time.

Caveat: This time was recorded in December 1999, and might be from an older version of Tri-X. Since then, I've only used Microphen/Tri-X combo when pushing.

BTW- You should try Microphen straight to process Tri-X shot at 1600. Run 12.5 minutes at 70F; agitate first 45 seconds, then give 5 inversions per minute. Looks amazing- you might think you're looking at E.I. 400 in D76.
 
The Massive Dev Chart doesn't have a time for TX @ 400, but it does for EI 500, which is probably close enough. If it were me, though, I'd get some HC-110 or Rodinal, both last a long time in stock solution.
 
Functionally speaking, Microphen does a very nice job of faster films, whether pushed or not. It is described as reducing grain size and grain clumping.

The link I gave in my post above has the times for various dilutions, films and speed-ratings etc. The speed of Tri-X with "standard" dev in Microphen stock-solution is 500asa - so a 1/4 stop increase, very little. It depends on how you have exposed it as to whether this is ok - if you know the shots were contrasty use 1+1 dilution instead. For their own films at least, the Ilford times are pretty reasonable and you can trust the results to be good, without needing to run a test roll and use a densitometer.

I've now got in the habit of always having some boxes of ID11 and Microphen (which last indefinitely, being powders) on hand, to avoid running into the situation of wanting to dev film and having no useable developer left.
 
mllanos1111 said:
I was under the impression that it was used more for pushing film than using it for Tri-X shot at 400. It's been a while since I processed my own film and I was a little nervous of messing it up. I hear more people were using HC-110 and such so I thought I might need that.
Click to expand...

IMHO, don't worry about it. People have their preferences learned over time and not always based on objective factors. The difference between what they swear by and don't care for is not always going to be visible to anyone else.

Just use what you have. Ilford provides times that will get you decent results.
 
Well I processed a roll with the Microphen and for the most part it turned out great! The problem I had was not with the developer it was with the knock off Nikor reel.
It film stuck together in a couple spots and didnt get developed ugh.
The Nikor reel I have is only for 20 exposures, but it seems like such a better reel.
Back when I use to proces film I used the cheap not sure what its called plastic roll like film. That always worked for me, but I cant seem to find thos anymore.
What do you all suggest?
 
Yes, Patterson still does. I use stainless and prefer them, but some do better with plastic. My reels are mostly old Kinderman (I think); if I were to buy more or some new ones, I would try to get Hewes (sp?) ... they have the reputation of being the best available now, on par or better than Nikor.
 
I use stainless steel reels too, and the Hewes ones are definately the best. They are good and solid, and the tabs which grab the sprocket holes make them an absolute breeze to load. It's a whole lot easier to miss-load and have your film stuck together with cheap, flimsy reels. The Hewes ones are more expensive, but they are well worth it.

I've noticed that the Jobo branded stainless steel reels made for regular steel tanks are of the same design and manufacture, (they sometimes are even marked "Hewes" on the core!) and often sell for a bit less than the Hewes ones, if you can find them. Good reels really do make a difference.
 
If you're going to try plastic reels again, get the Samigon ones now available at B&H. They load waaaaay easier than the Paterson ones. And they fit in the nice Paterson tanks.

allan
 
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