2006 article: Auf Wiedersehen Rodinal

[raytoei@gmail.com]

Hi,

This is an abridged article ViewFinder 2006.

"The news that AGFA was out of
business brought terror to the
Rodiholics among us. The black
and white section of camera stores, usually
only frequented by people with eyes
semi closed to off-set the bright lights
outside the darkroom suddenly was filled
with “hoarders” who were grabbing bottles
of Rodinal and clasping them to their
chests. “What now! How am I going to
soup my Tri-X?” Desperate phone calls
“Do you have the recipe for Rodinal”?
What is it with this developer that has an
almost cultish following?"

.....


http://retro.ms11.net/abridged-viewfindervol39no1.pdf

 

[rxmd]

Well apart from the plug for J&C at the end of the article, there's something like five different companies making Rodinal now, either Original Recipe, or Agfa Moderately Revised Recipe With 10% Less Development Time. Something like three of them were around already when Agfa was still making it. Actually Agfa Vaihingen still makes it, it's sold under awkwardish names such as Maco Direct R09 One Shot but it's the same stuff.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Why do we need Rodinal?

Film is already out of production, isn't it? In fact, didn't they stop making it 5 years ago? I'm sure I read a piece in 2000 which said film would be gone by 2005.

Cheers,

R.

 

[rxmd]

I have an original unopened 1-litre bottle from 2005. Now that the stuff is rare and valuable, I'll trade it for $99 (or alternatively an M9). How does that sound?

 

[Tom A]

I recognized the wording in that article - I wrote it!!! When it was written there was no indication of anyone taking up the Rodinal mantle. Later we were greatly relieved when various other companies started making it. Of course, I still have about 3 liters of it in my "wine cellar" including "Blazenol" (who names these things?).
It is still my fall-back developer for some fims. If nothing else works - Rodinal at 1:100 for 20 minutes usually gives you a usable negatives.

 

[johannielscom]

...

If nothing else works - Rodinal at 1:100 for 20 minutes usually gives you a usable negatives.

Really? I got used to souping in Rodinal 1:100 for one hour 😕
Do the extra forty minutes add anything at all, in your experience?

 

[Chuck Albertson]

Rumors of its demise are greatly exagerated. I have a couple of pints in storage, and it's still available at Glazer's for about $18 a bottle.

Tom, I'm surprised you weren't picked up for photographing in front of the navy HQ in Leningrad.

 

[Tom A]

Really? I got used to souping in Rodinal 1:100 for one hour 😕
Do the extra forty minutes add anything at all, in your experience?

One of these days I will do an experiment. Running 5 rolls in 10 min increments (10/20/30/40/50 min) and see if anything really happens in those last 30-40 min! With 1:100/20 min I agitate every 1 or 2 minutes - particularly with "unknown" films. Once I have done that - I can extrapolate closer times with it.

 

[Tom A]

Rumors of its demise are greatly exagerated. I have a couple of pints in storage, and it's still available at Glazer's for about $18 a bottle.

Tom, I'm surprised you weren't picked up for photographing in front of the navy HQ in Leningrad.

Chuck, they were surprisingly "lenient" and only once did they snarl at me for taking pictures (a bridge across the Neva). However, wherever we went there was the guy in the overcoat! Our Land Rover was the talk of the town - people sighseeinged it outside the hotel. I remember filling up with diesel (@ about $0,23/gallon) and having a masse of truckdrivers admiring the engine and, in particular the Phillips cassette deck! They were also impressed with the fact that I could pour close to 90 gallons in to the long range tanks of the L/R.