Diafine Diaries

rover

rover

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Well, my first two rolls of Tri X met the Diafine this afternoon. They are up drying and look good. ( really am not the person to be asking to evaluate a negative ) I will roll them as Gene suggested for the over night to flatten them and cut them into strips in the morning. I will scan them as soon as I can. I can't wait.

Impressions of the Diafine process. Man, being a hypertensive spaz I didn't know what to do with myself. About 4 minutes in solution 1, no aggitation after getting the stuff settled down, and then only 1 mild aggitation in solution 2. Lots of time to wash all the measures an stuff.

Can't wait to post some shots, good or bad.
 
I had to buy mine mail order, so keep that in mind. I called all the shops that are even remotely located near where my daily life takes me, and nobody has the stuff. One place, the most likely source, said they get it somewhat regularly, but don't always have a stock. The guy paused and then said, "I guess we sell it though because it doesn't stick around too long." Maybe they will start keeping a regular stock of it.
 
I get all my chemistry mail-order - nothing like a photo store out this way. I've been using gold ol' D76 with all my B&W film stock, but I'm intrigued by what I've been reading and seeing here about Diafine.

I have a can of Accufine that was recommended to me by the folks at Freestyle - they said it was great stuff to push HP5+ out to hyper velocities. Anyone have any thoughts on that? I may have to leave it on the shelf for awhile longer and try some Diafine.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks
 
rover said:
I will roll them as Gene suggested for the over night to flatten them and cut them into strips in the morning.
Click to expand...


Huh?

"Roll" them? Why? Hang them up in your bathroom with a clothes pin weight on the bottom to keep them straight and start scanning them in an hour.

DO NOT roll up film and let it dry. Unless you just like wrestling worms to get them flat for the scanner.

Film dries very quickly. No need to wait overnight.

I shot two rolls of HP5+ this afternoon. Shutter tests for a Zorki 4k (1/1000 capping 🙁 ), put them in the soup, rinsed for 30 minutes, hung and dried for an hour. Scanned them a few minutes ago with a Nikon LS8000. I keep all my negatives in Adorama 3-ring archival clear poly pages. Keeps them nice and flat forever.

Tom
 
Last edited:
Yep, I do that too. I've got string strung across my darkroom ceiling. One clothespin to hang the film from the string, another clothespin to weigh down the other end. Done (dry) in 1 hour.
 
Impressions of the Diafine process. Man, being a hypertensive spaz I didn't know what to do with myself.
Click to expand...


Yeah, great isn't it! 🙂

No stop watches, no calculating pour times, no temperature worries. The first time I showed a friend how to use Diafine, I thought he would have a fit from pure idleness. Had to keep whacking his hand because he was forever staring at his watch and trying to agitate the tank.

Tom
 
I just did a couple rolls tonight. I hope you have better luck loading your reels than I. I'm starting to think that I should just go to sheet film. I load 'em fine in the daylight, just not when it gets dark. GRRR. Stainless steel reels are TOUGH.

Love the Diafine look. Pan F is still 80!
 
I'm lucky that a camera shop about 2 hours away stocks Diafine. I'm going to have to get my hands on some of it and do some of my own black and white this summer.
 
T_om said:
Huh?

"Roll" them? Why? Hang them up in your bathroom with a clothes pin weight on the bottom to keep them straight and start scanning them in an hour.

DO NOT roll up film and let it dry. Unless you just like wrestling worms to get them flat for the scanner.

Film dries very quickly. No need to wait overnight.

I shot two rolls of HP5+ this afternoon. Shutter tests for a Zorki 4k (1/1000 capping 🙁 ), put them in the soup, rinsed for 30 minutes, hung and dried for an hour. Scanned them a few minutes ago with a Nikon LS8000. I keep all my negatives in Adorama 3-ring archival clear poly pages. Keeps them nice and flat forever.

Tom
Click to expand...


I hung them to dry for a few hours then rolled them in reverse of their curl to flatten them out. Gene had mentioned this in another thread. It worked well, they should lay nice and flat when I scan them. (I was playing soccer in the evening yesterday so no scanning for me. When my son went upstairs for his bath last night I lasted about 45 minutes before I had to find a pillow. If I didn't I was risking a bump on my head when I collapsed and smashed it on something. Yesterday was one of those productive an fun days.)
 
T_om said:
Yeah, great isn't it! 🙂

No stop watches, no calculating pour times, no temperature worries. The first time I showed a friend how to use Diafine, I thought he would have a fit from pure idleness. Had to keep whacking his hand because he was forever staring at his watch and trying to agitate the tank.

Tom
Click to expand...

No timer indeed, I just used the clock on the oven.
 
jdos2 said:
I just did a couple rolls tonight. I hope you have better luck loading your reels than I. I'm starting to think that I should just go to sheet film. I load 'em fine in the daylight, just not when it gets dark. GRRR. Stainless steel reels are TOUGH.

Love the Diafine look. Pan F is still 80!
Click to expand...

I bought a changing bag and I think this helps. Although you can't see your hands, you can see something. At least the way my brain is working now a days it needs this little additional Stimulus. It also gives me more time to do the "dark" stuff. I don't have a darkroom so with out the changing bag I have to wait until night time, seal up the one window and cracks in the door of a bathroom, then load the reels. With the changing bag, yesterday I turned on the race, put all the stuff I needed in the bag, spun it around, popped my hands in the sleeves, and away I went in front ot the TV.
 
Yep, I also love using a changing bag rather than a darkroom, but for similar reasons. Plus, it is nice to have along when out testing new-old cameras (you can simply open the camera inside the bag to get out the film if something is not working...)

Roman
 
rover said:
I hung them to dry for a few hours then rolled them in reverse of their curl to flatten them out.
Click to expand...


I have never found this to be necessary. Indeed, rolling up film emulsion side out seems like a perfect way to scratch the film if you are not exceedingly careful.

Mine goes from the drying hanger directly into 6-frame strip archival poly pages in a 3 ring binder. The page is then labeled and the film is out of the atmosphere right away (cuts down on dust). They are already flat when they are cut into strips and go into the binder and they stay flat. I take them out two strips at a time to scan (because that is what my Nikon scanner holds). Then right back into the poly sleeve.

I have very few dust or scratch problems.

Tom
 
diafine is photographic ambrosia - mmmmmmm tasty

it's really all i ever use anymore for my b&w - it even works with bluefire!

not having to worry about temp or time is really nice

my 2centavo rantola for the day
 
Those who know the story already know that I love Diafine 🙂 Be sure to bump this thread when you post the results Rover !!

And as for closing your eyes even when you use a changing bag... well, in fact in some way that eliminates visual distractions and *increases* your sense of touch 🙄
 
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