Extolling Xtol

boilerdoc2

boilerdoc2

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I love this Xtol from Kodak! It lasts for a very long time and gives super smooth/low grain negatives. Especially with the T Grain films it is ideal. Just use it straight and pour back in bottle. Almost always able to print on #2 with great shadow detail and no blocking up in highlights. Try it you'll like it!
Steve
 
XTOL is about is pretty non toxic for a film developer - should you like to develop film in apartment with little outside ventilation. I use it 1:1 for single use.

XTOL is best stored in glass bottles. The small size of XTOL will fill about 10 of my 500ml bottles.
 
Thanks for some positive remarks for this developer. I bought a 1 liter bag a couple weeks ago but haven't mixed it up yet.

So neither of you would recommend a full dilution of 1+4 or any of the lesser dilutions?

As for glass bottles, I purposely bought 2 32 oz bottles of Schlitz Malt Liquor last weekend so that I could use them for storing developer. It was a nasty time emptying them, but I persevered & have lived to tell the tale.
 
Xtol produces a lot finer grain than some other developers, like Tmax Developer and Rodinal. And it's toxicity is very low. but I have never been happy with the Tonality. I have tried it several times with different films over the years and just keep going back to Tmax Dev. and Rodinal. I like their tonality better.
 
Beware of the 1 liter batch of XTOL. That's the size Kodak pulled from the market for going bad after mixing.

Sorry about the Schlitz thing.

It looks like XTOL is one of the few developers that I can use diluted and have enough devloper for 10 4x5s in the JOBO 3010 tank.

What's the word on XTOL @ 1:1, 1:2, 1:3? Good? Bad? Ugly? I have to develop at high temps (25C) and need to dilute developer to make the times comfortable. D-76 requires too much solution per sheet to get more than 6 sheets in the 3010. I'm looking at XTOL.
 
Beware of the 1 liter batch of XTOL. That's the size Kodak pulled from the market for going bad after mixing.
Click to expand...

I was in my local Wolf Camera not long ago and they still had a box full of the one liter packages out for sale and no larger packages in evidence. If I had not read an earlier warning I would have bought several as they were on sale. So be careful shopping as not everyone has taken them off their shelves.

Eli
 
Xmm, guys, I'm getting confused there with that 1 liter warning...
I've never tried Xtol yet, HC-110 worked fine for me, but intend to try Xtol as well.
I thought to put an order for a few 1 liter packs (powder) available from B&H or Freestyle. Shouldn't I buy these ?
What Xtol packaging is recommended ?
 
Yes, I had also read somewhere about the 1 liter packages having faults, but I had had the same experience as eli griggs. A local wolf camera had several packs of the 1 liter bags for $3 each, so there's not much invested so far.

As for the Schlitz, what can I say.....1 32 oz bottle for under $2. Even if you just pour it out, you're getting a brown glass 32 oz bottle with a screw cap for peanuts. I paid $4 for a plastic bottle at the camera shop- and there wasn't even any booze in it!

If going bad quickly is the only real issue with the 1 liter bag, maybe I'll just hold off mixing it until I have enough film to develop to use it all in one round of developing. I might have to get another tank if this is going to be the case though.
 
The problem with the one-liter packages was right after it came out, almost a decade ago. I can't beleive people are still repeating this after so long. I have used several of the one liter packs in recent years with no troubles.

Regarding dilution, I have never really been totally satisfied with Xtol's tonality but have used it when i needed fine grain, which it delivers. The 1+1 dilution is best. Diluting increases the developer's sharpness and I think the tonality is better. Kodak no longer recommends diluting more than that because Xtol is not a very powerful developer. It requires a lot of stock solution to fully process a roll; a minimum of 100ml per roll of stock in the final dilution. That means diluted 1+3, you need 400ml of total solution for a single roll. My experience has been that it sometimes just dies when diluted that much, and Kodak stated that was why they removed the dev. times for dilutions higher than 1+1 from their tech data for Xtol.
 
Chris: Robert (Honus) uses various combinations of Rodinal & Xtol to great effect. I am planning on trying this. I too like Rodinal's tonality, but the Rodinal/Xtol combination seems to give finer grain without sacrificing that or sharpness. Click here.
 
The problem with the one-liter packages was right after it came out, almost a decade ago. I can't beleive people are still repeating this after so long
Click to expand...

The problem is that Kodak is supposed to have withdrawn the one liter packages and if you look here, http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/j109/j109.jhtml#sizes under sizes available, you will see that Kodak list this product as being available to make five and fifty liter sizes, no one liter packages.

While there is the disclaimer that different sizes may be available in different countries, as far as I know, one liter packages in the U.S. were discontinued when it was withdrawn.

Eli
 
Chriscrawfordphoto said:
Xtol produces a lot finer grain than some other developers, like Tmax Developer and Rodinal. And it's toxicity is very low. but I have never been happy with the Tonality. I have tried it several times with different films over the years and just keep going back to Tmax Dev. and Rodinal. I like their tonality better.
Click to expand...

Same here. Xtol gives full film speed, very fine grain but sharp negatives.
But there is something about the tonality that I didn't like.

I ended up with Ilford DD-X as my main developer. All of the same qualities of XTOL, but I prefer the tonality it produces. With Tri-X this combination produces very 'pearly' negatives. It's also excellent for Delta3200.

HL
 
I liked the results I got from DD-X and Pan F+. Unfortunately, I wasn't doing enough processing for a long time and the stock went stale. Well, it went brown at least, and I don't trust it. I have about 6 bottles of Rodinal left, which is a LOT of capacity.
 
X-tol is great

X-tol is great

blw said:
t.
So neither of you would recommend a full dilution of 1+4 or any of the lesser dilutions?
Click to expand...

There is a problem with dilutions more than 1:1 if you are using a single reel tank. At 1:4 there is just not enough developer in the solution to properly develop the film. You could use a two reel tank with 500 ml of solution at 1:4, but you could only develop one roll of film at a time to have enough developer for the task.


The one liter problem was taken care of years ago. Don't worry. Try this developer with Ilford HP-5+ and you will be very impressed.

X-tol gives great acutance because it is an acid based formula (so is pyro) rather than an alkaline based developer like D-76, or ID-11. It is also great if you are alergic to metol or phenidone. Ascorbic acid is the main developing agent. Good old vitamin-C!
 
I'll do it!

I'll do it!

John Rountree said:
...Try this developer with Ilford HP-5+ and you will be very impressed.
Click to expand...

I'll do just that. I have 60 sheets of 4x5 HP5+. :D I also have 11 1 gal. packets of D-76. I'll figure out which I like best.

I suppose the Schlitz bottles are a bargain. I'll find somebody who can drink the stuff.
 
Help a brother out

Help a brother out

Trius said:
Chris: Robert (Honus) uses various combinations of Rodinal & Xtol to great effect. I am planning on trying this. I too like Rodinal's tonality, but the Rodinal/Xtol combination seems to give finer grain without sacrificing that or sharpness. Click here.
Click to expand...

Where are the formulae? Are they secrets? Do we have to know the handshake? Enquiring minds want to know.
 
I went to a camera store last weekend to buy some Xtol and all they had was the Part B envelope in the 5 liter size. They couldn't find the part A envelope so they gave me the part B for free. Is there a source to buy the ingredients for the part A?. Maybe a Part A envelope will show up on Ebay:) . I think the one liter size was stopped because of a sealing problem with the part A envelope that caused it to cake up.

John
 
Rodinal + Xtol

Rodinal + Xtol

Wayne: I emailed Robert through flickr ... I suppose I can forgo the secret handshake for now :D Here is his email to me:

=====================================================

Earl,

Sorry for the delay in responding.

I have been experimenting with the Rodinal+Xtol combination for a year now. It originates from discussions at APUG regarding the use of Vitamin C as an adjunct to Rodinal. I have been pleasantly surprised with the results, and am starting to use the combination exclusively. I believe it gives a wide tonal range like Xtol with better edge contrast from the Rodinal.

I have used 3 different formulations (using a 300 ml steel tank):

Low Dilution:
Rodinal 1+50 + Xtol Stock
(6 ml Rodinal + 300ml Xtol)

Medium Dilution:
Rodinal 1+100 + Xtol 1:1
(3 ml Rodinal + 150ml Xtol + 150ml water)

High Dilution:
Rodinal 1+100 + Xtol 1:4
(3ml Rodinal + 60ml Xtol + 240ml water)

I normally develop at about 90% of the time for the equivalent Xtol dilution listed on the Massive Development Chart.

The only Tri-X example I have posted thus far is this one:
www.flickr.com/photos/_honus_/446893394/
This was developed with the High Dilution @ 68c for 12.5min.

I just finished a roll exposed @ 400iso in the Low Dilution @ 68c for 6.5 min. I haven't scanned the negs yet, but they look really promising under the loupe.
=====================================================

I haven't experimented yet. I expose Tri-X @ 250 and for my medium speed film I use APX100 @ 100. I develop both in Rodinal 1:100 for 20 min/68ºF.

Earl
 
Chriscrawfordphoto said:
The problem with the one-liter packages was right after it came out, almost a decade ago. I can't beleive people are still repeating this after so long. I have used several of the one liter packs in recent years with no troubles.
Click to expand...

Agree, this rumour has run it's course.

Todd
 
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