How to develop trix with D76

[Chris101]

... on a side note. any advice for a good thermometer?

You will want a dial thermometer. Generally, especially if you are not young, a big dial helps.

But before buying one (a good one runs about $30) check the back of the dial. If there is a nut, then it's adjustable, if not, then you cannot calibrate it, and the temperature it reports will likely be wrong.

Then borrow or otherwise obtain a certified mercury thermometer and put it in a bottle of water near 20°C. Put your dial thermometer in the same bottle and turn the nut on the back until the dial reads the same as the mercury thermometer. With thermometers, it's important that they all read the same.

Even though the Reotemp thermometer's build is superior to my other two, it is essentially useless.

By the way, you can find all the development data, as well as a temperature adjustment chart here.

 

[bmattock]

Why a dial thermometer? I use cheap digital thermometers intended for cooking - not 'candy' thermometers, but the kind that have a probe and you shove them into food. They seem to work really well for me. The only reason I have two is that I misplaced the first one and bought another (found the original later).

 

[Chris101]

I've got some digital thermometers too. I prefer the analog ones because the digital ones seem to only need batteries when I need them, and because I can look at the analog dial and know exactly where the temperature is relative to my setpoint, intuitively. With the digital I find myself doing a lot of math to a precision which is more than I need. Analog, I simply turn the water to hot or cold to adjust the movement of the needle.

Plus they seem to be more reliable.

 

[venchka]

Nando,

What Keith, etc. said.

 

[Ronald M]

5 inversions in 30 sec works fine and is right off Kodak`s website. Two inversions with rotation while being inverted and righted also works.

So does 10 sec every 60, but add 10% more time compared to every 30 sec.


so called nice gentle agitation is ineffective at removing development by products and leads to problems. If you have too high a contrast, use less time or dilute the developer rather than cut back agitation. Agitation needs to be vigorous and not uniform so as not to set up patterns.

 

[AusDLK]

I just started developing Tri-X again. I've used D-76 1:1 for 8 minutes at 68. Agiitate with general inversions for the first minute. Then 2-3 inversions every 30 seconds. This for Tri-X exposed at ISO 200.

The negatives appear slightly on the thin side but I think that this is best for scanning -- I don't make wet prints.

I'm happy with the scans I am getting with my Nikon 5000. All of my PAW 2009 pictures come from Tri-X scans processed this way.

Next, though, I'm going to try Diafine at ISO 1250. From what I've read (and a YouTube video) this is supposed to be the cream of the crop for scanning. We'll see.

 

[Nando]

Thanks Wayne. 🙂