I love the smell of Caffenol in the morning!

[burancap]

Tomorrow morning, that is. My first ever go at it!

I have 2 rolls of PAN F on deck, any last suggestions? My plan was for standard C-M or C-H, but subbing Iodized Salt ILO Potassium Bromide in the latter.

 

[dfatty]

good luck! i plan to try it myself one day, haven't quite gotten around to it.

 

[Noll]

How much time? I think my gave pan f at box speed 8 minutes using caffenol cm and negs cake out thin. Havent got around to a second run yet but plan to give it at least 10 min next time.

 

[burancap]

C-M looks like 10 minutes might be better. I am considering jumping over to the Delta-STD formula, 7:45 @ 20C. But now that seems short!

 

[02Pilot]

I haven't done Pan F+, but I have successfully developed a lot of other films. I prefer the reduced soda (RS) variants of the basic C-M and C-H formulae. I did the salt in place of KBr thing for a while, but I found I needed quite a lot of salt to get satisfactory results (especially in stand or semi-stand development with C-L).

My basic starting point for previously untried emulsions is 12.5 minutes for C-M and 15 minutes for C-H. Pan F+ should definitely be done with C-M, not C-H.

Good luck. Post some samples when you're done.

 

[burancap]

Thanks all!

I just poured my first Caffenol of the morning -into me! I have decided to combine your experiences and go with C-M, reducing soda -but to only 48 g/l rather than 40. I will run it for 11 minutes.

 

[burancap]

Both rolls hanging.

I think I made an error. At the last minute, literally, I decided to bump my proposed 11 minutes to 13. I think I might have overcooked them because I have never seen negatives so dense! I know exposure was on, so I think I should have stayed with my original 11 minutes. I do have images though, so I'll bust the scanner out this afternoon.

 

[f16sunshine]

You guys are busting my groove on keeping it to two developers in my tiny darkroom!
This sounds like too much fun to just ignore. Waiting for your results Jeff!

 

[02Pilot]

What temp and agitation scheme did you use?

 

[burancap]

It was definitely fun! Didn't smell bad either.

C-M (.5 rs): 48 g/l
13 minutes @ 20C
10 inversions to start
3 gentle on the minute
Water stop
Ilford Rapid fix
Water wash, last rinse with a drop of Kodak Photo-Flo

 

[02Pilot]

I'm interested to see the results, and particularly the grain. I'm assuming you measured the components by weight, not volume. Cheap instant coffee? What washing soda? The soda can be problematic, as some types contain moisture that adds weight, thus lowering the effective amount in the mix.

 

[burancap]

Yes, everything was by weight on a digital scale.
Coffee: cheap and strong, so I bought: Pilon Espresso
Soda: Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
C: granulated from "health store."

 

[burancap]

There is another variable I did not consider, so I'd be interested in experiences.

This does not have to do with the process, but the fact that these rolls had been dark stored for about 18 months post exposure (they had been exposed within expiration). It is my understanding that PAN doesn't like to sit like that, but I am not sure what I would have expected with a normal process as I never had PAN sit that long.

 

[Noll]

I find the each film requires a trial and error process to really nail it, but fortunately it seems the tolerances of the non-stand recipes can handle small variations brought on by using volumetric measurements. Keep notes and by the third roll you should be getti g great results.

 

[02Pilot]

Take a close look at the edge markings - they should give you some idea of how accurate your dev time was. I've heard the same things about Pan F+, but I've never let it sit so I have no experience to help clarify the situation. I can say that I've had good experiences with FP4+, HP5+, Tri-X, and TMax 100 in the standard C-M (RS) and C-H (RS) formulae (as appropriate).

Some samples (couldn't find anything on FP4+ quickly - sorry):

HP5+ (35mm), C-H (RS), 15min@20C:

TMax 100 (half-frame), C-M (RS), 12.5min@20C:

Tri-X (35mm), C-H (RS), 15min@20C:

 

[rfaspen]

Welcome to Caffenol Jeff.
I'm glad you're not discouraged after those first rolls.

I use the CH formula with salt substitution. I develop at 20C (68F) for all my films, which includes PanF (and TMX, TMY, TriX, HP5, FP4, Foma Classic, Arista, and Adox Silvermax).

For PanF, I got decent results with semi-stand development: 20 minutes total time, several (~5-6) inversions at start and 2 very gentle, slow inversions every 3 to 4 minutes. Density was good, grain was good, the guy using the camera needs improvement.

In general, I notice I tend to have longer development times than most other Caffenol-ites. Not sure why. Like most developers, Caffenol seems sensitive to temperature. I try to maintain my target temp (20C) throughout the development period -- not always easy during the hot summer.

Ultimately, you'll get great results. I have been stunned by some of the results I got with Caffenol. I would use it exclusively if it were just a bit more convenient (like Rodinol).

 

[burancap]

Boy, I don't know folks. Tough to scan. Not much there. 🙁

 

[02Pilot]

Sorry to hear that. I killed a few rolls in my early experimental days as well - it's bound to happen with something like Caffenol. My suggestion would be to shoot something fresh on an emulsion known to work well with Caffenol (I'm sure you've read the countless discussions littering the interweb), preferably something you shoot regularly, and try again with a confirmed formula and time. Then you'll have a baseline and have eliminated at least a few variables.

 

[burancap]

Agreed. I think I had too many variables for a first shot. I am going to take one more look at the best frames this evening.

I have 2 more rolls ready to go tomorrow morning. I will choose between the two based on any recommendations out there. I will mix a fresh batch of bone stock C-M, no soda reduction.

So, what will it be folks?

1.) Good old Tri-X
2.) Arista Premium 100 (rumored as Plus-X)

I am leaning towards the Arista right now.

 

[02Pilot]

FWIW, Tri-X definitely seems to prefer the reduced soda version; no experience with Plus-X, so I can't help you there. If you decide to do the Tri-X, you can see a sample above of the results of C-H(RS), 15min@20C, agitate (gentle inversions plus spinning) first full minute, then 10 seconds on each subsequent minute.