Self Development

P

Peter

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I am developing my own Tri-X now with Diafine and I have a problem with dust on my negatives. Is there anyway to prevent dust short of getting a drying cabinet? :)
 
That's great Peter ! Both my Diafine and my tank are still somewhere, don't want to give them for lost yet...

I think it's Doug who placed negs in the shower cabinet for drying, 'showering' it first to get rid of dust particles in the air...

Any trick about Diafine ? :)
 
I used an inexpensive Honeywell negative drier. It used a dessacant (SP?) canister, filters, and blower. Your dropped the film still on the developing reel into it. As I recall, it was not expensive, about $20 a long time ago and still operates. Every so often you drop the canister into the oven to dry it out.
 
I bought an inexpensive "collapsible closet." It is like a 5' tall enclosed garment rack. The front zips across the top and one side, it only cost @$15.00.
 
Thanks guys! I guess I will have a try with the 'collapsible closet' as it is such a bargain! As for Diafine, it is really easy to use as it is not dependent on temperature that much. There is really not much trick and I just follow the instructions. For Tri-X, it is better to expose it at ASA 1250 instead of the recommended 1600.
 
Yeah that closet sounds like a good idea, is it a plastic or a cloth one ? Peter, hope to see your Tri-X results soon !

Edit: speaking of Diafine, seems mine has just arrived, hope it's a double delivery and comes with the tank (that happened with my pancake/hood parcels as well).

Hopping, I got mine from Hudson Camera, the link appears on a thread named 'Diafine'. They ship worldwide thru USPS ($10-12).
 
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Peter said:
Thanks guys! I guess I will have a try with the 'collapsible closet' as it is such a bargain! As for Diafine, it is really easy to use as it is not dependent on temperature that much. There is really not much trick and I just follow the instructions. For Tri-X, it is better to expose it at ASA 1250 instead of the recommended 1600.
Click to expand...

Uh, is Diafine a push-developer?
Tri-X is normally exposed at ISO 400
 
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Plexi, Diafine is a two-stage developer that has extended compensation characteristics.

Part A is developing agent only, no activator. The only thing that happens here is that developer soaks into the film emulsion. So time and temperature are unimportant, within reason. 3-5 minutes is sufficient.

Part B is the activator only, no developer. The only developer present is in/on the film, so there's a natural limit to the extent of the developing action. Obviously, film areas more heavily exposed will proceed with development action quickly, and then when the developer present in those spots is exhausted, action slows and stops without blocking up the highlights.

In the less-exposed areas of the film, the developer is not soon exhausted, so continues working. This is where the shadow densities improve and true film speed is raised. In this compensating action, the developer works until either exhausted at last or there's no further exposed silver halide upon which to work.

Again, within reason time and temperature are not important. Again, 3-5 minutes is fine. This is pretty handy!

If there is any "trick" to using Diafine, it's in keeping agitation to a minimum, especially in Part B. Excess agitation, I believe, will simply wash the developer away from the highlight areas where it's most needed, leading to thin negs. I just jiggle the tank periodically so that development byproducts that would inhibit activity don't collect adjacent to those areas.

I hope this doesn't come across as confusing. I just find it useful to have a feel for what is going on in the tank!

Diafine is almost designed for Tri-X, as the two work beautifully together. But it works excellently with other films too. Since there is no way to pull or push development though time and temperature, the only adjustment is in choosing an exposure index for the film.

Diafine's instruction sheet has a chart showing appropriate EI for a list of films. Just recently I developed a group of films together in the same tanks, separating them only on the basis of what reels will fit nicely together in the tanks. Verichrome Pan 110 size at EI 80, 35mm Tri-X at EI 1200, Ilford Pan-F at EI 64, Ilford FP4+ at EI 250, and a 120-size roll of Ilford Delta 3200 at EI 1600. The 3200 roll looks a bit thin, all the rest look great.

Diafine is interesting and useful stuff!
 
Thanks for the info, sounds very interesting!
It`s very dark here in Norway in wintertime, so I`ve been thinking of trying some higher-speed film..
How does Tri-X exposed at 1250 look in Diafine?

I love how it looks in D-76 1:1 ISO400.
 
taffer said:
Yeah that closet sounds like a good idea, is it a plastic or a cloth one ?
Click to expand...

It is a synthetic clothy thing. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a paper fiber woven with a synthetic cloth. It looks like a cloth though if you aren't examining it.
 
@Peter, thought Freestyle only shipped to US & Canada... that happens for not scrolling down the page to that 'WE SHIP INTERNATIONALLY' :p

@Rover, thanks for the link, I have one of those as well, cloth made, a bit smaller, it hangs in the closet and stores 4-5 coats, sort of closet inside a closet :)
 
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