Some developing questions

[clcolucci58]

As of now I use D-76 1:1 and Ilfosol 3 1:9 and have some Rodinal coming next week from Freestyle. I seen on a thread about FP4 & Rodinal talk about agitation. I agitate for the first 30 seconds then 30 second ever minute with D-76 and 30/10 with Ilfosol3 Rodinal not sure yet and the film I use most is Tri-X FP4 and HP5. I have Massive Dev App on my iPhone use it as a guide but go with what is manufacturer said to process film at. So what is the best inversion method? I just got back into photography nine month ago after a twenty year layoff ( forgot how much I enjoyed shooting and doing my own film) and plan on going crazy and shoot a ton of film 120 and 35mm and try differant film and paper chemistry to master B&W. Love this site and have gotten a lot of good info.
Regards
Chris Colucci
aka clc🙄

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Just agitate for the first 30 seconds, then every 30 seconds after, agitate by inverting the tank and then turning it back up. Do this twice. The whole cycle of doing that two times should take about 4-5 seconds.

I have developing times I have tested for several films in Rodinal, D-76, Tmax Developer, and PMK on my website:

http://chriscrawfordphoto.com/technical/developing.php

 

[bsdunek]

I use the same method as Christopher uses, and it works well for me. I would suggest you stick with one developer long enough to really understand it, and zero in on the exposure and developing times that give you the best/what you want result. Jumping around just causes confusion. Oh, yes - keep a darkroom log so you can compare results - really valuable.

 

[Photo_Smith]

Not to disagree but with Rodinal I agitate for 30 seconds slow rotation (not too much vigour) then one inversion per min followed with a tap of the tank.
Some films like slightly less agitation especially I've found Pan F which I use more diluted with a longer developer time and agitation every two mins.

MQ based developers I use first 30 seconds then ten seconds every min.

 

[clcolucci58]

Thank agent's for the info. Looks like I was inverting the tank wrongbas well going side to side at 90 degrees not down and up at 180 degrees. Always learn something on this site

 

[Doug]

Not to disagree but with Rodinal I agitate for 30 seconds slow rotation (not too much vigour) then one inversion per min followed with a tap of the tank.
Some films like slightly less agitation especially I've found Pan F which I use more diluted with a longer developer time and agitation every two mins.

MQ based developers I use first 30 seconds then ten seconds every min.

Good suggestions above and good points here... I for one, early on, got overly vigorous with agitation. Gentle is fine, just to carry new developer to the film surface and carry away the spent material. No need to get the soup all frothy! You'd then get general over-development and fluid-surge marks at the sprocket holes. Easy does it... 🙂

 

[clcolucci58]

Just agitate for the first 30 seconds, then every 30 seconds after, agitate by inverting the tank and then turning it back up. Do this twice. The whole cycle of doing that two times should take about 4-5 seconds.

I have developing times I have tested for several films in Rodinal, D-76, Tmax Developer, and PMK on my website:

http://chriscrawfordphoto.com/technical/developing.php

Chris very nice web site and your work is just great true work of art IMO. Just was wondering if stop bath and fixer mater. I use Ilfostop and Kodak fixer.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Chris very nice web site and your work is just great true work of art IMO. Just was wondering if stop bath and fixer mater. I use Ilfostop and Kodak fixer.

I use plain running water as a stop bath. Fill the tank and pour it out twice to rinse out the developer then pour in the fixer. If you want to use a stop bath, Ilford's stop bath should be fine.

What Kodak fixer do you use? The liquid Rapid Fix, or the powdered fixer? I would not use the powdered fixer. It uses Sodium Thiosulfate, unlike modern rapid fixers that are based on Ammonium Thiosulfate. Rapid fixers work faster, but that is not the only reason to prefer them. The latest research that was done by Kodak and Ilford shows that modern films do not respond as well to the older Sodium Thiosulfate formulas. The rapid fixers give more archival results, meaning the film will last longer after processing.

Kodak and Ilford both make excellent rapid fixers, and either are good. I use the Ilford because it is less expensive where I live.

 

[clcolucci58]

I use plain running water as a stop bath. Fill the tank and pour it out twice to rinse out the developer then pour in the fixer. If you want to use a stop bath, Ilford's stop bath should be fine.

What Kodak fixer do you use? The liquid Rapid Fix, or the powdered fixer? I would not use the powdered fixer. It uses Sodium Thiosulfate, unlike modern rapid fixers that are based on Ammonium Thiosulfate. Rapid fixers work faster, but that is not the only reason to prefer them. The latest research that was done by Kodak and Ilford shows that modern films do not respond as well to the older Sodium Thiosulfate formulas. The rapid fixers give more archival results, meaning the film will last longer after processing.

Kodak and Ilford both make excellent rapid fixers, and either are good. I use the Ilford because it is less expensive where I live.

I use Kodak power I was using Ilford Rapid Fixer. Ilford for film and Kodak for paper? So water not stop bath I will have to try that with the next roll I shoot