Water too warm?

[zauhar]

Our tap water here in toasty Philadelphia is now 25 C. I followed the dev chart to compensate, but the negatives look overdeveloped (too thick). They are usable but...

This is with the time for HP5 in HC110B reduced to about 3:30.

Would I be better off to use ice chips to get the temp close to 20, or, reduce the dev time even more? These are photos from our trip to Europe, I am not looking to experiment too much.

Thanks!

Randy

 

[Sparrow]

... move to Yorkshire, it was 14 degrees this afternoon 😱

 

[muser53]

I'd recommend you go the ice chip route. Never have had much success with getting repeatable results with short (<7 min) development times.

 

[colyn]

I cool my temps with ice. I keep 2 - 1 gallon plastic containers of water in the freezer then place one in the tempering bath to cool it down to 68F.. Let it cool to around 65F then let it warm up to 68F after removing the container..

 

[zauhar]

Thanks muser, I will try ice for the moment. Colyn I like that idea for the future, easier than dealing with ice..

Stewart , your suggestion is lovely, but does not help me in the short term . ;-)

Randy

 

[burancap]

I am an utter novice, having developed my first roll in 25 years just yesterday!

I stabilized ~1500ML of 25C tap at 19.5 using 4 ice cubes. A few minutes of prep and I mixed a 600ML shot with ambient Ilfosol and poured at 20C.

 

[f16sunshine]

I run Tmax dev 1:4 when the temps are a bit high. There are listed times for 24c on the Kodak site and at MDC. They can be a bit short sometimes. Rodinal stand is also an option. It might be easier to find a summer developer option rather than count on ice chips. Just my thought though.

 

[t.s.k.]

Do you have a basement?
I like to store water and mixed solutions on the concrete slab there.
Mine stays between 55*-60* from winter to summer.
For me, it's much easier to deal with a lower baseline temp than using ice.
Besides, ice leaves less room for film in the freezer !

 

[Sparrow]

Thanks muser, I will try ice for the moment. Colyn I like that idea for the future, easier than dealing with ice..

Stewart , your suggestion is lovely, but does not help me in the short term . ;-)

Randy

I was only bitching about our weather anyway ... I too have had little success with short developing times, I usually try to aim for around 10 min as I get flustered bellow that and bored above

 

[colyn]

My local city water is too hot for four or five months per year to develop film without a chilled water system.

I have a small chiller which gives me enough chilled (65-70F) water for a 15-20 minute rinse so my temps don't vary enough to cause problems. And since I develope at 68F no reticulation problems..

 

[muser53]

I too use a method like Colyn on those hot days. A couple of small Tupperware tubs or a pail of water in the kitchen (brought down to working temp) allows me to work in almost any weather. I've never experienced any problem with reticulation as long as I keep the rinse and stop within a few degrees of the developer.

 

[Timmyjoe]

I chill my water in the summer and heat it in the winter so that my development times are always consistent for 68ºF, (20ºC). I check the temp on my fixer to make sure it is no higher than 75ºF, if it is I chill it also. Don't use stop bath so I don't have to worry about that. I process my film in metal tanks and when it's too hot they sit in a water bath through the whole development process. Never had problems.

Best,
-Tim

 

[jmcd]

If 5 minutes at 20°C was working, I would suggest reducing the temp. of the developer from 25 to 23°, and using dilution "E" for 5 minutes. "E" uses about 2/3 of the syrup as does "B."

Adjust your time as necessary, but if you get much shorter than 5 minutes, you should go to dilution "H", half of "B." You should probably then double the amount of developer solution, using a larger tank, to ensure enough syrup.

To get my developer, stop, and fix at about the same temperature, I place them all in pint or quart containers in a large plastic bucket with tempered water. If you normally use running water for a stop, just use several changes of tempered water. As mentioned above, your negatives appreciate being bathed in consistent temperatures.

 

[zauhar]

Do you have a basement?
I like to store water and mixed solutions on the concrete slab there.
Mine stays between 55*-60* from winter to summer.
For me, it's much easier to deal with a lower baseline temp than using ice.
Besides, ice leaves less room for film in the freezer !

That's a thought - I am doing everything in my basement, no reason not to just use the ambient temperature? My basement is not as cool as yours, but definitely less than the tap water (the temp of the water bath I set up drifts down). That would deal with everything except the final wash (and the reticulation issue). I could just add water at room temp initially, then let the tap water flow into the tank - The temp should creep up slowly and not "shock" the film.

Randy

 

[mwoenv]

Kodak developer data sheets advise not to develop for less than 5 minutes.

Also, if your apartment/house is hot and your tank temperature is high, even if you adjust the developer temperature down the developer temperature will increase when you add it to the hot tank. I always temper the tank for 30-40 minutes in a 6-pack cooler to get the tank temperature to the developer temperature and it has been the most significant improvement in developing that I've made.

 

[Sparrow]

... some years ago I tried to induce reticulation with both hot and cold washes and failed ... I'm not convinced it still happens these days

 

[zauhar]

A little bleary at the moment, but did want to comment that the ice worked wonders - I got the temp down to 20 C, developed in HC110B at the recommended 5 min, and the negatives look great - not too thick nor thin.

Actually, tonight I ran both hot and cold - hot for Velvia/E-6 (I used a heated water bath), and ice for the HP5!

Randy

 

[zauhar]

Do you have a basement?
I like to store water and mixed solutions on the concrete slab there.
Mine stays between 55*-60* from winter to summer.
For me, it's much easier to deal with a lower baseline temp than using ice.
Besides, ice leaves less room for film in the freezer !

Tony, I meant to add that my basement turns out to be 24 C, not much cooler than the tap water.

Randy

 

[randolph45]

reticulation

reticulation

... some years ago I tried to induce reticulation with both hot and cold washes and failed ... I'm not convinced it still happens these days

Reticulation was something I enjoyed inducing.The course grain added something wonderful to the images. Makes me want to break out my stuff and try again.Wonder if Icould do it again after 46 years.

 

[clayne]

Place jugs of water in the fridge. Mix accordingly.