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Thread: TMAX 100, Using Stand Developing

  1. #1

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    TMAX 100, Using Stand Developing

    Greetings one and all,

    A couple of weeks ago, after reading all the posts about using pyrocat developer and a stand developing technique, I tried it with some HP5 sheet film. After a couple of calibration sheets, I starting getting some very nice results. For that, I thank you all. Last night, I inadvertently developed some TMAX 100, and in a senior citizen's moment, since I was so accustomed to the stand development already, I ran it through as if it were my HP5. Here's what I did.

    TMAX 100
    Pyrocat 1:1:200
    5 minute water soak
    1 minute constant agitation
    29 minutes standing in the developer
    30 seconds constant agitation
    30 minutes standing in the developer
    3 water rinses
    3 minutes in Photographers Formulary alkaline fixer

    The negatives appear to be properly exposed, but the contrast is MUCH greater than I was getting with HP5. My questions are these. Are you not supposed to develop TMAX film by stand development? Or are you not supposed to develop TMAX film in Pyrocat? Or did I do something ridiculously wrong?
    Michael W. Graves
    Michael's Pub

    If it ain't broke....don't fix it!

  2. #2

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    Sep 2003
    Location
    South Carolina
    Posts
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    Re: TMAX 100, Using Stand Developing

    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Graves
    Greetings one and all,

    A couple of weeks ago, after reading all the posts about using pyrocat developer and a stand developing technique, I tried it with some HP5 sheet film. After a couple of calibration sheets, I starting getting some very nice results. For that, I thank you all. Last night, I inadvertently developed some TMAX 100, and in a senior citizen's moment, since I was so accustomed to the stand development already, I ran it through as if it were my HP5. Here's what I did.

    TMAX 100
    Pyrocat 1:1:200
    5 minute water soak
    1 minute constant agitation
    29 minutes standing in the developer
    30 seconds constant agitation
    30 minutes standing in the developer
    3 water rinses
    3 minutes in Photographers Formulary alkaline fixer

    The negatives appear to be properly exposed, but the contrast is MUCH greater than I was getting with HP5. My questions are these. Are you not supposed to develop TMAX film by stand development? Or are you not supposed to develop TMAX film in Pyrocat? Or did I do something ridiculously wrong?
    How did you come up with a time of 60 minutes of total develoment? Time is much too long IMO and is almost certainly the reason for the high contrast of your negatives. A total time of 20-25 minutes would have been much more appropriate for this develper dilution and film, assuming you are developing at about 70 degrees F.

    Sandy
    Last edited by sanking; 14-May-2006 at 09:54.

  3. #3

    Join Date
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    Re: TMAX 100, Using Stand Developing

    Hi Michael.

    The short answer is that you probably just left the film in the soup for too long. If you're counting on the developer exhausting before the film is overdeveloped, you'll need to use a more dilute developer solution.

    I've been using a lot of TMX lately, and it looks fantastic developed in Hypercat (my own catechol developer) with rotary development. Tmax's ultrafine grain is masked by the stain for a super-smooth, liquid look, and the tanning and edge effects combine to produce excellent acuity.

    I've also been experimenting with a simple, non-staining developer designed specifically for stand development, and my results with TMX have been excellent. So yes, you can develop TMX with Pyrocat, and with stand (semi-stand in your case) development, but I think overdevelopment is the least of the dangers you face combining the two. Watch for uneven development and other defects like streaking or mottling in the even-toned areas of your images, like even sky areas. Good luck.

    Jay

  4. #4
    Abuser of God's Sunlight
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    Re: TMAX 100, Using Stand Developing

    i never tried stand development, but in general can say that tmx will behave differently from conventional emulsions. most disappointments with it come from treating it just like a traditional film and expecting similar results.

  5. #5

    Re: TMAX 100, Using Stand Developing

    I've stand and semi-stand developed many rolls of TMAX 100 in Pyrocat-HD (16 to 18 minutes total developing time) with excellent results. I have not experienced any streaking or non-uniformity of development.

    I have done continuous agitation comparison tests on 120 roll film and sheet film (exposed in the same camera with the same lens and shutter and the same subject and lighting ) and I don't see any differences in uniformity of development between them.

  6. #6

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    Re: TMAX 100, Using Stand Developing

    Tom, I'm glad that you've been spared the problems associated with reduced agitation that have visited so many of us. I hope your luck holds out.

    Jay

  7. #7

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    Re: TMAX 100, Using Stand Developing

    Thanks, folks. I must have misread the times before. Oddly enough, the 30 + 30 was working great for the HP5. Sure sucks for the TMAX though. One of the teachers at the school where I teach gave me a box of film he had left over and I hated to waste it, and I was too stupid to run calibrations. Think I'll stick with the HP5.
    Michael W. Graves
    Michael's Pub

    If it ain't broke....don't fix it!

  8. #8

    Re: TMAX 100, Using Stand Developing

    Quote Originally Posted by Jay De Fehr
    Tom, I'm glad that you've been spared the problems associated with reduced agitation that have visited so many of us. I hope your luck holds out.

    Jay
    Jay, my luck with reduced agitation development has been holding out for a long time. I hope it continues, cause I like the results.

  9. #9

    Re: TMAX 100, Using Stand Developing

    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Hoskinson
    I've stand and semi-stand developed many rolls of TMAX 100 in Pyrocat-HD (16 to 18 minutes total developing time) with excellent results. I have not experienced any streaking or non-uniformity of development.

    I have done continuous agitation comparison tests on 120 roll film and sheet film (exposed in the same camera with the same lens and shutter and the same subject and lighting ) and I don't see any differences in uniformity of development between them.
    Hi Tom,

    I've seen your posts here and on the AZO forum, but I'm curious how you are processing "roll" film using stand agitation? While I haven't tried it myself, all accounts I've read indicate streaking will result when using reels.

    Regards, Pete

  10. #10

    Re: TMAX 100, Using Stand Developing

    Hi Pete, I do a lot of photography and much of my testing with 120 and 35mm roll film. I process all my roll film on Hewes stainless steel reels in stainless steel tanks.

    My results speak for themselves - a lot of other photographers obtain excellent results with minimum agitation techniques - and there are others who do not.

    I believe that it is important to keep your reels and tanks (trays and tubes as well) very clean. My experience with students in a teaching darkroom environment have shown me that contaminated equipment (like reels with dried Photo Flo residue) can cause problems with developing uniformity and streaking.

    I always use one-shot developers for film and I use a tank full of developer to help insure complete and uniform wetting of the emulsion. Developer is cheap. I also presoak the film in tempered deionized water unless the manufacturer of the film I am developing recommends against it. I use a tempered deionized water rinse instead of stop bath. I fix with Ryuji Suzuki's buffered (ammonium thiosulfate based) rapid fixer. I wash the film in filtered water using the soak and dump method followed by a rinse in deionized water.

    I process my sheet film in Slosher Trays and BZTS type ABS tubes using the same procedures that I use to process Roll film.

    I successfully use minimum agitation (Stand, Semi-Stand, etc) development techniques with all of these roll and sheet film developing systems.
    Last edited by Tom Hoskinson; 15-May-2006 at 21:41.

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