finding the right exposure for contact print

[zack kl]

In my research on using Fomapan 100(4"x5") with HC110 dilution H (1 pt. concentrate to 63 pt. water) I came up with times ranging from 6 seconds to 9 seconds at 68F. So I shot 4 of the same photos with a grey card in the picture and developed them at 6, 7, 8 and 9 seconds. Now I need to contact print them. I will be using a light bulb (40 watts ???) and small bathroom technology with Dektol as recommended (1pt stock solution to two parts water for two minutes at 68F on Ilfobrom #2). My question is - how to come up with an exposure time that will allow me to figure out development time for the Fomapan?
The only way I can think of is to expose a test strip of paper at 1, 2, 3, etc. seconds, develop as recommended and use the exposure in which the first true black appears. Then take that exposure time and print out all four negatives and find the one where the grey card in the picture matches the real card to come up with a development time for the Fomapan.
Does anyone have a better plan. A couple of things I know I did wrong already was to shoot the Fomapan at 100 instead of 50 or 80 as everyone has recommended and that if I do the above exposure test it probably should be done using an unexposed but developed negative to get the density of the film into the equation, all of which I will do once I start to get to know the ballpark for all these variables.
These where the first four sheets of film I ever developed, they all look good but I don't have the experience to know by looking which is the proper one to try and print, so am I way off base ???????? As you can imagine-- thanks!!
Lost in the world of variables Zack

[Matt Miller]

In my research on using Fomapan 100(4"x5") with HC110 dilution H (1 pt. concentrate to 63 pt. water) I came up with times ranging from 6 seconds to 9 seconds at 68F. So I shot 4 of the same photos with a grey card in the picture and developed them at 6, 7, 8 and 9 seconds.

Are you serious? You developed film for only 9 seconds? Never heard of such a thing.

[zack kl]

Thanks Matt, I never heard of such a thing either- I meant " ... 6, 7, 8, and 9 MINUTES"

[ic-racer]

First shoot some targets at zone I at various exposure indexes and find the one that shows 0.1 log density (just put the negative over your meter and find the frame that drops 1/3 of a stop from a blank frame). Now thats your EI.

So shoot a Zone VIII negative and guess at a developing time.

Now you can do a contact print. Make the contact print exposure that which will just produce complete black on a blank piece of film. Now, with that same contact exposure do a contact print of you Zone VIII negative. If the image is just off total white your development is fine. If it is total white, then develop the next one for 20% less. If it is too dark then develop the next one for 20% more.

[Jay Wolfe]

The best way to get the "right" exposure is to expose the print for the minimum time it takes to get maximum black from clear film. The best way to find that time is to develop, fix, and wash a piece of unexposed film. Then use it to make step wedge test strips with increasing exposures until they don't get any blacker. Then use that time to print your other exposures. The one where the gray card looks right is the right print exposure, and, thus, the right development.

[Jay Wolfe]

Actually, as I think about this, forget my earlier advice for now. If you underexposed the film, you'll never get correct results. You should start over with the correct exposure. Follow ic-racer's advice to find the correct speed rating for your film, then find the correct development time.

[Dan Schmidt]

The only way I can think of is to expose a test strip of paper at 1, 2, 3, etc. seconds,

you may find that it will be quicker to work with a time sequence that covers many "stops" of exposure like this

1, 2, 4, 8, 16

I also suggest reading this article from Michael A. Smith

http://www.michaelandpaula.com/mp/onprinting.html

[zack kl]

Thanks to all. Since no one totally nixed the idea and most presented similar procedures I will follow thru with my original plan of doing a "step wedge test contact print" and use the exposure I come up with to print out the negs just to see what they look like. If nothing else just to print something tonight!
I like Ic-racer's idea of using the light meter to read the neg. and will pursue that in the coming days. Also thanks to Dan for the link to Michael and Paula I ended up reading a bunch of his articles. I too - last night developing my first negs.- thought of Ansel Adam's metronome, and so used my cheap quartz kitchen wall clock which ticked off the seconds- worked fine.
The adventure continues........