In praise of Divided Pyrocat

[lbenac]

Please point me to the thread with detailed directions. I know it is around here someplace. Imagine. Diafine that actually works right.

Wayne

You could try this one at APUG http://www.apug.org/forums/forum37/6...yrocat-hd.html

and of course the various link here http://www.pyrocat-hd.com/

[Jay DeFehr]

Aaargghhh!!!!!!!!!!!!
I tried Divided Pyrocat many time and had a very low consistency with usually uneven development. I want so much to get that kind of range.
Ken I am totaly envious

Cheers,

Luc

Luc,

You're not alone. 2-bath development with staining developers is asking for trouble, in my opinion, and in my experience, there's nothing you can get from 2-bath development you can't get more reliably with a single bath.

[Nathan Potter]

Ken, beautiful piece of work there - even viewed at poor rez here. I don't think I could manage that with my Diafine, maybe I just don't have the skill.

Jay, you might right but we don't really know the brightness range here and I would be fearful of that hot floor reflection, but I think Ken has grabbed some texture even there.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[Ari]

Ken, beautiful piece of work there - even viewed at poor rez here. I don't think I could manage that with my Diafine, maybe I just don't have the skill.

Jay, you might right but we don't really know the brightness range here and I would be fearful of that hot floor reflection, but I think Ken has grabbed some texture even there.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

Not only that, but the outside shows up nicely, too.
Hard to imagine if you're metering inside the living room and got an 8s reading.
Well done, Ken.

[Corran]

I used Divided PC a couple times last year and I like it a lot! After I used up my first batch of PC I got another and since then every time I develop something goes horribly wrong, resulting in either clear negs or screwy density. I need to try it again...good stuff.

[Ken Lee]

In BTZS terminology, the Subject Brightness Range was 11.

In the parlance of the Zone System, the image required N-4 development.

In this case, because the film was in the camera for 5 years, I didn't actually know what film it was - TMY ? TMX ? - but that didn't matter since all films are developed the same way with this approach.

[sanking]

There are a few keys to get even development with two bath Pyrocat.

1. Pre-soak the film in water for 3-5 minutes. Temperature should be the same as that of the developer, say 75F.

1. Add a few drops of PhotoFlo to Solution A. This will break the surface tension and assure that the solution drains evenly after development. Uneven draining would mean that some areas of the film absorb more of the reducer than others, leading inevitably to uneven development and streaking. Agitate continuously in Solution A for five minutes, then drain the film for fifteen seconds.

3. At the start of development in Solution B the solution should contact the film everywhere at the same time. If one area of the film is contacted by Solution B a second or two before another area there will almost certainly be uneven development at this place on the film. If working with roll film on reels just plop the film into Solution B, don't pour it in. With sheet film I have found that BTZS tubes work fine. Just fill a second cap with Solution B, then after draining Solution A place the tube over the cap, invert and immediately agitate. Agitate in Solution B continuously for about one minute, then for about fifteen seconds every minute thereafter. The film is almost completely developed after the first minute, but some shadow density will continue to develop for another three or four minutes.

When exposing scenes of very high contrast, base exposure on a meter reading in the deepest shadows where you expect detail and texture on the print. Rate the film for about 1/2 the maker's ISO to compensate for some of film speed with this method. Don't worry about SBR or N value as the mechanism of two bath development will automatically prevent the high values from being overdeveloped. Remove the film from the camera and label for two-bath development.

Sandy

[Richard Wasserman]

Thanks Sandy, I was just about to ask just about everything you addressed. My last question (at least for now)—is 2-bath Pyrocat suitable for silver printing or is it at its best when scanning? I currently use stand developing when dealing with high SBR scenes, but 2-bath looks like it could be simpler and certainly quicker.

There are a few keys to get even development with two bath Pyrocat.

1. Pre-soak the film in water for 3-5 minutes. Temperature should be the same as that of the developer, say 75F.

1. Add a few drops of PhotoFlo to Solution A. This will break the surface tension and assure that the solution drains evenly after development. Uneven draining would assure that some areas of the film absorb more of the reducer than others, leading inevitably to uneven development and streaking. Agitate continuously in Solution A for five minutes, then drain the film for fifteen seconds.

3. At the start of development in Solution B the solution should contact the film everywhere at the same time. If one area of the film is contacted by Solution B a second or two before another area there will almost certainly be uneven development at this place on the film. If working with roll film With sheet film I have found that BTZS tubes work fine. Just fill a second cap with Solution B, then after draining Solution A place the tube over the cap, invert and immediately agitate. Agitate in Solution B continuously for about one minute, then for about fifteen seconds every minute thereafter. The film is almost completely developed after the first minute, but some shadow density will continue to develop for another three or four minutes.

When exposing scenes of very high contrast base exposure on a meter reading in the deepest shadows where you expect detail and texture on the print. Rate the film for about 1/2 the maker's ISO to compensate for some of film speed with this method. Don't worry about SBR or N value as the mechanism of two bath development will automatically prevent the high values from being overdeveloped. Remove the film from the camera and label for two-bath development.

Sandy

[Peter Gomena]

I find 2-bath pyrocat HD works a miracle with roll film, but it is much more difficult to produce images without unevenness in sheet film. I blame my technique, not the process, and will get it nailed down one of these days. The trick is to get it immersed in the B all at once, just as Sandy outlined above. I can't help it, I keep learning. Someday I'll master it.

Peter Gomena

[Shawn Dougherty]

That's gorgeous, Ken!