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Thread: Developer Quantity

  1. #1

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    Developer Quantity

    A couple of weeks ago I developed two sheets of 4x5 Tmax100 in 1+25 Rodinal.

    I used 5x7 trays with 400ml of solution and developed each sheet individually.

    The first sheet looked fine, with a small area of yellow, indicating that I should agitate more.

    The second sheet was faint yellow all over, suggesting that the developer was exhausted.

    I had made up the developer first, so it was sitting in a mixing jug while I made up the fixer, stop, hypo-clearing agent and photo-flo. Then after the first sheet was processed, the developer was exposed to the atmosphere for over half-an-hour while I was washing the first sheet.

    My local store's expert told me that Rodinal was known for it's rapid oxidation in tray development (it's great for APX 135 and 120 in tanks, but not sheet film) and that I should try HC110.

    So, three questions:

    - does Rodinal oxodize too quickly when dilute (1+25) and therefore shouldn't be used in tray development ?

    - how much developer should I be using per sheet of 4x5 film in a 5x7 tray ? Should I have replaced the developer for the second sheet ? Or should I be using 8x10 trays with lots more developer.

    - Should I forget about Rodinal and go straight to HC110 ?

    Thanks in advance, Ron

  2. #2
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    Developer Quantity

    Hi Ron,

    I would use 8X10 trays containing, at least, one liter of working solution for tray development of 4X5 film. At the 1+25 dilution you were using, there was (approx.) 15ml. of stock Rodinal in the 400 ml. of working solution you used. That's a minimal amount of stock developer to process two sheets of 4X5 T-Max film.

    Rodinal is O.K. to use with T-Max, if you like the look. However, Kodak formulated Xtol developer to give optimum performance with their tabular grained T-Max films. Stock HC-110 has a long shelf life, but like Rodinal, it begins to oxidize when it is mixed with water. HC-110 was formulated to give optimum performance with conventional grained films, likeTri-X

    Anchell and Troop's book "The Film Developing Cookbook" has some great information regarding these film developers. It's well worth reading.

  3. #3

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    Developer Quantity

    Hi Eugene, thanks for your post.

    Just to be clear, I'm using the Tmax a friend gave me to experiment with. My favoured films are Tri-X, Plus-X and HP5plus when neither of the others are available.

    I don't want to waste the good stuff until I'm higher up the learning curve !

  4. #4

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    Developer Quantity

    Hello Ron, after encountering similar results using open trays, I started using a squat flat tupperware style container with a tight fitting lid for development. It helps maintain development consistency across several sheets of film when filled to at least 1" depth, as well as stopping developer from splashing out during agitation. You can glue dividers into the larger sizes of this style of container to process multiple sheets at once without them overlapping during agitation. Regards,

  5. #5
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    Developer Quantity

    Well Ron,

    If you are eventually planning on using Tri-X and Plus-X, then by all means, get a fresh bottle of HC-110. But do use 8X10 trays and (approx.) one liter of working solution for developing 4X5 sheet film. It will help to eliminate your problem. The "Film Developing Cookbook" will help to shorten the learning curve.

  6. #6

    Developer Quantity

    The manufacturer says that a minimum of 10 ml of stock Rodinal should be used to process a 35 mm roll (about four 4x5 sheets). Numerous tests have shown that 5 ml are actually enough. I wouldn't worry about oxydation - the stuff keeps for years and remains active even if heavily oxidized. I've developped several sheets in Rodinal myself, always with great success. I recently switched to HC-110, because it shows a better grain structure with HP5+, not because Rodinal is not an efficient developer. I never used the same diluted solution for more than one batch, however. That was probably your mistake.

  7. #7

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    Developer Quantity

    Philippe, I used 400ml in a 5x7 tray, which (at a 1+25 dilution) contained approximately 15ml of developer. As my batches were very small, i.e. one sheet at a time, and I only developed two sheets, I should've had plenty of developer.

    I developed two sheets in 400ml (15ml Rodinal + 385ml Water) developer over a period of say 1-1.5 hours, in that time the developer went from a magenta to black. So either I had exhausted it and/or it had oxidized.

    I'll likely do two things,

    - use HC110 in an 8x10 tray with one litre of dilution B

    - keep the Rodinal to process Agfa roll film in closed tanks.

    Thanks all !! Ron

  8. #8

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    Developer Quantity

    For 4x5 sheet film, I use 8x10 trays with 1.5 quarts of developer whether I'm doing one sheet or 20. A narrow strip of wood under the back of the tray will tilt it toward you and help keep the sheets from wandering away in the dark. 1.5 quarts sounds like a lot of solution but it's nothing compared to the time and effort you put into exposing those negatives. Why risk ruining them to save fifty cents?

    I'd also recommend developing the sheets together, not one by one. If they need different times, use trays of water to keep them on hold and put them in when the time is right. As mentioned above, see the Anchell book for the technique.

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