Rodinal with X-Ray Film - Some Problems

[blueribbontea]

You should be using TF5, the alkaline fixer with hardener to protect your negative and you should fix with agitation for at least one minute. The agitation is important but the hardener is equally important.

[Karasugoi]

With blue x-ray film (exposed at iso 50), I develop in rodinal 1+100 for about 8-10 minutes, gentle agitation every two minutes. Turning on the light during a diy stop bath severely fogs my film. Fixing is really quick (1-2 minutes) due to the thin emulsion. Blue x-ray film can be handled under a safelight that's used for wet printing, but a red led lamp works very well too and will allow you to use green x-ray film as well.

So I'd suggest the following:
Develop longer and/or use a stronger developer.
Don't turn on the light until fixing is complete.
Use a safelight to judge progress.
Fix for a little longer.

Thank you Koraks, and everyone else who helped me out. Here's a quick update.

I pretty much did what Koraks outlined in the above quote, which was consistent with everyone elses advice. Koraks, I will try the dilution you suggested.

I tested a dilution of 1:200 for 20 minutes, water stop bath for 10 minutes (not sure how long to do this, but I got good results with this.) and Fixed for 6 minutes - I'll also try a shorter fix as suggested above.

I got a few good results from this, X-Ray film is very high contrast, I knew it would be, but I was surprised non-the-less. I didn't think it would be that intense.

This also revealed some leaks in my bellows, but that's another issue. :P

Koraks in your experience, does the higher dilution/shorter developing time help reduce contrast?

[Karasugoi]

You should be using TF5, the alkaline fixer with hardener to protect your negative and you should fix with agitation for at least one minute. The agitation is important but the hardener is equally important.

Hey Bill,

I've heard about TF5, but didn't know much about it. I'll try it out after I exhaust my TF4 stock.

Thanks.

[Will S]

You can develop under red safelight with x-ray film. Makes everything a little easier when you can see. LEDs that only emit a particular frequency make a great safe light since they are so bright.

Remember you are developing two sides of the film with each piece of film when you calculate your developer exhaustion since it is double-sided. So when you say 6 it is really 12. I'm guessing you already have an 11x14 tray for doing paper? Just use that to develop a piece of film. It will get scratches, but you can see everything come up under the safelight, and the scratches can be controlled with care. I use some homemade acrylic development trays with holes in them to let in the various fluids myself and have managed to get no scratches.

I think most fixers today have hardener except for plain hypo. And you can leave the hardener out of the kodak rapid fix since it comes separate.

[Kevin Crisp]

Your developer is already rather dilute, a water stop bath with agitation in a good sized tray or tank for just a minute should be plenty. Save yourself some time.

[koraks]

Koraks in your experience, does the higher dilution/shorter developing time help reduce contrast?

I think it'll only cut development time and not change contrast at all. To control contrast, try giving the film more exposure (and develop for a little shorter) and/or use less agitation. The former method is the more effective one. I find that with x-ray film, it's especially important to judge the contrast of the scene and adjust exposure accordingly. With a sunny-lit, not too contrasty broad daylight situation, my blue x-ray film produces usable results when exposed at ISO 160 or thereabouts; with more contrasty scenes and scenes that are in the shadow (e.g. forest-floor situations), I expose at 50 or so. X-ray film is finicky since it seems to consist of only one emulsion layer (on both sides of the film), while actual photographic films tend to be multi-layer types with faster and slower layers stacked on top of each other, which affords a lot more exposure latitude so to speak. If I'm talking out of my ass, please correct me, but this is how I understand it.