Ilford DD-X and HP-5...

[Eric Dolphy]

a newbie asks about developing 4x5 b/w in DD-X, four sheets curled with rubber band in a paterson system 4 (2 reel) tank

how is the dilution determined for example developing two sheets one day
and three to four another

is the dilution ratio adjusted for the increased 'workload' or simply more of the same thx all

[howardpan]

I use the same dilution ratio regardless of how many sheets of film are in the tank. I use a Mod54 device which allows a maximum of 6 sheets in the Patterson tank. But I think the rationale applies for your method as well. Developer dilution, in my opinion, has more to do with the look (i.e. N development in stock solution will give you different results from N development in 1:1). To put it differently, the amount of developer specified for the full tank development is more than enough, so the question is never about optimizing for less developer when you have less sheets of film. The question is really about maintaining the same look even when you have less sheets.