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muffin
11-Jun-2012, 04:01
Hello!

I am currently getting interested in shooting with xray film as it is cheap and easily available for me. My husband is a veterinarian and has lots of this stuff flying around. He is processing his xrays with a tabletop processing machine, you find it here (http://www.agfahealthcare.com/usa/en/main/products_services/conventional_imaging_processing/processors/curix_60.jsp). Unfortunately, I only have a very small darkroom (aka: Toilet) in my office so it is pretty tempting to give him my exposed films to develop it with his machine.

He is using Tetenal chemicals (Roentoroll 25 and Superfix 25), which I already used for "normal" films and it looked good. The only thing is, that with the Agfa machine, the processing time seems to be fix at three minutes, which worries me a little. Do you think three minutes (development AND fixing) is enough to get a good negative?

Maybe I just have to try it out, but maybe somebody here already tried and can help?

Thanks in advance and best regards,
Ines

Sevo
11-Jun-2012, 04:29
These usually are fast acting high-contrast developers. The real issue would be whether 3 minutes aren't too long - chances are that the film is 100% developed by then and is way too contrasty. If not or if you substitute the developer with something that does just the right amount of interrupted development in such a short time, you'd run a high risk of irregular development (visible as stripes, bubbles or flow patterns across the negatives).

I don't know whether these modern X-ray processors are electronically controlled - if so, it might be a matter of reflashing the software or a bit of editing on a serial terminal to let it run at another speed. Many 80's vintage x-ray processors could be set to different times by replacing the drive cogwheel (Agfa sometimes had several options available). Your husband might ask his sales rep whether there is a speed change option.