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I received a pack of Fuji Super HR-U film yesterday. I did a test at EZ Rodinal (by P.Gainer formula). Special thanks to Maxwell Sandford for help.
A little higher contrast than I wanted, most likely due to the agitation mode (30 seconds at the beginning and 10 seconds every minute). But the film met all expectations.
Attachment 197382
What speed did you rate the HR-U at? I have a box I have been experimenting with but have not had results nearly as good as yours, but I have been developing it with Rodinol 1+25, not a home made Rodinol formula
HR-U is around 50-80 EI generally and your Rodinal should be diluted to 1:100 for normal development - start around 6-7 minutes. At 1:25 I imagine your burning out your highlights/midtones pretty quick.
Thanks. I shot a test sheet earlier today at 50 with exposure determined by a incident meter and developed 7 min in rodinol 1:100 (I don't know why I thought I had been using 1:25). Results were ok but not spectacular. Highlights were still a bit blown out and I cant seem to tame the contrast, but I think I will keep experimenting. Just wanted to make sure I was in the right range. Previously I had been shooting at 25 and getting mixed results.
I’ve tamed contrast by reducing agitation.
A good suggestion. How are you developing - tray? Or something else?
I began to use Metolal instead of Rodinal, in a 1 + 50 dilution. It gives better sensitivity, judging by my tests.Quote:
Originally Posted by Corran
Attachment 197873
Now I’m using tanks and nitrogen burst, but previously tanks and raising and lowering the hangers.Quote:
Originally Posted by Corran
Did anyone buy any of the Foma Indux R4 NDT x-ray film?
I am just wondering if anyone managed to lower it's contrast somewhat.
Attachment 198985
Fujifilm x-ray green sensitive
Development in rodinal 1:50 (R09) time: 'by inspection'
kind regards, fred
Is X-ray film disappearing?
I use FP4+ as well as X-ray in 5x12 and 8x10. Yesterday I tried to order more 5x12 x-ray only to find no listing for it. Today I will order a supply of 8x10 while it's still available. Apparently the warning of X-ray film slowly disappearing is coming true, especially in some sizes. I have a reasonable supply of FP4+ and will probably order more during the next special order.
I will have to choose carefully between the films when photographing. There are times when the scale of X-ray, which is orthochromatic, better suits the image. I also have some Ilford Ortho,but it does not come in 5x12, and is far more expensive.
Who is your supplier?Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Noel
Well, it’d be a shame to lose it, but I think a high contrast fine grain Ortho film would be easier to make than a pan film.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d51c5c35_z.jpg8x10 XRay Dev Hanger by Nokton48, on Flickr
For use in my 8x10 Sinar Norma, I have some ERA 100, some very old HP5 (not+!) and a fresh box of Ilford Commercial Ortho+ I just got from B&H. $5.16 per 8x10 sheet on the Commercial Ortho+.
I want to try XRAY film, so I bought 100 sheets of Fuji 8x10 HRU on Ebay. I just cut down this Kodak 8x10 Film Hanger, so now it fits in a Patterson 8x10 tray. Has anybody here ever tried this method?
I have a gallon of Acufine mixed up (and replenisher) and I be giving this a go soon.
40 cents for an 8x10, 20 cents for a 5x7, 10 cents for a 4x5 sheet. Now I will be able to play under the safelights.
I prefer a slick bottomed tray w/o ridges. Never a scratch with these.Quote:
Originally Posted by Daniel Unkefer
I just got some 8x10 Carestream Ektascan that I’m planning to try with Pyrocat HD, water stop and TF-4 fixer. Do I need three flat bottomed trays or just the first one for the developer?
Thanks,
Dave
Three. Or use single tray processing.
Using that holder in the tray is not going to help you at all with scratching. The film will sag and still touch the bottom of the tray and it just adds extra steps (loading and unloading the holder) adding more possibilities for scratching.Quote:
Originally Posted by Daniel Unkefer
Quote:
Originally Posted by blue4130
OK Thanks for these responses. I'll get some smooth flat bottomed trays.
Thank you Peter.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter De Smidt
I use hangers in the traditional way and Pyrocat. I very rarely get scratches. That makes me think the scratching comes when the film is wet, not when it is dry.
John, How's your filmspeed with Pyrocat? Mine was very low when I tested it with Fuji green.
Yes,the film is far more vulnerable when wet than when dry.
+1 on this.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Noel
The emulsion is much softer when it is wet, hence easier to scratch. But you can scratch it when it's dry too.Quote:
Originally Posted by j.e.simmons
Peter, I use the Carestream green and it seems pretty slow. I use BTZS, so I’m not sure how to translate it to an iso.
Thanks, John.
I took my first shot today with the EKTASCAN B/RA single-sided film. I seem to have some uneven development, and I hope to get a diagnosis. I would like to keep using Pyrocat HD, so my main questions have to do with presoak, dilution and agitation. Should I not presoak? Should I presoak longer? Agitate less? More dilute?
You should be able to see the problems in the upper left and lower middle. I couldn’t scan the negative (computer problems with darkroom computer), so I took a quick iPhone shot and inverted it.
https://i.imgur.com/o9nHcrO.jpg
I rated it at 80, at noon in overcast snowy weather. My development procedure, in smooth bottom 11x14 trays was:
1. 2 minute presoak with intermittent agitation in 70 F water
2. Pyrocat HD 1:1:100 @70F for 6 minutes with constant agitation for the first minute, then for 10 seconds every minute.
3. Water stop for 2 minutes with constant agitation.
4. TF 4 Fixer for 4 minutes with constant agitation for the first minute and every 30 seconds after.
5. Wash for 15 minutes in running water.
6. LFN 3 drops in 2 liters of water
7. Hang to dry.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions for me for processing the second negative of this shot.
Dave
PS. I did use the recommended red LED safelight, more than 6 feet away, pointed away from the sink.
I had similar results with a different developer. I've stopped using the film for that reason. Hopefully, you'll figure it out, but I lacked the patience.
Well it’s getting me using the 8x10, so even if I don’t get it worked out perfectly, it is a low cost way to practice before using the expensive films. I’m going to try to methodically figure this out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter De Smidt
Check your safelight; this may just be optical fogging of the film.
What base-fog is considered acceptable?
Thanks Koraks, I will try the next one in the dark.Quote:
Originally Posted by koraks
Good luck. I've had a fair sharw of safelight fogging qith xray film myself. Most red leds are not safe enough due to a secondary emission peak in the green part of the spectrum. A dim red led with an additional red filter fashioned out of a sheet of rubylith film works very well in my experience.
I followed Jason Lane's lead, and made a safelight with red LED bulb, and the deep red Kodak Ortho filter.
I have some of his Speed 25 Glass Plates, they can fog, unlike his ISO 2 plates. Also should work well for XRay.
I have 8x10 Fuji green two-sided, and four new 8x10 Cesco trays from B&H, so we will see. Rodinal 1:100 looks promising with very minimal agitation.
Looking forward to dusting off the 8x10 Norma.
Well, I developed my Extascan in my Jobo....but I might have loaded it under red safelight. Thanks for the tip!
I spent most of the day solving my computer problems, but after I did, I developed the second negative with several changes in my method.
1. Developed completely in the dark, as I have done with regular film, so no red safelight.
2. Presoaked with agitation for 4 minutes.
3. A more dilute Pyrocat, 15/15/2250 (1/1/150), for 8 minutes, with agitation the first minute, and for 10 seconds every minute thereafter.
Negative is drying now, and I should be able to scan tonight.
Thanks for your help.
Dave
I have red LEDs from superbrightleds.com or something like that and if I leave them on the whole time while developing I will get some fogging. It does not seem to create notable fog if I use the LEDs for loading/unloading the film which is generally less than a minute. Also try more liquid in the tray for pyrocat developing.
Thanks Jason. That LED might have been the culprit. I don’t mind loading and unloading in the dark
Of course this was a flat-light-on-snow day, so it looks a bit smudged, and I didn’t spot the dust, but I’d say the original problem was the safe light. I will try to shoot some more this weekend, indoors and out.
Thanks again for all the input.
Dave
https://i.imgur.com/xOLE4DL.jpg
Looking good! I stopped using it because I got some unusable 8x10 negatives, and my 8x10 photography time is valuable. I'll give it another go.
Dave, that looks a lot better for sure! You may still have some irregular/uneven development going on there. If you have any on hand, try xtol or another low-pH developer; I find that makes it easier to get perfectly even development. Pyrocat can be a little tricky with xray film in this respect, I find.
Thanks Koraks, I will keep that in mind. I’m trying to work this out with Pyrocat because I’ve settled on that developer for my other films.
Please let us know your results. :)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter De Smidt
Very understandable. Agitation is key, in my experience. Too much and you get thick edges, too little and you get cloudy density variations. How do you currently agitate?Quote:
Originally Posted by David Schaller
I had a helluva time when first trying Kodak Ektascan and Pyrocat HD. I was using a Paterson Orbital processor and got streaky marks of differing density following the pattern of agitation. Double-sided Agfa film worked fine. I then tried it in a drum, hand rolling and it seems to works fine like that with even density.
I usually process 8x10 in Patterson trays tha are just slightly larger than the negative. With the x-ray film I’ve moved up to 11x14 flat bottom Cescolite trays, so the volume of liquid is twice as large. I agitate for the first minute constantly, then on each minute by lifting the bottom of the tray x3, and the side of the tray x3. It ends up being 10-15 seconds per minute. I aim to get things moving, but it is gentle.Quote:
Originally Posted by koraks
Try two agitation routines per minute and aim for as random fluid movement as possible.
Thanks. I think it’s pretty random already with the 11x14 tray, but I’ll try agitating on the 30 second mark. I’ve got to shoot again....
You can use paper developer too if you don't want to stock multiple film developers.. I've successfully used weak dektol and dektol-pyrocathdc blends.