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Thread: HC110 doesnt like me.

  1. #1
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    HC110 doesnt like me.

    These are the results of a processing test, one in a tray and one dip and dunk. They somehow have the same bubble like marks vertically and horizontal streaking. Any idea what is going on?

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    The one of sky and wires was in a tray of 8-5x7 being shuffled continuously and randomly in an 8x10 tray with 2 inches of liquid. The tank had eight hangers in a Kodak 1 gallon tank. After tapping the hangers to get rid of bubbles, every minute I slowly pulled them out and tilted them to the side and repeated with tilting to the other side, that took 15-20 seconds. In between I didn't touch them. I used 5 min pre-soak, 10 min in HC110 @ 1:93 at 71C. The developer is made in a large pitcher with lots of stirring and mixing but HC110 is pretty gooey, I wonder if that has anything to do with this. Processing several sheets stacked in a tray seems to be problematic, the edges of the film are always going to have more development than the center and the developer flowing between the sheets can also cause problems. A tank should solve those problems and only have marks on the edges where the hanger holes are, I was hoping to be able to live with that. I am beginning to think that test subjects with large blank areas, such as the sky or paper seamless, they create or exaggerate problems because of their evenness. The Ilford instructions do say not to pre-soak FP4 and this could be why. Next I will try some different things such as one sheet at a time and different developers and agitation.

  2. #2
    Resident Heretic Bruce Watson's Avatar
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    Re: HC110 doesnt like me.

    HC110 doesn't like me either. It's just too active a developer for me, even in the highly diluted states. So I dropped it, more than a decade ago. XTOL is much easier to control, and I like the results better.

    The most even development (as in perfectly smooth gradients from clear blue skies, etc.) I've seen in a 5x4 sheet was from a Jobo 3010 tank. And HC110 in any dilution just hated that tank with Tri-X. And really hated it with TMY. But XTOL, love at first sight. What can I tell ya?

    Bruce Watson

  3. #3
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    Re: HC110 doesnt like me.

    HC110 is an active developer should have seen that from the start. Things were way too contrasty so I increased the dilution by 50% then doubled it again to get 1:93 and increased the time. I really like the look though.

  4. #4
    Jac@stafford.net's Avatar
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    Re: HC110 doesnt like me.

    HC-110 takes a long time to thoroughly incorporate. It is great for re-use. A rotary processor is good, too. Tips: let the developer sit for 15 minutes after stirring and do not pre-soak.

  5. #5

    Re: HC110 doesnt like me.

    Regarding HC110 or any other developer...the big issue here is agitation that will not cause uneven development. I used HC110 for years..and I found two perfect ways to get absolutely even results.... 1. Each sheet in individual trays....in a larger tray...shake the larger tray. 2. Jobo Expert Drum

    Multi sheet shuffle asks for trouble. Likewise...Kodak or other hangers are a nightmare. Calumet made a wonderful discontinued film holder for gas burst that only had a couple nubs to hold the film on a plexi sheet...those worked...but around the nubs there was a track of uneven "bromide drag"

    So I suggest reworking your method to only use one tray per sheet. The Expert drums work very well...but I have seen occasional edge issues if the rotation speed is too fast.

    Phil

  6. #6

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    Re: HC110 doesnt like me.

    I've used HC-110 for over 25 years, and have presoaked the entire time. It likes me and I like it just fine. It's the only developer I use both for 1 gal tanks and rotary processors. I slow the rotation speed by 50% and have no issues. L

  7. #7

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    Re: HC110 doesnt like me.

    Quote Originally Posted by Roger Beck View Post
    ...I used 5 min pre-soak, 10 min in HC110 @ 1:93 at 71C...
    71C = 160*F. Surely that's a typo. I've never had any issues shuffling 6 4x5 sheets in a 5x7 tray, and always have presoaked long enough to remove the antihalation layer completely.

  8. #8
    Nodda Duma's Avatar
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    Re: HC110 doesnt like me.

    I use HC-110 exclusively, for film and plates. I develop my 4x5 stuff in a Stearman SP-445 tank and roll film in a Paterson. Works great
    Newly made large format dry plates available! Look:
    https://www.pictoriographica.com

  9. #9
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    Re: HC110 doesnt like me.

    Quote Originally Posted by Nodda Duma View Post
    I use HC-110 exclusively, for film and plates. I develop my 4x5 stuff in a Stearman SP-445 tank and roll film in a Paterson. Works great
    Awesome, what is the max 5x7 sheets you can do at one time. I need to do at least 8.

  10. #10

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    Re: HC110 doesnt like me.

    I've always had good luck with HC110. I process five 4x5 negs in a Pyrex bread pan (the dimensions of which keeps negs from hitting the bottom) shuffling through the stack. For years, I used it diluted from stock solution 1:15. Recently, though, I've been using it mixed from the concentrate straight from the bottle.

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