Help with Fujifilm HR-T30 X-ray Film?

[Daniel Unkefer]

Alright. I've been developing by inspection and leaning into stronger solutions to squeeze more trials into a night's work. Below are some typical results, along with a found negative I developed which turned out a little better, which I think means my issues are likely more in the exposure than the development. When you say "the old Kodak recipe" you mean from J-4027? https://125px.com/docs/techpubs/kodak/j4027-2003_11.pdf

Yep. That's it.

[Daniel Unkefer]

Here's an example.

Ashton Pond Norma Handy HRU Mic-X 2 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Ashton Pond Columbus Ohio Sinar Norma Handy 4x5 Fuji HR-U XRay 65mm F8 at F22 Schneider CF + Sinar Norma Dark Yellow 103mm Glass Disk 1 sec at F22 Legacy Mic-X replenished stock in tray 18 mins at 62F Arista #2 RC 4x 8x10 Multigrade dev

[NathanMcKnight]

That's gorgeous. One day, I shall take such photos... Or at least weird photos with that tonal range.

Also... fellow Columbusite?

[Daniel Unkefer]

Reynoldsburg

[NathanMcKnight]

Awesome. Grove City here.

[Andrew O'Neill]

Dektol it is then.

If you have to use Dektol, you probably should dilute it more than you would for photo paper, if you want continuous tones. I would probably start with a 1+7 dilution, and then go from there. Xtol is also nice at about a 1+3 dilution.

[NathanMcKnight]

Well, I have a lot of Dektol but per Daniel, I think I'll give the Microdol-x a shot, once I've gotten a better handle on my exposure times.

[Dugan]

One thing about X-Ray film:
It is susceptible to exposure variation due to variations of the color temperature of daylight.
Early morning and late afternoon light are warmer (more red/orange/yellow), so less blue = less exposure.
If you're photographing at different times of day, you might be chasing a moving target, exposure-wise.
Hope this helps!

[NathanMcKnight]

Thanks, that's a good point. I'll keep it in mind. Apart from occasionally cutting it down to fit in some of my antique cameras (trying not to cut my fingers off in the dark!), I haven't done much outdoor photography with the x-ray film. I figure with my experimental DIY cameras, it's better to learn in the studio, where I can control the lighting. But eventually, I would like to take them outside as well. I'll try and remember this piece of advice when the time comes!

[NathanMcKnight]

BTW, just wanted to say I appreciate all the advice and patience everyone... glad I joined!