Dip & Dunk T-Max?

[Phil Hudson]

At college we used deep tanks with HC-110 for sheet film on hangers. At this time I always used "conventional" films like Tri-X or HP5 with reasonable success. I have recently been won over by T-Max film and was wondering if anyone has tried this chemistry and method for T-Max 100 or 400 sheets?

Any comments appreciated!

Thanks,
Phil

[jnantz]

At college we used deep tanks with HC-110 for sheet film on hangers. At this time I always used "conventional" films like Tri-X or HP5 with reasonable success. I have recently been won over by T-Max film and was wondering if anyone has tried this chemistry and method for T-Max 100 or 400 sheets?

Any comments appreciated!

Thanks,
Phil

i used to dip and dunk tmax ( tmx and tmy ) often.
i never used hc110 but either tmxrs, sprint, dk50 or xtol
and got great results. there is no reason why you shouldn't try it ..

you can use tupperware or similar containers for your tanks ... they're cheep
and work well ...

[Robert A. Zeichner]

This was the first method I used for processing T-max which has been my standard film for over ten years. I wasn't impressed with consistency using this method and on occasion I would experience bromide drag (probably my fault for over agitating), making sky areas a challenge to print. From there I went to slosh trays and the consistency improved drastically, but I could only process 4 at a time (4x5) so it was slow going. I then discovered the Jobo expert drum, first using a Beseler motor base and a home brew contraption for dispensing chemistry and later, with a real Jobo processor. After doing it this way for about 2 years, I can say with certainty that I now understand why a lot of folks were recommending this for years. If I recall, you were working with fairly large film sizes, no? For 8x10, the Jobo is the way to go as far as I am concerned. With larger film, you might need to use a Jobo print drum.

[paul08]

I'm not sure what film size you're using, but I've done 4x5 TMAX dip-n-dunk in the rubber trays with no problem. Agitation should be gentle and regular (no sloshing), and you need to give the developer a couple of seconds to really drain off when you first pick up the holders. It sure beat the old Jobo system for me (with the 6-sheet plastic reels -- haven't tried the "expert" system yet). With those I would frequently get touching corners, and occasional uneven development.

[IanMazursky]

My lab in NYC (LTI) uses Xtol in a referma D&D.
Not exactly a home film processor but it falls into the Dip and Dunk category.
Looks great on Tmax100, Tmax 400 and TriX.

[Phil Hudson]

Thanks for all your replies.

I will be primarily using 4x5 and 8x10 sheets. I was drawn back to HC-110 for its economy (cheap to make up a large amount for the deep tanks) and long life. I just wasn't sure about its compatibility with newer films like T-Max.

Does anyone think that Xtol is worth the (considerable) extra cost of making up in these large quantities over HC-110?

Any comments on the lifespan of working solution Xtol in deep tanks?

Thanks again!
Phil

[Mark Sampson]

If you dig into the literature you'll find that XTOL was meant for just this purpose. It replenishes with itself, no seperate replenisher needed (unlike HC-110 or D-76). IMHO TMX doesn't match well with HC-110, but that's a matter taste.