Use of X-ray film: technical discussion with example images

[Andrew O'Neill]

Yup thanks.

The film just says "medium speed" but I heard it's around 100 ISO.

ISO 100 should be fine... but depends a bit on the developer and dilution, too. So, I would try again but with a more dilute developer. Xray film is contrasty.

[kendolinator324058943]

Okay thanks. I mean, would using 1:1 really cause it to be completely washed out like that? I'll try again I guess. The safelight i'm using is a large xmas light. Could that be affecting anything?

[Leszek Vogt]

Since I've been playing around with Adox CMS 20II and POTA, I thought I'd develop some double-sided green latitude xray in POTA. I normally process with Pyrocat-HD and I wanted to see how it would look. Both sheets were developed for 8:00. The sheet on the left was in straight POTA. The one on the right, POTA 1+1. Tray developed (flat-bottomed). Slight agitation every minute. 24C. Reciprocity correction was given for both...4sec became 8sec.

Attachment 191421Attachment 191422

Which look do you prefer, Andrew ? The one on the left seem to resemble Dev 23 (to me)....maybe it's the bright chair (in the right pic) that's not to my liking.

Les

[Jim Noel]

Okay thanks. I mean, would using 1:1 really cause it to be completely washed out like that? I'll try again I guess. The safelight i'm using is a large xmas light. Could that be affecting anything?

Possibly. It may not be a true red, or be leaking some white light somewhere.

[Andrew O'Neill]

Okay thanks. I mean, would using 1:1 really cause it to be completely washed out like that? I'll try again I guess. The safelight i'm using is a large xmas light. Could that be affecting anything?

Yes. The Christmas bulb most likely is a major issue. It's not "safe". And yes, 1+1 dilution is pretty strong (in my experience of 11 years using xray film). I prefer a longish development time. 8 to 10 minutes (dilute Pyrocat-HD).

[kendolinator324058943]

So it was the red light. I developed it it in complete darkness and it turned out ok.

On another note, I developed a piece of Orth Litho 3.0 with the last sheet of xray and it came out blank, almost transparent but not quite. Is this because i'm not using the Litho a/b developer?

[blue4130]

may2019-020 by Vance, on Flickr

may2019-013small by Vance, on Flickr

Here are two recent (very different) x-ray shots of mine. These were shot on Fuji green film, cut down to 4x5. The bulb was shot at f:64 for 300 seconds. I was at about 2.5:1 magnification and took a wild stab in the dark for reciprocity.

The portrait was (memory is fading) f5.6 for 1/15th of a second.

Both were processed in hc-110 1:70 for 6 minutes in a rotary tank.

[Tin Can]

Nice Lance!

This was shot on cut 5X7 X-Ray, then made FP4 4X5 inter-negative enlarging to 16x20 negative print. It was lit, but dimmed way down at about 3-1 macro.

I have posted it before, but one good bulb deserves another...I call it Atomic Bomb.

Atomic Bomb by TIN CAN COLLEGE, on Flickr

[seezee]

So it was the red light. I developed it it in complete darkness and it turned out ok.

On another note, I developed a piece of Orth Litho 3.0 with the last sheet of xray and it came out blank, almost transparent but not quite. Is this because i'm not using the Litho a/b developer?

Please order one or two of these. Use them with a reflector-type shop light pointed away from your work area (bounce the light off the ceiling). If you use two bulbs together you'll want this adapter.

[seezee]

The portrait was (memory is fading) f5.6 for 1/15th of a second.

Window light? What time of day?