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

[photoevangelist]

If I can't get that look with the HR-A film available here, I'll put an order for 3 boxes of the HR-T.

[Corran]

Maybe we can trade! I like the look you got, and a 200 speed film to boot!!

[photoevangelist]

Maybe we can trade! I like the look you got, and a 200 speed film to boot!!

Good idear! I have to admit, I've been really proud of myself for finding my own developing times and the correct speed of this emulsion. It's a lot of work doing one negative at a time in a tray. Six negatives took about 5 hours. Our water heater is broken and the tap water is around 12 degrees Celsius. I have to do 10 water washes with water from our drinking water filter that has hot and cold filtered water. I use all the water up and have to wait for the filter to make more hot water. Haha.

[Jody_S]

Jody, any particular reason for not stripping at some point just after fixing? I haven't done any stripping yet myself...well...I have stripped myself...before...just not any X-ray film...I mean, I'm not against stripping...just not while stripping...stripping after stripping is OK, but not before stripping...but you guys do what ever you want in the privacy of your darkroom...

Yes. If the film is wet, by capillary action it sucks the bleach onto the good surface. I don't know, perhaps if I had a waterproof tape I could do this while it's still wet, but so far just a hint of humidity is enough to get large incursions of bleach onto the good side, ruining my borders. I should try it some day, if the film is soaking wet perhaps there will be an equilibrium between the liquids and I won't get so much migration. Or perhaps I'm deluding myself thinking that might work.

[Andrew O'Neill]

Strip film when it is dry. Too risky when wet.

[Corran]

I strip while still wet. But I dilute my bleach 1:1 with water. That really seemed to do the trick - I don't even bother taping the film down any more. I do rinse the film several times while stripping it to wash off the bleach and emulsion that has dissolved.

[rdelung]

Hay Bryan, I was just wondering. What is your new scanner? I have a new un-opened box of Green X-Ray film, and I would like to scan the finished product. I can only scan 4x5's at this time. So I'm in the market for something that will work well with the 8x10. Thanks, R.Delung Seattle Wa.

[Peter De Smidt]

He has a Screen Cezanne.

[Corran]

Yep, that's correct. There aren't a whole lotta choices for scanning 8x10 without a lot of hassle - might want to check out the Epson V700 or Microtek M1 to start with. I've used both, they can both make decent scans, but the Cezanne is in a whole other league.

[SergeiR]

8x10 CSG (kodak full speed green). 12 minutes in 1+60 Rodinal (yes, i know.. not standard dillution, big whoop ).
Orange filter on Gundlach Radar 8x10. f8, i believe ( i shot for couple hours, and i have nasty habit of not recording things for real.. but most of session was metered around 11-16, and filter eats out about 2).


Liliya by Sergei Rodionov, on Flickr