wilfredo Posted October 5, 2008 Share #1 Posted October 5, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) Now that I have an M2 I'm thinking I need to go back to processing my own film. I haven't done this since the 80's. Back in the day when I did my own processing I used Mircrodol-X. Are films like Fuji Neopan, and Kodak T-Max good candidates for Microdol-X? Do the newer films require a special developer? I tried ordering supplies from B&H and they don't ship Stop Bath. Photo-Flo was out of stock. It's not easy to get back on track with film. I don't mind getting my film processed by labs but this has become way too inconvenient, which is why I pretty much gave up on it, so I think the only solution is processing at home once again. Cheers, Wilfredo Benitez-Rivera Photography Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 5, 2008 Posted October 5, 2008 Hi wilfredo, Take a look here B&W Processing. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
ChadHahn Posted October 5, 2008 Share #2 Posted October 5, 2008 I can't help you on the film/developer front because I use Tri-X and HC-110. However for a stop bath you can either use a plain water wash, I use three or four tank fulls, or a mixture of 1 part Vinegar with 4 parts water for a stop bath solution. Depending on your the quality of your water you might not even need Photo-Flo. Chad Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilfredo Posted October 5, 2008 Author Share #3 Posted October 5, 2008 I just might go the vinegar route. It is way cheaper. I've never done that before but have always heard it was fine. Southern California water is really heavy with minerals so I wouldn't skip the Photo-Flo here. I noticed Andy uses HC110 on his Neopan, so it would appear that it works on Tri-X and Neopan. Does anyone use it on T-Max? What's the advantage of this developer over Microdol-X? Is there a chart anywhere that tells you the developing time using HC110 at the various temperatures? Wilfredo Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenneth Posted October 5, 2008 Share #4 Posted October 5, 2008 Wilfredo- Welcome back to the wet- I was advised to contact local colleges who, with the advent of digital are throwing out their B&P equipment. I heard that someone acquired a complete darkroom including a Leitz enlarger and lens chemicals, paper, tanks and ancillary stuff for a small donation to college funds. I just might be worth speaking to local colleges. Best of luck and let us know how you get on. Alternatively you could post an add in the buy and sell wanted section Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted October 5, 2008 Share #5 Posted October 5, 2008 If you're in a hard water area use distilled, or de-ionised, water for the final rinse. That will help prevent drying marks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted October 5, 2008 Share #6 Posted October 5, 2008 Wilfredo, I processed my first film for years recently. I bought a load of stuff from one of the Jessops stores which was closing down, Tmax developer, own brand fixer, tongs, washer, clips etc. The Tmax developer seems to work well (Agfa, Fuji and Kodak films). Just order a batch of chemicals on line if you don't have a local store, and you're away. I forgot just how quick and easy it was, less time than you'll spend taking or posting your film to a lab. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilfredo Posted October 5, 2008 Author Share #7 Posted October 5, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) Wilfredo- Welcome back to the wet- I was advised to contact local colleges who, with the advent of digital are throwing out their B&P equipment. I heard that someone acquired a complete darkroom including a Leitz enlarger and lens chemicals, paper, tanks and ancillary stuff for a small donation to college funds. I just might be worth speaking to local colleges. Best of luck and let us know how you get on. Alternatively you could post an add in the buy and sell wanted section That's a great suggestion although I'll only be processing film, then scanning the negatives. I sold all my darkroom equipment years ago but I do have a few developing tanks, reels, and other items that didn't get sold and now will come back to use. Good point Steve. Wilfredo Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilfredo Posted October 5, 2008 Author Share #8 Posted October 5, 2008 Wilfredo, I processed my first film for years recently. I bought a load of stuff from one of the Jessops stores which was closing down, Tmax developer, own brand fixer, tongs, washer, clips etc. The Tmax developer seems to work well (Agfa, Fuji and Kodak films). Just order a batch of chemicals on line if you don't have a local store, and you're away. I forgot just how quick and easy it was, less time than you'll spend taking or posting your film to a lab. James: Going to drop off film and then picking it up is a 20 minute drive each way. Add to that the cost in fuel and it gets even more expensive. So I hope to be up and running in the film developing dept. soon. Cheers, Wilfredo Benitez-Rivera Photography Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kent10D Posted October 5, 2008 Share #9 Posted October 5, 2008 Regarding HC-110 developing times, the Kodak website has technical documents for various films that list the HC-110 developing times. There are also a few other resources around the web (just google "HC-110"). In terms of grain and tonality it's a matter of personal preference, but HC-110 has a couple of practical advantages. Firstly, the concentrate keeps really well, and you can just mix up as much as you need for each batch and then dump it, so your developer is always fresh. Also, the fact that you can use fairly high dilutions means that a) you can develop a LOT of film with one bottle of concentrate, and you can use relatively long development times that help maintain consistency. Definitely worth a try. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron110n Posted October 6, 2008 Share #10 Posted October 6, 2008 Wilfredo, you reminded me of my 80's era. I see a lot of Neopan with good results processed in Microdol-X. I might want to try it again. -Ron Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted October 6, 2008 Share #11 Posted October 6, 2008 Don't forget the Massive Development Chart at Digitaltruth Photo AFAIK, all b&w developers will work with all b&w film (apart from really specialist stuff like the Rollei film, and C41 of course), but some combinations are better than others. It's what makes it a truly interesting experience. Write everything down! Film/Dev/Times etc, so when you find a combination that gives you what you are looking for, you can remember what it is Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgray Posted October 6, 2008 Share #12 Posted October 6, 2008 I see you're in California. Order from Freestyle Photo. They're a great store, and a lot closer to you so shipping will be faster. Most importantly, they ship some chemicals that B&H won't. I'd skip the stop bath. You don't really need it for film and it can actually cause some problems with pinholes. Edwal LFN is a good substitute for Photo-Flo (or so I've heard) so you could try that. I personally use XTOL and Ilford rapid fixer. XTOL is very easy to use and mixes up nice at room temperature and Ilford rapid fixer is a liquid so its super easy to mix up. Dev, water rinse, fix, water rinse x 3, photoflo and you're done. Some recommend HCA after the fix, which I personally use, because it helps gets rid of the antihalation dyes, but if I don't have any on hand, I don't worry too much about it. XTOL gives good film speed, is fine grained, works at several dilutions, is a bit safer than other developers, mixes up easy (its a pain for me to get 5 gallons of water hot enough to mix up D76 and then it needs to cool down) and Kodak provides a great chart of times for many different films. However, for ultimate ease in developing, check out Diafine. Works at just about any normal temperature with no adjustment and last FOREVER. You can reuse the stuff - I had the quart size mixed up and used it for over a year with no problems, thought it doesn't hurt to filter it. It gives great film speed especially with Tri-X and its really hard to blowout highlights due to its design. Also, developing time is the same for all films, so if you found a couple of different speeds that worked well in it (and you like the look it gives) you could do rolls of different speeds (Tri-X and Plus-X) at the same time instead of doing 2 (or more) batches of developing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicar888 Posted October 6, 2008 Share #13 Posted October 6, 2008 Wilfredo, 10 years ago a pro photographer advised me to use Microdol-X when I need to make sure that highlights aren't blown out and to make sure that there is shadow detail. Pursuant to his instructions, I dilute it 1:3 at 74-75 degrees and process Delta 100 Acros 100, and Tri-x in it for 17-18 minutes. This always gives me gorgeous results. I buy Microdol-X at Freestyle Camera on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alifie Posted October 6, 2008 Share #14 Posted October 6, 2008 Vinegar for stop bath, I like it, use the white stuff, it won't make any difference but looks more "chemicaly" than brown, I have seen 5 litre containers in fish and chip shops of concentrated white vinegar, that should last a lifetime. I find a couple of drops of washing up liquid works just as well as photoflo, to remove the bubbly surface run water into the tank to overflow the bubbles off the top before extracting the reel. Enjoy the return to wet work. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_livsey Posted October 6, 2008 Share #15 Posted October 6, 2008 Kodak HC-110 Developer - Unofficial Resource Page Never pass up on a chance to promote HC110 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilfredo Posted October 6, 2008 Author Share #16 Posted October 6, 2008 Tgray: Thanks for the tip on Freestyle. I was able to order everything I needed from them. Now that I'll be returning to film developing I'll be more interested in film developer combinations etc. The learning curve never ends... Cheers, Wilfredo Benitez-Rivera Photography Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilfredo Posted October 6, 2008 Author Share #17 Posted October 6, 2008 Kodak HC-110 Developer - Unofficial Resource Page Never pass up on a chance to promote HC110 Thanks Chris. This is very useful information. BTW, I noticed that the price of a new MP, M7 is now close to $4000. Boy am I glad I picked up a nifty M2 for $632. Cheers, Wilfredo Benitez-Rivera Photography Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vieri Posted October 9, 2008 Share #18 Posted October 9, 2008 Wilfredo, welcome back to wet developing! After experimenting with a few commercial developers, I decided to start mixing my own - cheaper, better: I use 510-Pyro for almost all my films (Plus-X, Tri-X, Neopans, Efke 50) and I am as happy as I can be. You can find mixing instructions for 510-Pyro here: 510-Pyro Good luck! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilfredo Posted October 9, 2008 Author Share #19 Posted October 9, 2008 Vieri, I'll check this out. It will be a whole new exploration with all the new chemistry available since I stopped developing film. I'm glad this is still an option although getting supplies locally has been like pulling teeth. Thankfully I was able to order what I need online. Cheers, Wilfredo+ Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lotw Posted October 12, 2008 Share #20 Posted October 12, 2008 Since few people answer your question directly about Microdol, I'll add my experience with that. In general Microdol is rather soft and needs very long development times which is in general not a good thing, especially when you live in a warm country where temperature is difficult to keep steady during 12 to 19 minutes. It's true that you seldom have blown out highlights but it often lacks bite and with a high ISO film it tends to get muddy. I join Chris in his plead for HC110, it lasts long on the shelf and you can vary enormously from soft to hard by varying dilutions. With modern T-grain films it is not the best choice I'm afraid. X-tol is indeed better I think. See on photonet also: B&W Processing and film forum from Photo.net -- Developers Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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