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D-76 (question about development)


traveler_101

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Traveler,

 

Do not forget to mix your D-76 from powder form the day before you want to process film.

 

I second that. Me and a colleague who have used D-76 for about forty years have found that it's too energetic when freshly mixed, even after cooling down, so that we get too much reaction by the spiral reel ends from even ordinary agitation.

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12 to 24 hours of settling down is a good thing.

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The volume of chemicals needed for different film sizes is indicated on the bottom of the tank. Paterson tanks fill so quickly that there is no need to fill the tank first and then drop in the reel(s). The inner lid acts both as a light seal and a big funnel for filling. I used stainless reels and tanks for many years. Then I tried a Paterson tank and haven't used stainless since.

 

Super! Thanks.

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Agree - Paterson tanks fill very quickly; in over 25 years of developing I found no problems with this.

 

If your tank is the 2 reel type, which I have used more than any other, then its capacity would be 500ml to cover one roll of 120 roll film, and 600ml will cover 2 x 35mm reels, still leaving room for the developer to move.

 

Good luck

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My patterson has required volume listed on the bottom. If yours does not, leave the cap off and figure how much water to cover the reels. Use no more than that.

 

Time to pour in may be long , but the reverse happens when you pour out so it may cancel.

There is a problem though, the developer runs down the side from the lid baffle so you get a lot of agitation on a few frames initially. Therefore better to drop reels in in the dark. The problem is worse the bigger the tank.

 

Patterson fills down the funnel to the bottom without touching developer to film and then fills bottom up. Further it is only a 5 sec fill. This system is perfect. The wet edge starts at one side and moves quickly across the film with no back tracking, same as drop in. PERFECT.

 

You can only screw up two ways. Get Photo flow on the reels so they get sticky over time and use the twist stick for more than the first agitation. If you bought new, you would have instructions to tell you this.

 

There is a lot of empty room in the Patterson top for liquids to move into so you get lots of random and vigorous agitation which is exactly what you want. Film gets so called surge marks when agitation is insufficient in one or both respects. People try to cure it but less agitation which is exactly the wrong thing to do.

 

My single reel loaded with an empty on top does exactly the same as the Patterson with lots of empty space on top for movement of developer. Either system is goof proof when used this way. You do not get marks ever.

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Agree - Paterson tanks fill very quickly; in over 25 years of developing I found no problems with this.

 

If your tank is the 2 reel type, which I have used more than any other, then its capacity would be 500ml to cover one roll of 120 roll film, and 600ml will cover 2 x 35mm reels, still leaving room for the developer to move.

 

Good luck

 

Thanks. Yes, I just checked before I am off to work this morning. The figures are there at the bottom of the tank. It says 290ml for 35mm film, which I guess must be for one reel x 2 = 580ml, so your 600ml figure is correct.

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Patterson fills down the funnel to the bottom without touching developer to film and then fills bottom up. Further it is only a 5 sec fill. This system is perfect. The wet edge starts at one side and moves quickly across the film with no back tracking, same as drop in. PERFECT.

 

Excellent.

 

You can only screw up two ways. Get Photo flow on the reels so they get sticky over time and use the twist stick for more than the first agitation. If you bought new, you would have instructions to tell you this.There is a lot of empty room in the Patterson top for liquids to move into so you get lots of random and vigorous agitation which is exactly what you want.

 

I bought some sort of Photo Flo product and was aware of the problem with plastic reels, but had heard that if you wash up with dish washing liquid and water vigorously that it should not build up on the reels. Thanks for the instructions regarding vigorous agitation. Now I will search out a video on youtube that illustrates what "vigorous agitation" looks like. The demonstrations I have seen indicated regular and controlled motions.

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