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Microphen and HP5 , well


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Hi

 

I searched through the forums, I just wanted to make sure, please do not kill me for these questions...

 

I am planning to develop HP5 @ 400 ISO, 120 film in Microphen now. I used to develop in ID-11 but I wanted to try

Microhpen for some reasons. I plan to use it as advised by Lex many times here, in stock solution, 400 ISO it

says 6,5 miutes right? I want to reuse it 10 times as Lex advised, then discard. I am going to use Jobo 1520 with

2 films inside, each time, so

 

1) this should allow me to develop 20 films in total, right?

 

2) can I REALLY use it 10 times , not diluted, without loss of quality?

 

3) Lex once said, that if you make 1 litre of stock, you should use as much as you need in your tank (Jobo 1520

needs 470 ml to cover the rolls) and then pour back to remaining (fresh) stock - is it true? Doesn't it make the

fresh remaining stock less powerfull if I mix 1st time used stock with the fresh that remained? And respectively,

If I use it 2nd time, and pour back, doesn't it make less "powerfull? :)

 

4) Thus, if I use it 2nd, 3rd , 4th etc. time - should I extend development time? like not 6,5 minutes but a

little longer? Someone said: NO, use the same time, no difference should be seen?

 

and last

 

5) with ID-11 I had pretty badly washed out highlights. Beautiful shadows, nice black, grays tones, but pretty

badly highlight parts - did I overagitate probably? I used to agitate 10 seconds every minute. Should I use 5

seconds every 30 seconds? Or do it with less force, agitate/make slower moves with the tank?

 

I am sorry if this sounds noobish, thanks if you like to reply.

 

H.

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they say on Ilford sites you should increase film development 10 % with SECOND film, 20 % with third etc. What, I put 2 rolls into the tank, and with 3rd and 4th roll inside I have to extend for 30-40 %? Can anyone tell whether it is true? This is huge time difference, with 5-6 roll will make 9-10 minutes instead of 6,5....
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The idea is that the developer is getting more and more exhausted as you process each batch, so you have to add some time to make up for that. The problem is that you never really know how much adjustment is needed, so you can't always repeat the results exactly. If you run two films at one time, you don't need to make any adjustments, then for the next round you would make your adjustments based on how many rolls had been in the sauce previously. So in the example that you posted, the first two rolls (done at the same time) would be 'standard' time, then the third and fourth rolls (done at the same time) would get 'standard' + %20 since you've already done two rolls. A further two rolls would then get 'standard' + %40 since you are adding %10 per roll <I>already developed</I> and you've done 4 total rolls in that batch of developer.

<BR><BR>

- Randy

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I use Microphen pretty regularly- mostly for push processing. I always use it full strength, and I do re-use it. I store it in

two bottles- one labeled "Fresh" developer; the other for used solution, labeled "One Run". Once all the solution has been

used once and is in the "One Run" bottle and "Fresh" bottle is empty, I re-label is "Two Runs". I increase my times by

10%, and process away until all the solution has been used twice and is now in the "Two Runs" bottle; the "One Run" bottle

becomes "Three Runs", and the times go up again. I do this until the developer has been used 10 times or is two months

old, which ever comes first.

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First, it's 10 rolls per liter, not 10 uses per liter. So you can do 10 rolls, or 5 tanks, not the 20 you mentioned.

 

I usually went a solid 5 rolls before adding any time, and then about 10% or 15% for the remaining 5 on the liter. Since I use Microphen primarily for pushing (though I'm going to be using it for general development soon), the 5% difference there wasn't huge.

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I've written so much about my experiences with Microphen it appears a few things were lost in translation. A few clarifications...

 

1. I use Microphen primarily for push processing. It's delivered exceptionally good results with T-Max 400 and Tri-X. I've even pushed TMY up to 6400 and gotten usable results.

 

2. Occasionally I'll use Microphen for normal development of normally exposed film. It's very good with TMX at 100.

 

3. Microphen was not one of my favorites for normally exposed HP5+. Surprisingly high grain, even in moderate enlargements from 6x6cm negs.

 

4. I prefer undiluted Microphen for push processing. This is for really hard pushes, like ISO 400 films beyond 1600. I don't bother with increasing development times for each reuse. No need. Pushing is more art, voodoo and intuition than science. I got consistent enough results just dumping the used stock solution back into the pot, using it again for the same times with each reuse, then discarding the batch after 10 uses per liter.

 

5. For more conventional development and "correct" practices, I preferred the 1+1 dilution. I'm not a total heathen. Occasionally I'll follow the rules. Even with moderate pushes, such as TMY up to 1600, this provides excellent results.

 

Finally, I generally prefer one-shot developers from concentrate. I'm a longtime fan of HC-110 and, to a lesser extent, Rodinal. Better consistency. I also like Diafine because it's a no-muss, no-fuss soup for certain - not all - films.

 

Developers like Microphen, ID-11, D76, etc., need to be used up fairly quickly after mixing. Some folks will keep a batch of stock solution going for up to six months, but I've seen too many inconsistencies from this. So I'd rather mix up a liter at a time and use it up as quickly as possible. I'll put up with the vagaries of this type of developer for the excellent results I get from Microphen, but only on certain films for certain purposes.

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ouch, then seems if without pushing, it is better to use diluted 1:1... Ok, thus, I would develop less films as with 1 litr only 8 it seems, as I need 235 ml of developer doing 1:1, but it is fine, I will make 4 tanks x 2 rolls in 1:1 Microphen. I will repeat some more rolls this way, then try 1:0 or 1:3 too, few times. thanks for your replies guys!
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I do get as many as ten uses out of Microphen, always using it full strength. I dump it before I see any difference in

performance, and I don't let it get old- maybe two months, as I said, before I dump it, regardless of how many uses it has

seen. I used to work in a custom b&w lab in NYC, where I was taught that 1 gallon of Microphen would safely process

about 50 rolls of film, and will last about 3 months in full, tightly-capped bottles stored in the dark. Now that I run my own

small custom lab, I still use it this way; I use my two-bottle method (described above) to track where I need time increases,

and I fill the bottles with glass marbles to make up the difference in volume to keep them full. I run film for clients as well

as my own film, so I can't afford to screw this up. Stored and used properly, Microphen will safely process a lot more film

than many give it credit for.

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