Tri-X 400 Film

Thank You For Everyone's Help,

 

I've decided for my first darkroom test.

1. I will use Tri-X 400 film ($3.95)

2. Develop the film with D-76 Developer (Powder), $5.50 for 1 Gallon.

3. I will use resin coated paper and I'll probably begin with 5 x 7 paper - I researched B & H, and Adorama, and

the former sells Fomaspeed Variant III Medium-Weight, Variable Contrast Resin Coated Black & White Paper Glossy

5x7" - 25 Sheets for $6.99.

4. I will use water + white vinegar as my stop bath, as a photographer suggested to me (from whom I bought my

enlarger).

5. I will use ZONALPro EC Rapid Fixer for Black & White Film and Paper - 16 Oz. For $4.50.

 

Since I will be processing and developing one roll, I will use a steel tank that holds only one roll - so I would

think I wouldn't need to mix a whole gallon of D-76 developer. And the other chemicals - how much should I mix

for 5 x 7 Prints. Will all the materials go together, or should I switch add anything?

 

Once again, thanks for everyone's help. I'm an NYU film student, but I love film photographer over digital so

much that I've decided to leave digital for at least several months and focus strictly on black and white film

photography.

 

Boris

I am also planning to use Kodak Dektol Developer for Black and White Paper - Makes 1 Liter - for $2.95. Will it work with my resin paper?

I would recommend that you mix the entire container of powder for 1 gallon. It is really hard to measure out a portion as

then you would end up with inconsistent results with each batch. The amount of powder is for 1 gallon and this would be

consistent each time you mix up another batch. Start out with a one gallon container and fill to only about three quarts

which allows you to mix up the powder in the water. I only use a little of the powder, mix until reasonably clear, add

more powder then repeat until all the powder is mixed into what is called stock solution. Once you have the powder

mixed, then add the other quart of water. I always heat the water, follow the instructions, to make it easier for the

powder to dissolve into the water. I will take the 1 gallon of water and put it into a container that I can warm up on my

stove then put back about three quarts back into your container to mix.

 

Hope this helps you!

 

Do you have a thermometer to measure the water temperature? You will need that for mixing up the chemicals as well

as each time you develop a roll of film.

Here is the Kodak publication on D-76.

 

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/j78/j78.pdf

Yes Dektol will work with Resin coated paper.

 

Enjoy have fun and you will learn after each time you use this stuff.

Can I use the same stop bath and fix for both film development and printing, or do they have to be different?

8x10" is minimum industry standard for evaluating prints. I think you'd be disappointed using only 5x7" paper.

I would buy your supplies from Freestyle at www.freestylephoto.biz

If you want to save money, get the Kentmere brand chemicals. They are pretty much identical to Kodak and about a buck cheaper. Dont skimp on stop, its dirt cheap. White vinegar may not be as pure as you think.

Get K76, Kentol etc. Use them as you would kodak.

 

Also, get 8x10 paper. When you want to make 5x7's, cut off two 2x8 test strips, leaving you with a 6x8 sheet. Then you get a 1/2 inch boarder. and you wont be stuck when you need a larger image, just use a full sheet. It might cost a bit more, but its worth it. If you got Arista EDU, which would be just as good, you can get a pack of 8x10, 25 sheets for 10 bucks.

You need to get 25 bucks of stuff to make an order from freestyle, but shipping is very reasonable.

 

 

Dont forget 8x10 trays, even if you do 5x7, its an investment for when you do larger prints.

Freestyle's Arista.EDU Ultra brand IS Foma, and it sells at a lower price. I agree that 8x10 is a better deal. If you want 5x7's, simply slice a sheet down the middle and use the excess bits for test strips. A 100 sheet box of the stuff will cost less than $35US. Can't beat that on a per sheet price basis with a stick. Kentmere's KTOL film developer is identical in action to XTOL, and I'd be very surprised if thier K76 and Kentol developers aren't dead ringers for D-76 and Dektol respectively. Formulae for these two very popular developers have been in the public domain for years. If you feel adventurous, you could make them up from raw chemicals yourself.

 

One Litre of Dektol isn't very much at all. You will go through it in no time. Get the 1 gallon size. Same advice holds for D-76. Store your developers in completely full 1L or smaller bottles and they will keep well. Recycled soda pop bottles work as well as anything else and are essentially free.

 

Don't bother with vinegar as a stop bath, because it isn't any less expensive and there is no indicator to let you know when it is exhausted. Dilute white vinegar will work just as effectively, but it just doens't make sense if you can get the real thing. Use it if you've run out of stop bath, but use it only for the session and toss it.

 

Instead of ZONALPro EC Rapid Fixer, try Kodak's Flexicolor Fixer for C-41. It's cheaper, faster, and has tremendous capacity. I've been using it as my go to fixer for B&W films and papers for a few years now and there simply is nothing better for the job.

You may want to try HC-110 instead of D-76 almost the same but mixing from a liquid syrup is pretty easy and it last a real long time.

 

http://www.covingtoninnovations.com/hc110/

 

Larry

You will need 10x8" paper to make contact sheets from a 36 exposure film.

+1 on the recommendation to use HC-110. The concentrated syrup lasts forever and you can easily mix only enough developer for one roll.

 

<Chas>

A liquid developer is indeed easier to handle, certainly instead for starting up a gallon/3,8ltr. D76.

If you like crispy (pronounced grain) pictures with Tri-X (400), high sharpness and acutance you could also try Rodinal (dilution 1+50) and Tri-X but then exposed at iso 250

Acetid acid (vinagar) stinks in the darkroom, get citric acid instead, you have it also with indicator. Fix and stop you can use several times.

Rodinal and HC-110 are one shot developers but therefore more reproducible results and who cares about 5ml or 10ml Rodinal diluted to 255ml (35mm) or 510ml (roll film). About the lifetime of Rodinal (liquid concentration) > 10 years but this liquid developer is really an exception but therefore it will never fail due to oxidation.

Rodinal is especially recommended for slow and medium speed films. Tri-X (400) and D76 and HC-110 are also fine film-developer combinations.

Indeed 18x24cm or 20x25cm/8x10" is often more practical. Fomaspeed Variant III is a nice all round multigrade B&W paper. Code 311 is resin coated, white, glossy.

Later on when you would try their baryta papers I can recommend their Fomabrom Variant 111 (Baryta, white, glossy) or their warmtone baryta papers: Fomatone MG 131 (baryta, warm tone (cream) , glossy).

First, as others have suggested, just mix the whole gallon of D76 up at once. It's almost impossible to correctly mix up

only part of the powder, and anyway, it will last at least a couple of months. Store in full, tightly closed bottles,

preferably kept in the dark. Glass is best, but you can use just about anything; most photo stores sell (or used to sell)

brown plastic bottles. I re-use old wine bottles, milk jugs, or whatever else is to hand to store my photo chemistry. Be

sure to label everything carefully, and I suggest also marking with the date mixed. For chemistry I re-use, like fixers,

perma-wash, etc., I make sure to track the number of rolls and/or sheets run through the solution, too. Since most

chemicals last longest in full, tightly capped bottles, you can fill them with glass marbles to take up extra volume in the

containers. Use the amount of chemistry you need, and save the rest for your next adventure- this way, there is usually

something mixed up whenever the urge to process or print strikes.<p>Lots of folks don't use stop bath- just plain water, and

they get along just fine. Others will (and already have) told you not to bother with white vinegar as stop, and that you should buy the

commercial stuff. Use the vinegar- it works well, is cheap, entirely non-toxic- and if you are like me, you already have it

in the house for any of it's dozens of other uses. I've been using vinegar as my stop bath for years with no problems. I run a small

custom lab, and all of my clients film and prints have been processed this way for years, too. I use distilled white vinegar, diluted with

water to around 1:25, for both film and paper. I use it once and dump it- though if you want to re-use it, you certainly can. After a few

uses, you'll see it turn yellow, green, or red (it depends upon what developers and films you use- fun!) and get slightly cloudy- this is a

good indicator that you need fresh stop bath (who needs "indicator" stop?!?). BTW- the only real reason to use stop bath is to prolong

the life of your fix- which is why I do it. You could use the same stop bath for the film and for the paper, but I don't,

since vinegar and water are both cheap- besides, I like to limit the potential for any sort of cross contamination in my chemistry . Lastly,

you can of course use the same brand fix for film and paper, but they generally use

different dilution strengths, so you should mix up some for each, and re-use them until they are exhausted. Check the

manufacturer's info. for recommended life of the fix.<p> Have fun with your foray into processing and printing. Like anything,

it takes some practice to get really good results, but you'll get the hang of it quickly- and it's incredibly rewarding and satisfying to do!

Hopefully, this is just the beginning for you! Enjoy!

<p>I'm someone who never used stop, always fought spots and was reverting to distilled water for mixing and final Photoflow rinse. Since I started using stop my film are much cleaner with no spots. In plain tap water yet. I'll never skip this simple step again. AA in his book "The Negative" says stop will help clear the negative of scum etc.</p>