HC-110 at 1:50 or 1:100 dilutions

I find the odd ratios of HC-110 (1:32 or 1:64) difficult to measure

accurately even with a baby's medical syringe. Has anyone worked out

times/temps for a common film like Tri-X with HC-110 at 1:50 or 1:100.

I read the thread on stand development but I'm looking for normal dev

times.

 

Gene

I used HC-110 with Delta 100 at 1+49 and got great results by just extrapolating from the Dilution B times. What I usually do, though, is just measure the 320 ml or 640 ml and then discard the ~100 ml I don't need. That's easier than trying to measure strange fractions of a ml.

This actually works out very well. A 2 quart 4x5 tank holds 2 oz stock and 62 oz water. HC 110 is really a high volumn tank developer, but works fine in small tanks.

 

Now if you are using a 35 mm tank, try 8 ml stock and 8x31 water. That is 248+8, and you throw away what you don`t use. The cost in waste is pennies.

 

You really need a 10cc graduate that you fill with a transfer pipette. Measure to the bottom of the minicus.

 

Nothing says you can`t make up your own dilution. I use 1:45 with tri x @ EI 200. 4.5 min at 68 for a condenser enlarger.

I finally got around to trying Ansel Adam's technique for contracted development. I shot

120 Tri-X at ASA 250 and developed it in HC-110 diluted 1:119. I used 4ML of

concentrate with 16oz of water, 68 degrees for 21 minutes. Constant agitation for the first

minute followed by four inversions every three minutes. What I was looking for in the test

subject was detail in the undersides of the train sheds and undercarriage of the

locomotive, plus I wanted to avoid blocking up the white paint on the nose of the engine. I

feel I got a pretty good negative and it printed well on my diffusion enlarger. Not sure if I'll

use that dilution again, but it was a fun test.

 

I agree with Ronald about using a 10ML graduate instead of messing around with a

syringe. It's a lot easier to pour out precise amounts consistently. For HC-110 1:50 with

Tri-X rated at 250, I'd suggest 9 minutes at 68 degrees as a starting point. I'm getting

good negatives at that time/temp.<div></div>

I use some highly concentrated developers, and have found the simplest, and cleanest way for me is to keep my stock solutions in a bottle with a fine tapered tip, like a condiment squeeze bottle, and cut the tip of the bottle to fit the tip of my measuring syringe, which I leave inserted into the tip of the bottle. When I want to make up a working solution, I simply turn the bottle upside-down, and draw the required volume of concentrate into the syringe, squirt it into my mixing container filled to 3/4 its final volume with distilled water, and return the syringe to the tip. I use 3ml syringes for most concentrates, with which I can easily and acurately measure tenths of a milliliter. This system is very fast, very clean, and very accurate. I highly recommend it for those who use very concentrated solutions.

 

Jay

Thanks for the replies! It gives me some ballpark figures and some ideas on diluting HC-110.

 

Gene

Just to jump on the, er, train here...

 

 

I routinely use HC-110 at Saint Ansel's Dilution (Dilution G, 1:119) with greatly reduced agitation to take advantage of the speed increase from prolonged development and contrast control of very low agitation (3 minute cycles are my "normal" and I can reduce contrast by stretching that to 5 minutes or even going to semi-stand process). With this process and dilution, I've found triple the published Dilution B times works very well for every new film I've tried (but I like the look in Dilution G much more than that of Dilution B). BTW, times for Ilfotec HC at standard dilution are interchangeable with those for HC-110 Dilution B in this regard...

 

The ratios you see for HC-110 (1:31, 1:15) were very convenient in the 1960s, when the developer was introduced and most darkroom graduates in the United States were in ounces -- you'd use one ounce of concentrate to make a quart of Dilution B for two rolls of 120 or four of 35 mm (or more likely, in those days, you'd use a pint of stock solution to make a gallon of Dilution B working solution and then replenish for several months). Those ratios are less convenient with most equipment and workers now more accustomed to metric measures and a larger international market.

 

What I'd suggest is that for 1:99 (10 ml concentrate, water to make one liter, or equivalent), you start with the times for Dilution G (triple the Dilution B time, if you reduce agitation as I do); you'll probably have to reduce those times a little, but when you get the processed nailed, be sure to submit your times and dilutions to the Massive Dev Chart. I agree, it would be more convenient, now, to use 1:49 or 1:99 than 1:31, 1:63, or 1:119.

More of a question than an answere what happens with the grain as you dilute to dilution G is there an increase in grain over dil B. I have been happy with TriX, HP5 and APX400 in dil B but I am curious to try my next roll in dil G.

My only real comparison between Dilution B and Dilution G is with 35 mm Tri-X -- in this film, and with my scanner, there seems to be less grain with G than with B; I can only attribute this to longer exposure to the solvent component relative to dilution when extending development to regain normal contrast with reduced agitation. Normally, more dilute developers will produce larger, but sharper grain.

 

Also worth noting, however, that there's a lot more difference in grain with the same film/dev combination at different contrast levels than there is with the same film and different devs at the same contrast...

i use HC 110 at approx 1:20 with Tmax film with very good result.

 

i will add 20ml of HC110 and top up to 400ml and start developing at 19 deg for 10mins with a mild agitation every 2mins..