Questions About Process and Arista Chemicals

[j._queue]

I have decided to take the plunge and start developing my own b&w film. It is something that I have wanted to do for some time now. I

am asking questions that I have not found answered elsewhere. Most of my readings have not included these particular chemicals and I

don't know what they are equivalent to under a different brand. If these questions have been previously answered then feel free to point

me to the appropriate url. Below is a list of recently purchased materials and all relevant instructions taken directly from their packaging.

 

Materials:

 

Film -- I am shooting Arista II b&w film.

 

Jobo 1520 UniTank -- Rotation: 240ml. Inversion: 485ml.

 

Diafine -- May be used at any temp between 70 to 85F with 3 minutes in each sol'n. Instructions straight forward and no difficulty here.

 

Arista: Universal Fixer -- A 1:4 dilution.Fix for 1 to 3 min at 68 degrees. Final fixing time should be twice as long as it takes film to clear.

 

Arista: Hypo Wash -- A 1:7 dilution. Wash for 5min using good water flow. Immerse film in hypo-wash for 5min using occasional

agitation.

Wash films an additional 5 minutes in running water. Use wetting agent if desired for 30 sec with no agitation. Dry films.

 

Arista-Flo Wetting Agent -- A 1:200 dilution. Add to final rinse bath for uniform drying.

 

Questions:

 

1. Why are two different amounts listed on the tank (240 vs 485)? I have read over the instructions several times and not entirely sure

how much chemical to use. I was going to use 485ml just to make sure there is enough chemical in the tank but I don't want to be

wasteful if there is no need to be.

 

2. Can I pour used Diafine sol'n A and sol'n B back into their respective 1 gallon containers? I have read conflicting reports on this.

 

3. The Arista: Universal Fixer bottle reads "Final fixing time should be twice as long as it takes film to clear." Now, would I be correct in

taking that statement to mean fix for 6 minutes (3min for diafine sol'n A plus 3min for diafine sol'n B)?

 

4. Should I mix 1 gallon amounts for each chemical? If so, can I pour the Fixer, Wash, and Wetting Agent back into their respective

containers after use?

 

I am not entirely clear about the wash and wetting agent and obviously I have not attempted to develop anything yet. All

suggestions/tips will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[andrew_gale]

1. 240 is if you have a Jobo processor. I assume you dont, so you will use 485.

2. IDK, i personally prefer single chemical developers.

3. Use it full strength, stock solution. Poor back to bottle. Should be around 6 minutes, but what that means, is: if you put a piece of undeveloped film (a leader etc.) in the fix, time how long it takes to clear, then double it. Its a waste of time, just use 5-6 minutes.

4. Yes to fixer, maybe to HCA and no to WA. You throw out the WA, you just use a tablespoon (at most) to a liter so... The HCA you can either mix to one gallon or one quart. I do one gallon, use it straight and save it to the bottle. If you mix one quart, then dilute it 1:4 and throw out.

 

5. everything else: HCA can be 1 minute, constant agitation. Mix all chemistry with distilled water. Add the WA to distilled water for the final rinse. Just swish the reels throw it, dont put the lid on and agitate. Start with just two reels, add more as you feel confident that you wont ruin them all. Mark your bottles with BIG CLEAR labels so you dont use the fix first. Do a prerinse, get a bunch of watter to the right temp, add, rap tank, dump, repeat, on the third time, let the watter sit for one minute. Get all of you chemistry to a good temperature first. Rinse a LOT, even in between dev and fix and fix and HCA.

 

Good luck and have fun.

[larrydressler]

The Diafine will give you about 640 with the Arista II it is Agfa 400 APX You may want to try another film because when that is gone it is gone Tri-X and Plus-X will be around for many years. Just my thought on your choice in film.

[randall ellis]

1) The 240ml is for when the tank will be used with a motor base, and the 485ml is for when the tank will be used for hand agitation. If you do not have the motor base, use the 485ml volume or the film will not remain covered by the chemicals during processing.

 

2) Yes. Just be certain to pour part A in the part A bottle and part B in the part B bottle. Discard them if you accidentally mix the solutions. I started with this developer and still keep it on hand for certain occasions - it's good stuff. Do not presoak the film though - it's very important that the film be dry when you pour in part A.

 

3) No, the clear time means the amount of time needed to clear a piece of film dropped into the fixer. Snip off the leader for the film when you load your reel(s). Drop that bit into the fixer and measure how long it takes for the film to become clear (it may retain some base coloration - the important thing is how long it takes before you can see through the film). Record that time and fix your films for twice that time. To know when the fixer is exhausted, check the cut off leader for every roll or so and when it takes twice as long as it did when the fixer was freshly mixed to clear, discard it and mix up fresh fixer.

 

4) Yes, always mix the entire package of dry chemicals. If you have liquid concentrates you can mix those partially if you shake the bottle well before mixing. Keep only the fixer and discard the rest. Wash water should always be fresh from the tap for each use, and wetting agent should be discarded after use.

 

Washing film is not that difficult. Once you have the film fixed, pour the fixer back into the bottle and open the can. Rinse the film for a few seconds (to remove much of the fixer from the surface) and then let water run into the can at a rate that is just above a trickle - just enough to get a solid stream of water should be fine. After 5 minutes empty the can, pour in the Hypo Wash, close the can and agitate for 10-15 seconds every minute for 5 minutes, then pour that out and repeat the wash. Once that is done pour 2-3 drops of wetting agent (it's all you need, trust me) into the can, fill it with water to cover the film, agitate it for 4 or 5 seconds and dump it out. Hang your film to dry in the shower where it can drip dry.

 

The process is very easy, so don't over think it (many people do). Once you do it a couple of times you'll be able to do it without thinking. To save water you can use the 'Ilford film washing method' (do a search - you'll find LOTS of info) if you wish.

 

- Randy

[j._queue]

Galen and Randall, thanks for taking the time to give in-depth responses. I feel much better about the process now. I will

post an update when I am successful.

 

Larry, thanks for the tip. I will keep it in mind. To justify my use of Arista II film, it was on sale at Freestyle and I figured it

would be good fodder for learning the process. ;)

[gt1]

I have two related questions as I'm still a newbie (under 12 months of experience developing film):

 

1) I mixed up some Xtol a week or two ago and there were a couple rice size chunks that didn't dissolve completely, and they looked like hard chunks that weren't ever going to dissolve. So, I went about my business. I developed two rolls the night before last and on one frame there is a .5mm diameter chunk of some type of crystal stuck to the emulsion. It's not dust because it was on the film as soon as I took it out of the photoflo. Should I dump this or just filter it? In general I'm digging the Xtol with Pan F+, Delta 3200 and Tri-X, but my scans of the Tmax 100 I shot last aren't that great. They're pretty dense so I shouldn't judge them until I get in to print somewhere.

 

2) I see several people recommending NOT keeping photoflo for more than a session. I basically keep mine for a couple of weeks and squeegie my film after hanging. I haven't noticed any water marks. If I stop squeegieing (I haven't scratched my film lately but have in the past) should constantly be using fresh photoflo? It's as simple as dunking in photoflo and hanging? Everything just slides down the film without squeegieing?

[j._queue]

I just developed my first roll of film! It is hanging in the shower to dry. I feel good about the process. However, I forgot to

do a complete wash. It was a rather short one (~1 minute). Not that these are important photos, but what happens when the

wash is not thorough?