david_milton

Hi-

Here's a tip. If you are using tanks to dev 35mm (2 reels) or 120 (1 reel), don't

worry about how much dev to use. Simply top off the tank. You'll get better

results and less oxidation.

David

Hi-

The color of the stain isn't as important as the coverage of the stain. If it is

even in color and coverage, it will be OK. Uneven stain is a concern, the color

is not.

I get different colored stains, depending on the type and speed of the film.

Delta films have minimal stain, while FP4 can be used as a sun shield.

David

I am going to say something that will risk me being flamed: I don't know why

someone in the creative field would ever tell another NOT to expand their

skillset. Expansion of one's knowledge and experiences with different

methods IS why we are photographers, not just happy-snappers. We don't

simply record history, we impart our creative interpretation of the event. This

IS accomplished through experimentation. As an artist, if you don't expand

your experiences, your inspiration simply dies, along with your art.

Now, on with the show.

Tony,

I say, by all means, try PMK Pryo. It IS the magic bullet, as compared to HC-

110 and others. And, it IS NOT difficult, and it is not expensive. Read and

follow Gordon's book. The biggest advantage is not really the stain Pyro

produces, but the increased edge-effects. Negs look sharper partly because

grain size is kept in check.

As a beginner, you will probably fair better than an experienced photographer

because you have not developed any bad (poor, sloppy) habits. So, learning

Pyro will not be that difficult. Pyro was introduced to me after developing my

own film for only two weeks. I never had a bad neg because of Pyro (8 years).

In fact, Pyro helped a few wrongly-metered negs because Pyro is very

forgiving. The highlights will not blow out and the shadows will not block up. If

I can do it, so can you. I've even shot in a dark old warehouse with windows

and the highlights did not blow out. In fact, you could still see the wooden

dividers in the pane. That scene had a 13 zone difference from the indoor

shadows to the sun blasting through the windows. No other developer will do

that. Other Pyro developers, maybe.

That gets me to another point. Other Pyro developers have several more

chemicals than PMK Pyro. All these chemicals will have an effect, somehow. I

figure simple is better, so I go with PMK. I have not used any other Pyro

because I have not had a need to do so. I don't get streaking, mottling,

oxidation, excessive fog, etc. I think this is because I did start using PMK

early, and I follow the book to a 'T'.

For 35mm film in tanks, Pyro requires aggressive agitation, not the gentle

swirling motion from one hand to the other as in HC-110. I take the tank

length-wise in one hand and twist my wrist to the left, then right 3 times, then

wait about 15 seconds, then repeat. Easy.

The dangerous part of Pyro is not the pryo chemical, it is the metol. Metol is

far more toxic than pyro. Metol is found in many darkroom chemicals. So, use

medical-type latex gloves throughout the entire process, even if you are using

daylight tanks. I use gloves for just about every chemical-related procedure. I

want to keep my liver.

Buy Pryo pre-mixed, not in powder. The powder form will hurt you (chemical

dust gets into your lungs). The pre-mix is more safe (no dust).

I do not have very good luck printing any Delta films. The Delta films are less

forgiving because of the unique triangular-shaped silver emultion. If you have

trouble printing Delta films (as I did) try anything non-Delta. The problem is

not with Pyro. Others report FP4 can be tricky with Pyro, but I have not had

any problems.

Hope this helps.

David