Search found 33 matches

by darkroommike
Wed Jan 03, 2018 12:37 pm
Forum: Black & White Film Development
Topic: dissolving phenidone
Replies: 7
Views: 7851

Re: dissolving phenidone

Phenidone is only slightly soluble in plain water. Good thing we don't use a lot in most developers. It dissolves much more readily in alkaline solutions. It is also soluble in 91% Isopropyl alcohol (drug store item in my country, rubbing alcohol (drugstore item and usually 70% methanol), glycols, g...
by darkroommike
Tue Jan 02, 2018 7:05 am
Forum: Black & White Film Development
Topic: Percentage solutions
Replies: 3
Views: 5587

Re: Percentage solutions

OK, revealing my real age, Jason Schneider used to recommend using a sulfite solution for diluting Rodinal, his "precise measure" was a level "Chock Full of Nuts" coffee scoop.
by darkroommike
Sun Dec 31, 2017 8:08 am
Forum: Black & White Film Development
Topic: Percentage solutions
Replies: 3
Views: 5587

Percentage solutions

[Forgive me for sticking this in the FILM development forum but I don't see a forum on black and white PAPER developers.] What are the common "best" percentage solutions for developers additives, e.g. 10% Potassium bromide 6% Sodium Carbonate 0.2% BZT (benzotriazole) Am I missing any, what...
by darkroommike
Tue Dec 26, 2017 7:49 am
Forum: Color Film Processing
Topic: C-22/C-41 Cross Process - Is It Possible?
Replies: 3
Views: 22646

Re: C-22/C-41 Cross Process - Is It Possible?

You will not get true, pure colors but hey the film is roughly 40 years old, right? C-22 uses CD-3 and C-41 uses CD-4. I would try processing at no more than 75 deg. F. at around 15 minutes for a first try (you don't day how much of this film you have). Expect a bunch of crossover, too. If you Googl...
by darkroommike
Fri Nov 17, 2017 4:50 pm
Forum: Darkroom Equipment for Shipping Costs
Topic: Omega D2
Replies: 2
Views: 25737

Re: Omega D2

Steve, did you ever get a reply to this offer? I think the D2 is a fantastic piece of kit, and no, I don't need another one, I already have a D2, a D3, and a D5 and when I brought the D5 into the house my wife finally gave me "the look". I posted here merely to give this offer a bump. Mike...
by darkroommike
Sun Mar 19, 2017 12:16 pm
Forum: Darkroom Equipment for Sale
Topic: LF darkroom equipment for sale
Replies: 11
Views: 38983

Re: LF darkroom equipment for sale

Andy, might be easier to replace the carrier than repair. That's been my experience with glass carriers.
by darkroommike
Sun Mar 19, 2017 12:07 pm
Forum: Black & White Film Development
Topic: Developer Dilution - How Does it affect your negs?
Replies: 1
Views: 4015

Re: Developer Dilution - How Does it affect your negs?

You can add higher speed (in some developers). Some developers never gave the film's full "box" speed at stock but did give the higher speed (as rated) when diluted 1+1 or 1+3. Microdol-X and Perceptol for two that come to mind. Just my two cents.
by darkroommike
Sun Mar 19, 2017 12:04 pm
Forum: Black & White Film Development
Topic: Acufine / Tri-x - 1 stop push dev time?
Replies: 3
Views: 6039

Re: Acufine / Tri-x - 1 stop push dev time?

I'm pretty sure Acufine is still Acufine but Tri-X (now 400TX) is not the same stuff we were pushing 20-30 years ago, Tri-X 400 and is surely not the stuff I was using in the late 70's Tri-X 5063. The Acufine data sheet says rate new Tri-X at EI 1000, calls for 5 minutes (that's only a 1/3 stop off)...
by darkroommike
Sat Jan 28, 2017 9:32 am
Forum: Toning
Topic: Alkaline fixers and selenium toning
Replies: 3
Views: 5916

Alkaline fixers and selenium toning

Years ago I also started skipping the clear, and wash and started putting prints right from the 2nd. fix into the KRST (KRST has 'hypo' in it) this works very well, the only time one has issues is when there is only a little fixer in a print, unevenly distributed, if a print is pristine or soaking i...
by darkroommike
Fri Dec 23, 2016 8:25 pm
Forum: Darkroom Equipment for Sale
Topic: macbeth td 904 transmission densitometer
Replies: 2
Views: 9606

macbeth td 904 transmission densitometer

The man with two densitometers is like the man with two watches.
by darkroommike
Fri Dec 23, 2016 8:24 pm
Forum: Color Film Processing
Topic: Pushing Color Transparency Film ?
Replies: 10
Views: 12333

Pushing Color Transparency Film ?

perfesserkev wrote: Heh. Flashback. In college I ran E-6 in an Arkay sink line. I'd roll up to 30 reels of chrome film in the dark, drop 'em in a rack and have to hold dark until into the color developer. On busy days it was nearly an hour of total blackness. I hallucinated often. At that much time ...
by darkroommike
Sun Dec 04, 2016 4:53 pm
Forum: Color Film Processing
Topic: Pushing Color Transparency Film ?
Replies: 10
Views: 12333

Pushing Color Transparency Film ?

perfesserkev wrote: Heh. Flashback. In college I ran E-6 in an Arkay sink line. I'd roll up to 30 reels of chrome film in the dark, drop 'em in a rack and have to hold dark until into the color developer. On busy days it was nearly an hour of total blackness. I hallucinated often. At that much time ...
by darkroommike
Sun Nov 27, 2016 2:49 pm
Forum: Color Film Processing
Topic: Proper Reflective Metering for Color Transparency Film
Replies: 5
Views: 8182

Proper Reflective Metering for Color Transparency Film

Use an incident light meter. You use it to measure the light falling on your subject, not reflected, and that means that the meter and operator can't be fooled by subjects with unusual reflectances.
by darkroommike
Sun Nov 27, 2016 2:45 pm
Forum: Black & White Film Development
Topic: off-topic - metering black & white film question
Replies: 2
Views: 4613

off-topic - metering black & white film question

When you use an incident light meter, once you have established your working EI for your film in your studio with your studio flash you, you are placing your midtones (gray card) on Zone V, once you place any one tone you do not need to place any other tones in your shot, especially adjacent tones l...
by darkroommike
Sat Jul 16, 2016 7:39 am
Forum: Open Discussion
Topic: What do you want in your darkroom?
Replies: 4
Views: 8018

What do you want in your darkroom?

Not a darkroom equipment wanted ad! Just wondering what all of you would add to your darkroom that you don't already have.
by darkroommike
Sat May 14, 2016 1:08 am
Forum: Open Discussion
Topic: Thomas Duplex Safelight
Replies: 4
Views: 8087

Thomas Duplex Safelight

Your page is down, just as an aside, I have both a Thomas and an Osram Duka in my home darkroom and the communal darkroom where I teach has 5! Nice darkroom to work in.
by darkroommike
Wed May 04, 2016 12:22 pm
Forum: Darkroom Equipment
Topic: Beseler 45MCRX tear in lower bellows
Replies: 6
Views: 13131

Beseler 45MCRX tear in lower bellows

I'm more an Omega man myself (and I don't men the awful movie with Charlton Heston!). In my (crowded) home darkroom I have a D5/MG600 head, a D3 with a Variable Condenser head, and a D2 I am rebuilding. I am replacing the bellows on the D2, not for damage, but because the seam came unglued. On inspe...
by darkroommike
Mon Apr 25, 2016 8:22 pm
Forum: Darkroom Equipment
Topic: Zone VI Compensating Developing Timer repair needed
Replies: 2
Views: 6453

Zone VI Compensating Developing Timer repair needed

jwilliams3195 wrote: I've been using my ZVI CDT for 22 years. The "Real Time" and "Paper" work just fine. However, the "Film" is so off base that this component for film development is untrustworthy/unusable. Is there a reputable source for repair or, perhaps, chip repl...
by darkroommike
Sun Apr 24, 2016 1:03 pm
Forum: Darkroom Equipment
Topic: Beseler 45MCRX tear in lower bellows
Replies: 6
Views: 13131

Beseler 45MCRX tear in lower bellows

Now what, never noticed the tear before I properly set up the enlarger the other day (school darkroom, many donations, pretty sure this one has never be used for 4x5 before). The condenser, topside, had the spacer ring for the plano-convex lenses in the wrong place so I fixed that. Slapped on a 135m...
by darkroommike
Sun Mar 20, 2016 8:53 am
Forum: Fixers
Topic: Rapid fix, white precipitate-is this fix good?-is this sulfurization?
Replies: 1
Views: 4439

Rapid fix, white precipitate-is this fix good?-is this sulfurization?

One of my friends on Facebook posted a question about Kodafix (liquid fix concentrate with incorporated hardener) which has generated a thread about white precips and off smells in rapid fixer concentrate. I took the more conservative view, that if there is an off smell (either hydrogen sulfide or s...
by darkroommike
Tue Mar 15, 2016 7:00 pm
Forum: Member Announcements
Topic: Forum Slow Down
Replies: 5
Views: 9297

Forum Slow Down

Sure questions like: Which is the larger aperture f/8 or f/16 Ansel [fill in the blank] Tri-X ISO= OK, it's harder than it looks, hope you can use at least one of the three I proposed. Other than a few starting hitches I really like the site, nice clean layout and a pretty impressive list of moderat...
by darkroommike
Tue Mar 15, 2016 8:00 am
Forum: Member Announcements
Topic: Forum Slow Down
Replies: 5
Views: 9297

Forum Slow Down

BTW your stupid punbot doesn't work, e.g. what kind of camera uses 4x5 film, only answer it would accept is view camera but I can name at least three other types of camera that use 4x5 film. And "D-76 is a film:" is that supposed to be a true or false or what? No way to tell...I'm logged i...
by darkroommike
Tue Mar 15, 2016 7:57 am
Forum: Member Announcements
Topic: Forum Slow Down
Replies: 5
Views: 9297

Forum Slow Down

Thanks Steve, that would be great. Say "Hi" to Mick. Cuba is on my wish list but I don't really see it happening.
by darkroommike
Wed Mar 09, 2016 8:50 pm
Forum: Black & White Film Development
Topic: Essential raw chemicals list
Replies: 5
Views: 7192

Essential raw chemicals list

If you want to spread your wings a tiny bit add Phenidone A and Ascorbic Acid to the list. (And don't buy much Phenidone I bought 100 times as much as I needed then discovered that a tiny bit goes a long, long way!)
by darkroommike
Fri Mar 04, 2016 6:28 pm
Forum: Darkroom Equipment
Topic: Windshield wiper squeegees?
Replies: 12
Views: 15987

Windshield wiper squeegees?

I'm sure the Ettore squeegees are fine, but dog gone it, the thing just isn't esoteric enough, I can buy it a Home Depot for Ansel's sake, but an original, new-old-stock 1967 (not '69 or '66!) VW Van windshield wiper blade, that's the ticket! And the repro's are under ten bucks. I may buy one to try...