Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/01/10
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]D Khong wrote: > > Friends > > I am to rate Tri-X at 800, what is the developing time that I should use > with D-23? > > Dan > Dan may I first suggest you not mix it up "straight"? 100 grms is way too much solvent for rollfilm nowadays and would deflect any advantages from Leica or any other quality glass or technique. Try it 1:1. I did it to the effect of 1:2 for years. Hundreds of rolls. Very smooth negs which are hard to over develop. Actually you cant tweet it's two components separately. Less sulfite gives you sharper grain as well as a sharper image. And its not as if your worried about how long the stuff will keep as you mix it up right before you use it. Sulfite is a preservativeas well as a silver solvent. Try not weighing it but just using measuring spoons. Minor White no less did this. And it's said that this ultra simple formulae was invented with this in mind. Less developing agent Elon/Metol for edge effects. The white line around a dark object. The dark edge around a light object. I think of this as the necessary "unsharp mask" you need to do for every "capture". Really. Less sulfite makes for longer developing times as it is also an alkaline which acts as an activator just like "carbonate" would. Tweaking the Metol doesn't seem to change the developing time much from what I remember. No records of what my time was (Thirteen mins?) but I ran all my film in something to the tune of three grams of Metol and thirty three and a third grams of sulfite was was happy as a clam with the negs and prints. I'd figured out the closest spoon to these measurements and just keep that spoon in each ofthe two jars on my shelf over my sink. I mixed them in 70 degree water and poured the "snowflakes are dancing" right into the metal daylight tank with no ill effect. When I poured it out at the end it was dissolved. And there were no pictures of snowstorms. - I think something in the film helps it dissolve. Well I'm going to go out now and do some captures with my silver halide camera. IT's funny I take a picture and quickly check the back of the camera and all I see is a round ISO chart! Does that mean my camera has gone off the air? Mark Rabiner Portland, Oregon USA http://www.rabinergroup.com/Catagorypages/PersonalWork.html - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html