4x5 Tri-X 320 and HC-110

Curtis Nelson · Nov 24, 2004

Does anyone on this board use this combination? I'm tempted to try it, but I can only find 50 sheet boxes locally, and don't want to spend $50 if it's not do-able. I've read the suggested dev times from Kodak, and wonder what HC-110 dilution most people use so you get long enough tray development times?

Thanks,

Curtis

Donald Miller · Nov 24, 2004

Curtis Nelson said:
Does anyone on this board use this combination? I'm tempted to try it, but I can only find 50 sheet boxes locally, and don't want to spend $50 if it's not do-able. I've read the suggested dev times from Kodak, and wonder what HC-110 dilution most people use so you get long enough tray development times?

Thanks,

Curtis

I have used this in the past. Rated Tri X at 160 and HC110 Dil B. Dev times for N dev 6 min 15 seconds at 70 degrees.

lee · Nov 24, 2004

My time is Tri-x rated at 200 and hc110 at 6 minutes at 68f and this is 8x10 in trays. Very classic film and developer combination.

lee\c

John Cook · Nov 24, 2004

This is a classic, middle-of-the-road, standard combination used with great success by many photographers. It has a very nice look.

Tri-X, having a long toe, benefits from slightly increased exposure of 1/2 to 1 stop if you desire good shadow detail. Examples might include product shots of black leather goods, dark blue suits and farm animals with brown or black coats.

I personally have always had (for 40 years) an aversion to HC-110 because it has a nasty habit of dying without any warning such as a dramatic color change. I have had friends lose an entire 18-reel stainless basket of 120 film due to this anomaly.

My recommendation for a similar developer would be Kodak's D76 or Ilford's ID-11. Slightly increased dilution (such as D76 @ 1:3) will yield longer development times, increased sharpness and very slightly increased grain.

I would not venture a proper development time. That depends upon your metering technique and your kit of assorted equipment, from light meter to lab thermometers to timers to lenses to enlarger to water quality, etc. Honestly, experimentation is really necessary.

donbga · Nov 24, 2004

John Cook said:
I personally have always had (for 40 years) an aversion to HC-110 because it has a nasty habit of dying without any warning such as a dramatic color change.

John,

Are you talking about stock solutions going bad unpredictably? I've found the concentrate to be very stable even in partially filled jugs.

My practice is to mix only the amount of working solution you intend to consume immediatly.

I've had very good results with dilution B and sheet versions of Tri-X, exposing at an EI of 160. You can get into trouble with blocked highlights though. Bruce Barnbaum recommends a highly dilute mixture of dilution B to handle very contrasty scenes, he places his shadow values on Z IV. If I remember correctly dilution B is diluted 1:49 and about a 19 or 20 minute development at 68F is recommended. It works! I've used it.

Normally though my dilution B time is 5.5 minutes at 70F.

Don Bryant

lee · Nov 24, 2004

I agree with Don Bryant. I have never had a failure with HC110. I use Dil B I mix from the consentrate (the bottle) one part of HC110 to 31parts of h2o That is dil b and it lasts much longer that way. 6 months is a long time if you do the 1:3 then 1:7 mix that Kodak wants you to use. I would recommend a good syringe to move the HC110 to the measuring vessel.

lee\c

JackRosa · Nov 24, 2004

HC-110, solution B workd well wit Tri-X. May I suggest the following alternative: Ilford HP5+ in Rodinal 1:50. I find this combination to have richer tones and highre acutance.

VoidoidRamone · Nov 24, 2004

Out of curiosity, does anyone use HC-110 at anything besides dil.B? It's probably my inexperience showing here, but I honestly don't think I've ever heard of anyone using HC-110 at anothe dilution. -Grant

Curtis Nelson · Nov 24, 2004

VoidoidRamone -
I use HC-110 at a special dilution that some call 'H' (I read about in somewhere on the internet). I mainly use it to get longer dev times with HP5+.

Curtis Nelson · Nov 24, 2004

For you who have used this film, you are referring to the NEW TriX, right (TXP320)? Because looking at the dev times in HC-110 B, I don't see how you can get a nice, evenly developed negative in under 3 minutes at the higher temps. I always thought the negative needed at least 5 minutes so it developed evenly. Does it work because of the continuous agitation?

Curtis

lee · Nov 24, 2004

I have always heard that anything under 5 minutes MIGHT give you unevenly. However, I have never experienced that. I don't routinely use shorter times than the 6 minutes. I use ice to cool the working solution of HC110 before I use it if I have to because the water coming out of the tap most of the year here in N Texas is above 68 degrees f. I, also, don't find the times for development to be different between old and new Tri-x. YMMV.

lee\c

BradS · Nov 24, 2004

VoidoidRamone said:
Out of curiosity, does anyone use HC-110 at anything besides dil.B? It's probably my inexperience showing here, but I honestly don't think I've ever heard of anyone using HC-110 at anothe dilution. -Grant

The un-offical HC 110 resource page at: http://www.covingtoninnovations.com/hc110/

at least implies that HC-110 is used at other dilutions. He also comments on many other issues related to HC-110.

hortense · Nov 24, 2004

HC110 and Tri-X and now the new 320TPX has been my standby for over 25-years. Never had a problem. I use very dilute developer with infrequent agitation in a CombiPlan T tank that hold 6-sheets of 4x5. Normal development is 17 1/2 min. @ 68 deg. F with short agitations every minute. Dilution is 7.3 ml HC110 CONCENTRATE made up to 1-liter (I use a syringe to measure the HC110 concentrate). While you can double up and develop 12-sheets, the developer concentration is insuffient to do so.

Konical · Nov 24, 2004

Good Afternoon, Curtis,

I don't know about short times for TPX, but I've processed many sheets of Commercial Copy film in HC-110B; the standard time is about two minutes, fifteen seconds. Never a problem with uneveness. I use a Chromega drum on a motor base.

Konical

hortense · Nov 24, 2004

Never had a problem with old Tri-X or 320TPX and HC110;used since 1980. Use a Combi T tank the handles 6 4 x 5 negs. Develop 17 1/2 minutes agitation 15 second evrery minute with dilute HC110 (7.4 ml per liter using a hypodermic needle system) @ 68 degrees F. Used to use tray but got tired of occaisonal scratches to went to tank. Note: Combi T tank can handle 12 negs back to back but dilution I uses is insufficient to this many.

KenM · Nov 25, 2004

VoidoidRamone said:
Out of curiosity, does anyone use HC-110 at anything besides dil.B? It's probably my inexperience showing here, but I honestly don't think I've ever heard of anyone using HC-110 at anothe dilution. -Grant

4x5 Tri-X EI 160 HC-110 1:10.5 for 6 1/4 minutes at 20C (68F).

dr bob · Nov 25, 2004

I use it.

Rocky · Nov 25, 2004

Hi,
I think the dilution 'H' is 1:15 from the stock solution. The dev time is usually twice the time used for dilution "B". I use it with the Tri-x 320 with good results.

Rocky

Konical · Nov 25, 2004

Good Afternoon,

According to information on the Covington Innovations site (I think that's where I got it anyway), the H dilution is 1:63. It's the A dilution that's 1:15. Using the H dilution for around twice the B dilution time would seem to be approximately correct.

Konical

Eric Rose · Nov 25, 2004

KenM said:
4x5 Tri-X EI 160 HC-110 1:10.5 for 6 1/4 minutes at 20C (68F).

That's from a stock solution of 1:7, right?

4x5 Tri-X 320 and HC-110

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