Beginner with PMK

Hi everybody!

My name is Gian and I am italian.
I am beginner to darkroom process and i am adventuring in the planet of pyro with some experiments with PMK.

I want start in the right way, can you give me some suggestion on 35mm films? I was thinking starting with one 100 ISO. I like grain-less film (I know, answer is large format...) so what about agfa APX 100? Better T-max 100 or Delta 100? Scala 200 used like neg?

I know, it is not so easy, but a friend of my wife has asked me to make some shot to a statue for a gift to his boy-friend and I would like to do something beautiful

J S

If you search the net you will find lots of information about PMK. Just a couple of my observations. There is a big difference between graded paper and variable contrast papers with stained negatives. With graded paper, the stain is density and the print will be contrasty compared with the visual appearance of the stained negative (i.e. the negative doesn't have to look contrasty). With variable contrast paper, the stain will reduce the contrast of highlights, since the stain is transparent to green light. This is a very good thing if the scene had very high contrast (e.g. interior of a church with windows) or a very bad thing if the scene was normal and you wanted it to have vigorous contrast.

My personal preference was to expose generously and develop minimally. I believe that this leads to not particularly strong staining, and not such a contrast reduction with VC papers. And graded paper is of course an option if contrast turns out to be a bit low.

Whatever, you will definitely have to experiment at least a bit.

Hello J.S.

If you want very fine grain and plan to use PMK, I like a film which comes from eastern europe called "Efke 25." I buy it here in the U.S. at a place called J&C Photo. Hopefully a member from Italy can let you know where to buy some that is close to you. It is a very fine grained film and is one of the last slow black & white films made. It was made in the 1950's and has a very strong following. It is very slow to work with, but for a statue, 35mm and a tripod you won't find a better film to use. It is also wonderful for portraits becausf of its red spectrum sensitivity. It can give glowing skin tones in the right light. Stop it down and run it slow with a good tripod.

The caution about which paper to use for your print is good advice. For variable contrast paper, use iso 12 and about 7 minutes at 20c to see how you like it. Remember to agitate every 15 seconds so development is even. I do a 2 minute presoak for even development, so add another 30 seconds to your time (7:30 total) for presoak and even development. For a scene with lots of contrast do about 30 seconds of initial agitation. For scenes with low light, use a minute. Good luck. tim

Thanks a lot! I know something about Efke and where to buy it. I hear about a lot of problem with the emulsion. What about Efke100?

I know that my question is boring ... sometimes I watch around me and I see too many combination film/developer and so little time to try... I want to study with a film in the hope that at the end i do not put all my effort in the trash and start again with an other film. So I am looking for a well all-round film to start with a serious sperimentation (soon at my home a used X-rite 361T for help. I hope... )

In my madness, or passion if you prefer, I use Forte graded paper and a brush developer made of Metol and Hydroquinon. I do not know exact alchemy... I think a lot of work is waiting me! )

Most of the problems I hear about are from handling. It is a very soft emulsion, so extreme care is necessary when it is wet.

The 100 is a very forgiving film to use. Try 10-12 minutes with PMK. The 25 will give you a nice, hard, contrasty look for a sculpture. Try them both and see what happens. I would use the 25 as my first choice for a standing object. tim