DensiKit info sought

[FilmDH]

I had used a little kit (DensiKit) about 25 years back to get a good handle on setting personalized exposures & development procedures for B&W film home developing. Just getting back to the hobby, found the kit intact EXCEPT for the instructions.

Does anyone have the instructions they could scan & shoot to me or clearly remember the steps. My memory fails me but I do remember it was a way to get to very good results for me back in the day.

Thanks for help, leads, etc.

FilmDH:confused:

 

[Rick Jones]

Photograph an even toned surface 4 stops below indicated meter reading (Zone I). Make successive exposures at + 1/2 stop, + 1 stop, - 1/2 stop and - 1 stop. You will need 2 blank exposure. Develop the film in your standard developer for your usual time. Setup a contact print frame with 1 blank frame sandwiched with your 0.20 Film Density Reference Standard next to your second blank frame. Your 5 Zone I test negatives to be placed just below. Contact print all together. The exposure is not critical but aim for a mid grey for your negative exposed for the indicated metered Zone I exposure. Once the proof sheet is dry, cutout the 5 Z1 test contacts. You are looking for the negative which produced a density in between the 0.20 sandwich and the blank negative. In other words, the negative displaying a density 0.10 above the base + fog of the blank.

 

[FilmDH]

Thanks Rick, sounds somewhat familiar to my old feeble brain.

Was there not a separate process that also determined the ideal development time that went hand in hand with this process? I thought it was a 2-stage process? Well like I say brain feeble may be thinking of a separate process. I do remember once I went through the whole process that the results I then applied gave me really nice results for my oh so amateur hobby needs. Almost made me look like I knew what I was doing.......Almost!
Thanks again.

DH

 

[Rick Jones]

The DensiKit contained 2 additional Film Density Reference Standards - 0.90 (for those using condenser enlargers) and 1.10 (for those using diffusion enlargers). They were used in exactly the same way as the 0.20 Standard. A Z6 exposure is made, using your earlier determined E.I., and developed for your usual time. A blank frame is sandwiched with the appropriate Standard and contact printed together with your Z6 exposure. If the print densities closely match you have your standard development time. If your Z6 contact print density is too light increase your development time and try again - if too dark reduce your development time and try again.