Developing Fomapan 200 with Technidol

Miles51 · Aug 7, 2015

So, I'm about to develop my first roll of B&W film, a Fomapan 200.
I have been checking out some stuff on the internet, and am quite confused.
First, I got a box of Kodak Technidol (which I am just now finding out was discontinued and very expensive, I boght it at the photo store because it was the cheapest one they had and way back then I though all B&W would be pretty much the same). And then I realized that apparently, different films have different development times on different developers. I have found a chart for the Fomapan 200, but Technidol isn't there (of course, it was discontinued, and, I just found out as well, was designed for microfilm).
So, my question is: CAN I develop this roll on this developer? If so, how should I go about doing it? (I can't buy a different brand now, so if possible, I would like to use this one, though I know it would be better to get a different developer and sell this one haha).

Another question:
I just read as well that although rated at 200, this film is closer to 125, so, should I extend the developing time to compensate?

Thank you!!!

Paul Howell · Aug 7, 2015

Technidal was matched to Techinipan, a very fine grain high resolution film. I assume that it can be used to develop other films, but the fact that the massive development chart does any times than similar films leads me to think that it is not a good idea. Foma 200 works well with D76.

Miles51 · Aug 7, 2015

PDH said:
Technidal was matched to Techinipan, a very fine grain high resolution film. I assume that it can be used to develop other films, but the fact that the massive development chart does any times than similar films leads me to think that it is not a good idea. Foma 200 works well with D76.

Thanks for the answer! My problem is I have no access to other developers at the time, nordo I think I will in the near future. So I guess I should just save this film until I can get a different B&W developer?

MrBrowning · Aug 7, 2015

Miles51 said:
Thanks for the answer! My problem is I have no access to other developers at the time, no do I think I will in the near future. So I guess I should just save this film until I can get a different B&W developer?

Have you thought about Caffenol? The ingredients should be readily available. The massive dev chart lists a 25 minute time for the combination.

Miles51 · Aug 7, 2015

MrBrowning said:
Have you thought about Caffenol? The ingredients should be readily available. The massive dev chart lists a 25 minute time for the combination.

Yes, I'm having major difficulties finding sodium carbonate. I live in a small town in a country where pretty much nothing is "readily available" hahaha

MrBrowning · Aug 7, 2015

Out of curiosity how about Borax?

pdeeh · Aug 7, 2015

Borax Doesn't work too well with caffenol.

Can be done, but not the best results.

Hydroxide might be better than borax, but it'd take some tweaking. Which might lead to a lot of wasted film.

Reinhold (the Caffenol guru, not the meniscus guru ) was quite systematic in establishing the most suitable alkali, and he did test borax

Gerald C Koch · Aug 7, 2015

How is the availability of baking soda, sodium bicarbonate? Sodium bicarbonate can be converted into sodium carbonate by heating it..

MrBrowning · Aug 7, 2015

pdeeh said:
Borax Doesn't work too well with caffenol.

Can be done, but not the best results.

Hydroxide might be better than borax, but it'd take some tweaking. Which might lead to a lot of wasted film.

Reinhold (the Caffenol guru, not the meniscus guru ) was quite systematic in establishing the most suitable alkali, and he did test borax

Good to know. I remember seeing somewhere (Flickr maybe) someone was using borax. Doesn't sound worth it though.

pdeeh · Aug 7, 2015

Yes I remember someone at Flickr persevering with it, but I don't think the results were very good.

I always forget about heating bicarb

gkardmw · Aug 7, 2015

Sodium carbonate is readily available as washing soda - in my area, it is found in the laundry detergent section of supermarket, about $3.50 per box (about 3.5 pounds, like a small box of detergent). It is made by Arm and Hammer.

Miles51 · Aug 7, 2015

Well, after about 2 hours of walking around I managed to get my hands on a bunch of sodium carbonate, as a pH stabilizer in a pool supply store. I have never seen it in a drug store or a supermarket though

Gerald C Koch · Aug 7, 2015

You can also make a developer from paracetamol headache medicine, sodium sulfite and lye (sodium hydroxide). This is sort of a homebrew rordinal.

Ricardo Miranda · Aug 8, 2015

Americans really like to complicate things.

It is your FIRST time developing: why complicate it?
Just get some Rodinal bottle and develop F200 at 1:100 dilution, stand for 1 hour.
Simple.

pdeeh · Aug 8, 2015

gkardmw said:
Sodium carbonate is readily available as washing soda -

Ricardo Miranda said:
Just get some Rodinal bottle.Simple.

It is really really important that people remember that simply because something is easily available or cheap where they live doesn't mean that it is easily available or cheap for everybody in the rest of the world.

Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't.

The OP is in Argentina and had already said he has been unable to find carbonate easily, and that photographic supplies generally are hard to find.

Ricardo Miranda · Aug 8, 2015

pdeeh said:
The OP is in Argentina and had already said he has been unable to find carbonate easily, and that photographic supplies generally are hard to find.

As it happens, I know a supplier in Buenos Aires who curiously has a similar name to mine.
Your premise is though invalid.
The OP only needs to look for a traditional brick and mortar shop.

pdeeh · Aug 8, 2015

Then I suggest that you pm the op with that helpful information.

It doesn't make my premiss invalid though. Because there isn't a premiss

Miles51 · Aug 8, 2015

Ricardo Miranda said:
As it happens, I know a supplier in Buenos Aires who curiously has a similar name to mine.
Your premise is though invalid.
The OP only needs to look for a traditional brick and mortar shop.

Well, I don't live in Buenos Aires, where I live, there are zero photo shops that sell those kinds of things, at least that I have been able to find.

I found the carbonate though, at a pool supply store, so I will try with Caffenol C. I hope the times in the Massive Dev Chart are at least approximate enough to get decent results, I liked the photos I took with that roll

Ricardo Miranda · Aug 8, 2015

Miles

You can contact this guy. He might help you:

https://www.flickr.com/people/78605237@N04/

Miles51 · Aug 8, 2015

I developed the roll in Caffenol C with pretty acceptable results =)

EdSawyer · Aug 10, 2015

Nice. Now find some expired Tech Pan and use the Technidol on it. it's a great combination.

Developing Fomapan 200 with Technidol

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