Developing Times: Kodak Tri-x 400

[mshchem]

Heya

I just shot with tri-x 400 for the first time and I developed it for 14 mins, agitating for 5 secs every minute... I read that on a forum but I'm not sure if that was too little or too long and if that was enough agitation. Can anyone help?

All my negatives are a bit on the dark side

Thanks

The best things in life are analog | Rodinal / Adonal

www.adox.de

Follow manufacturers (Adox and Agfa) instructions

 

[grain elevator]

Yeah, I messed up with using too little fixer as well... And yep, my enlarger is fully open and no filters but I think it's over exposed... I shot outside with 400 iso at 500 SS cos I figured better to stay with that.
If it's over exposed, should I under develop?

Depends. Better just get the exposure right next time. What was the light like, what aperture did you use? SS alone doesn't say anything about exposure.
Enlarger lens should be stopped down for the exposure, just to be clear.

 

[cmacd123]

Also on the fixer, I save the exposed and undeveloped tongue off the roll of 35mm and place it in some fixer and agitate it, timing how long it takes to clear It. That tells me the condition of my fixer and the minimum time I need to fix my film.

Just for beginners, --- one should fix for TWICE the time that the test takes to clear (some even say 3X) also note the time that the film takes to clear when the fix is new, when It gets to be TWICE the time, their is Too Much silver in the fixer and so you need a new batch.

 

[cmacd123]

Rodinal is a great developer. it can make the negatives look slightly more grainy than some other developers. be aware that their are many folks who have an opinion of their favorite developer. None of them are wrong for their own purposes, but they might not be optimal for yours. The "standard" is probably D76. Rodinal with the generally long shelf life and easy dilution ratios is quite useful as a starting point. It is certainly one that I used in my early days learning my way around the darkroom.

 

[VinceInMT]

Just for beginners, --- one should fix for TWICE the time that the test takes to clear (some even say 3X) also note the time that the film takes to clear when the fix is new, when It gets to be TWICE the time, their is Too Much silver in the fixer and so you need a new batch.

Good point. Thanks for adding that.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Rodinal is a great developer. it can make the negatives look slightly more grainy than some other developers. be aware that their are many folks who have an opinion of their favorite developer. None of them are wrong for their own purposes, but they might not be optimal for yours. The "standard" is probably D76. Rodinal with the generally long shelf life and easy dilution ratios is quite useful as a starting point. It is certainly one that I used in my early days learning my way around the darkroom.

I found that XTOL either stock or replenished is a more forgiving developer. Just use something like StopLossBags™ to seal off any air getting in the developer while not in use.