First time Kodak TRIX 400 in PMK Pyro - Need Help!

[wilfbiffherb]

When i bought my printing kit a while ago i also got some developers with it and this included some PMK Pyro. Im just coming round to using it but as i dont have the book of pyro i have no times/techniques for getting the best out of it. I have some trix 400 which im going to shoot today - cn anyone recommend an iso to shoot at and development times/procedure for it in PMK at all? or alternatively i have some Ilfoprd PAN F+ which i could shoot (but i believe it doesnt stain very well). Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Neal]

Dear wilfbiffherb,

Photographer's Formulary sells PMK developer. Go here and click on Tech Info.

Good luck,

Neal Wydra

 

[wildbill]

http://www.digitaltruth.com/devchart.php

 

[frotog]

PMK and tri-x are a great combination. Expose the heck out of the trix if you want rich detail in the shadow. The highlights will not blow out - this is the beauty of PMK. I expose mine at 160 asa for optimal results. Definitely use distilled water for both dev. and prewash as PMK does not play well with most tap water. I have noticed more staining at higher temps but the 75 degrees f. that the digital truth devchart recommends strikes me as excessive. I use 70 degrees f. at 12 minutes, one brisk total inversion every ten seconds throughout the entire dev. time. Try to find yourself an alkaline fix instead of an acid fix as the acid fix will wash out much of the stain. Prepare yourself for the most beautiful highlight rendition you've ever seen in your prints. Have fun!

 

[wilfbiffherb]

thanks very much for the tips everyone. i ended up rating at 200iso and developing for 9 mins at 24 degrees C. The film is just drying now. i have stain and theres images on the negs so im happy! just got to wait hours to print now!!

 

[jordanstarr]

With Pyro, everyone has a different technique, times, etc. When I was using it, I was mixing from scratch, so it wasn't incredibly consistent. But as previously posted, I'd give it extra time because it was hard to blow out the highlights. That being said, don't take a single answer to be the true one for you. Shoot a roll -same subject and exposure through all the frames, cut it up into 3, 4 or 5 strips and develop one at a time. Try different lengths of time, different agitation methods, etc. to see what works for you -the look you like, the way you like to print, etc.

 

[chriscrawfordphoto]

thanks very much for the tips everyone. i ended up rating at 200iso and developing for 9 mins at 24 degrees C. The film is just drying now. i have stain and theres images on the negs so im happy! just got to wait hours to print now!!

I develop Tri-X in PMK with the same EI and developing time, and it looks beautiful.

I've been using PMK for FP4, Tmax 100 and 400, and Fuji Acros with great results, too