FP4+ in Pyrocat hd

[Don Mills]

Hi Folks,

Any recommendations for this combo? I use a rotery processor and use vc paper. Formats are 35 mm and 120. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks.

Don

 

[Richard Wasserman]

Don,

I use this combination a lot in 4x5. You might try 7minutes +/- at 70 degrees. Good luck, it's really nice.

Richard Wasserman

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

The Massive Dev Chart suggests 8 minutes @ 68f. Because I print alt process stuff, I tend to run mine a bit hotter to goose up the development - I do 8 mins @72f. Use the slowest possible rotation speed with your Jobo to avoid seriously overcooking the film and/or exhausting the developer prematurely.

 

[lee]

I am using 2+2+100 at 68F and 8.5 min in a Unicolor drum and motor base.

lee\c

 

[JBrunner]

For 120 I run 1:1:100 for 8 min at 68f. Agitate first 30sec then 10 inversions on each minute. Water stop. PF TF-4 fix.

 

[sanking]

I am using 2+2+100 at 68F and 8.5 min in a Unicolor drum and motor base.

lee\c

Question for Lee and JB.

Is this for printing with VC silver papers? If so, assuming a scene of normal contrast (further assuming there is such a thing), what filter do you usually need for printing these negatives. Your times and methods of develpment should give negatives of quite different contrast.

Sandy

 

[JBrunner]

Hi Sandy,

I usually rate FP4 at 80, and wind up with negs that require very little in the way of contrast filtering for vc, often none at all.

adendum: This latest roll of 120 is printing nicely at #2. Nobody ever accused me of knowing what I was doing

 

[lee]

I am making negs that look right to me. Maybe too thick but I rate the FP4 at ei 64. I split grade print so I can't say just exactly what grade the filter is. I have tried 1+1+100 and at the times Sandy and others say I get blank sheets or at least faint sheets of film. Been that way since day one with Pyrocat. As soon as I start to print this round of negs I will be happy to send you a sample to let you see the results.

lee\c

 

[sanking]

I am making negs that look right to me. Maybe too thick but I rate the FP4 at ei 64. I split grade print so I can't say just exactly what grade the filter is. I have tried 1+1+100 and at the times Sandy and others say I get blank sheets or at least faint sheets of film. Been that way since day one with Pyrocat. As soon as I start to print this round of negs I will be happy to send you a sample to let you see the results.

lee\c

Lee,

That would be interesting. I will send you my mailing address off-list.

BTW, are you mixing your developer from raw chemicals, or buying a pre-mixed liquid kit? If the latter, which one?

Sandy

 

[lee]

Sandy,

I am making part A from chemicals I bought from Mike at Artcraft Chemicals and part B is sodium carbonate (Arm and Hammer Washing Powder). I also am using distilled water to mix stock and city water for diluted working solutions. I do not mix the two together until just before I need them in the sequence. I am using a Unicolor drum and motor base. I pre wash for 5 min then pour out and then add the pyrocat HD and then one min of water and then fix. With the Unicolor drum I dont have the little separator so all I can do is two 4x5 sheets at a time and I can do two 5x7 sheets at a time also or one 8x10. I mix to the dilution of 10:50:500. Any thing else I maybe missing?

lee\c

 

[sanking]

Sandy,

I am making part A from chemicals I bought from Mike at Artcraft Chemicals and part B is sodium carbonate (Arm and Hammer Washing Powder). I also am using distilled water to mix stock and city water for diluted working solutions. I do not mix the two together until just before I need them in the sequence. I am using a Unicolor drum and motor base. I pre wash for 5 min then pour out and then add the pyrocat HD and then one min of water and then fix. With the Unicolor drum I dont have the little separator so all I can do is two 4x5 sheets at a time and I can do two 5x7 sheets at a time also or one 8x10. I mix to the dilution of 10:50:500. Any thing else I maybe missing?

lee\c

Lee,

I don't see anything that you are missing. As best I can figure, your 10:50:500 dilution should indeed be equivalent to the regular 2:2:100 dilution.

But are you sure that the baking powder is really 100% sodium carbonate?

Sandy

 

[lee]

I am using washing soda for Part B not baking soda which is something else bicarbonate of soda I think

Arm and Hammer Washing Soda only lists Sodium Carbonate as the ingredient. So I am pretty sure it is the real deal. Plus the Pot Carbonate negs look just like the Sod Carbonate negs....weird huh?

lee\c

 

[Mark Layne]

I have been using Arm & Hammer with no problems, according to Sandy's recommendations for substituting Sodium Carbonate, and I normally use the 1:1:100 dilution
Mark

 

[sanking]

I am using washing soda for Part B not baking soda which is something else bicarbonate of soda I think

Arm and Hammer Washing Soda only lists Sodium Carbonate as the ingredient. So I am pretty sure it is the real deal. Plus the Pot Carbonate negs look just like the Sod Carbonate negs....weird huh?

lee\c

Lee,

Well, there may not be anything all that weird. What I find is that it is possible to make good prints with negatives that are really underexposed and overexoposed, and that have low and high contrast. If you are making good prints then we would have to say that whatever you are doing is working for your particular type of exposure, development and printing,

Sandy