I have to completely disagree with you, but then I have only been using replenished XTOL for a decade and yes I have used replenished XTOL that has sat unused for over six months without a problem.
Funny thing happening to xtol
-
A
- Thread starter Frank53
- Start date
Recent Classifieds
-
For Sale Hasselblad 500ELX kit with CT80 lens
- Started by EgawaShiro
-
Free Kodak slide carousels
- Started by Mkaufman
-
Free Case of 22B Flashbulbs -- NE Ohio pickup
- Started by 2Dogs
-
For Sale Zone VI Development Timer and Newsletters
- Started by 2Dogs
-
Sold Nikon s2 with 50mm 1.4
- Started by Gram Nylén
Forum statistics
I have to completely disagree with you, but then I have only been using replenished XTOL for a decade and yes I have used replenished XTOL that has sat unused for over six months without a problem.
Every time I think I will give xtol a try one of these threads pops up to disabuse me of the notion.
Do not listen to the naysayers, they are in the minority by far.
Nothing of what I said is controversial. Your stance reads as "completely disagreeing with gravity" but since you rarely say stupid things here I will assume you misunderstood something. He wants to try Xtol. Replenishment is not a mandatory requirement. He wants to try this developer and surely using it one-shot is a good way to try and see the benefits.
Except when I asked people to submit their Xtol-R development times we got maybe 5-6 responses? Xtol-R worshipers are a tiny cult with a big mouth. I should be allowed to make fun of it because I'm a part of it.
This is a debatable opinion as there are several happy long term home users of replenished developers including XTol. However, @wyofilm must note that the problem faced by OP has nothing to do with replenishing. OP's replenished working solution, stored at constant temperature (24C), is fine and has no floating stuff. It's the XTol stock which was kept in varying room temperature (as low as 15C) that has the floating stuff. It is mostly temperature variance that is at the heart of the problem as @mshchem noted and has little to do with replenishing.
MattKing
Moderator
For those who may not realize it, the "Calamitous Failure" column in the chart in the previous post is an unofficial addition that the original creators of the chart would not approve of!
Replenishment is the way to run a lab. You monitor pH, specific gravity, smell, filters, RUN CONTROL STRIPS etc. Think the lab Matt visited with his Dad. I've run 1 gallon HC-110 Dil. B bottles for a long time, over a year, same with XTOL . Absolutely no problem.
Today I have the amazing and unnecessarily complicated Jobo machines. The one thing these do well is repeat the same process over and over. Set the RPM, Temperature, pre-wash etc. I use XTOL 1 shot, usually the undiluted stock, because it's the same everytime. For black and white negatives, not necessary, but I know where I stand 1 less variable. I have done the same thing for probably 15 years, with XTOL 1:1 in a Paterson tank with beautiful results. I developed sheet film in open tanks with replenished XTOL, obviously undiluted for years.
The payoff for the elimination of variation comes when you develop color reversal film. It doesn’t take much to get into the rough with slides. When I shoot 35mm slides I put the old F5 in 3D auto matrix metering with a half or third of a stop auto bracketing, in high speed continuous. Frame the shot, hold down the shutter release until it takes 3 frames then stops. Of the 36 shots I pick the best of the 3 mount those and toss the rest. A half stop makes all the difference. With my medium format work I take time and I still bracket.
Okay, I will be quiet now. It's worth it and it's fun.
Today I have the amazing and unnecessarily complicated Jobo machines. The one thing these do well is repeat the same process over and over. Set the RPM, Temperature, pre-wash etc. I use XTOL 1 shot, usually the undiluted stock, because it's the same everytime. For black and white negatives, not necessary, but I know where I stand 1 less variable. I have done the same thing for probably 15 years, with XTOL 1:1 in a Paterson tank with beautiful results. I developed sheet film in open tanks with replenished XTOL, obviously undiluted for years.
The payoff for the elimination of variation comes when you develop color reversal film. It doesn’t take much to get into the rough with slides. When I shoot 35mm slides I put the old F5 in 3D auto matrix metering with a half or third of a stop auto bracketing, in high speed continuous. Frame the shot, hold down the shutter release until it takes 3 frames then stops. Of the 36 shots I pick the best of the 3 mount those and toss the rest. A half stop makes all the difference. With my medium format work I take time and I still bracket.
Okay, I will be quiet now. It's worth it and it's fun.
Ha Ha!!
Man, I still think people should start with bulletproof process.
Adox Rodinal, Ilford citric acid stop bath, Ilford Rapid fix, and LFN wetting agent (just a couple drops in pure water, use once)
Adox Rodinal, Ilford citric acid stop bath, Ilford Rapid fix, and LFN wetting agent (just a couple drops in pure water, use once)
You are right Matt, I'm sure the creator of the chart "I found" meant to have xtol as the most in the calamitous failure category, not T-max. You know you just can't trust stuff you find on the internet!
Do not believe everything you find on the internet. That is not a Kodak posting. It has no bearing on anything. It is disinformation. Ignore it. It is a cut and paste job. It did not come from Kodak. Check your sources.
Big hint: Kodak would never put all the failures to one side, if they were to list them. They would grade them. This is a hit job by someone with an agenda, not Kodak.
Last edited:
I have a funny feeling that wyofilm may have been slightly less than serious about his chart of the truth. The smilie may have been a clue
pentaxuser
MattKing
Moderator
Or your tendency to be mischievous, depending on which applies!
Andrew O'Neill
Moderator
Never ever had an issue with Xtol. I always used it one shot at 1+1.
MattKing
Moderator
Can you add really, really long sliders for years of exemplary service for X-Tol and HC-110 - just for me of course!
Matt - Happy to oblige. I have no scruples or (good) reputation, but isn't X-Tol a relative new comer and D-76 the grand daddy of developers?
I can't stop ...
MattKing
Moderator
Yes - but for me it has been HC-110 first, and X-Tol more recently.
D-76 has been around since the late 1920's it should get a lifetime achievement award or something.
D-76 may be your favorite uncle, but not the granddad. Kodak published a pyro based developer (D-1, same as what we now call PMK) before 1900, and the "76" part of the D-76 designation isn't just pulled out of the air.
| Photrio.com contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. To read our full affiliate disclosure statement please click Here. |
PHOTRIO PARTNERS EQUALLY FUNDING OUR COMMUNITY:  |