H&W control from Frugal Photographer

laser

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POTA is an excellent developer for Tech Pan and similar films . 1.5 grams of Phenidone and 30 grams of NaSO3 per liter. See the paper by Marilyn Levy of Rome Air Base in the 1970s.
 
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MCB18

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laser said:
POTA is an excellent developer for Tech Pan and similar films . 1.5 grams of Phenidone and 30 grams of NaSO3 per liter. See the paper by Marilyn Levy of Rome Air Base in the 1970s.
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Yes but unfortunately it is not nearly as shelf stable and requires a lot more developing agent than this recipe.

I plan to try and shoot another test roll of this same film at EI 80-100 today and develop it the same as before, maybe with a bit less agitation since the contrast is a touch high still.
 
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MCB18

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Well, the microfilm seems to work well in this developer around EI 50, however the film is not as dense as I would like it to be. The part I deliberately exposed to room light is not pure black and so I think that I may need to add a bit more development time, or increase agitation frequency.

Bracketed exposures around EI 50 (middle), +/- 1/2 stops. Negatives:


Inverted image:


The part I exposed to room light, film is not fully black.
 

Augustus Caesar

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The results with very slow copy or technical film are generally disappointing. Better is to use one of the newer-generation T-grain films such as T-Max 100 or Delta 100. Very slow films have very restricted latitude.
 
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MCB18

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Augustus Caesar said:
The results with very slow copy or technical film are generally disappointing. Better is to use one of the newer-generation T-grain films such as T-Max 100 or Delta 100. Very slow films have very restricted latitude.
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That’s not really the point, yes I could absolutely do that but I’d rather mess around and see what I can get to work with this stuff.
 
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MCB18

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Ok, so developing a completely light struck section of this film in HC-110 B for 6 minutes shows the same density as the stuff developed in HW Control. I think this film just doesn’t turn completely black.
 
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MCB18

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Augustus Caesar said:
Why? It's not worth the trouble.
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because I do this for fun? It’s not like I do this because I need to, if I need a picture I get out my phone and I take a picture. I am absolutely not looking for perfect results. I’m just having fun with some cheap film and a developer that I found online that’s meant to be used for film like this.
 
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MCB18

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Well, I gotta say, Foto-32 and H&W control is an amazing combination. I think CMS 20 II and tech pan still have it beat in terms of pure resolution, but I wouldn’t say it’s by that much! And, it’s at a relatively fast speed too, especially compared to something like CMS 20 II. Maybe still a bit contrasty for some folks, but I will definitely be using this combination more in the future. I really like the look.


Cropped to 250% to show detail:
 

Craig

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You might try POTA as well as a comparison. It's intended to be mixed right before use and used one shot.
 
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MCB18

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Craig said:
You might try POTA as well as a comparison. It's intended to be mixed right before use and used one shot.
Click to expand...
Yes, I’ve heard that, I also have the ingredients to make it, but it actually requires more developing agents than the H&W control stuff, and doesn’t last as long.

I finally got some propylene glycol so I can hopefully make the two part formula that is supposed to last indefinitely.
 

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Craig

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MCB18 said:
Yes, I’ve heard that, I also have the ingredients to make it, but it actually requires more developing agents than the H&W control stuff, and doesn’t last as long.
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There is only 2 ingredients to POTA, doesn't get much simpler than that!
 
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MCB18

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Craig said:
There is only 2 ingredients to POTA, doesn't get much simpler than that!
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Well yeah, but whereas POTA requires 1.5g of Phenidone to make 1L of working solution that lasts an hour at best, H&W control requires 0.83g to make 100ml of concentrate that can make 1.6L of working solution and, if you use the 2 part PG recipe I am using, will last indefinitely… H&W definitely uses the chems more efficiently, and considering how expensive Phenidone is, that is very desirable.
 
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