HC-110 Dilution A - Several Questions

[Mike Feit]

Hello, totally new here, I recently bought a bottle of HC-110 (new formula) and have successfully stand-developed a roll of APX 400/Kentemere 400 in dilution G 1:119. But the grain was quite apparent, which is something I was initially looking to avoid. Is it indeed correct that grain increases in HC-110 the higher the dilution is? If that is the case then Dilution A surely gives the finest grain? I unfortunately cannot find any insightful information about dilution A. I am aware that the very short development times can cause uneven development and don't leave any room for error; however that can surely be circumvented somehow, no?

Anyway, my goal is to achieve the finest grain possible with HC-110, I am aware that HC-110 is no fine grain developer at all, but still I'd like to get the most fine grain out of it. I exclusively use APX 400/Kentmere 400.

I am extremely curious about dilution A as I have not seen any posts about it anywhere. I would love it if anybody could share their experiences if they ever used it.

Thank you very much in advance.

 

[Nodda Duma]

If you're going for fine grain, you want a solvent developer. HC-110 acts as such depending on dilution and agitation.

Kentmere 400 baselines at HC-110 dil B for 5:00 at 20C. That’s a pretty standard development time (for many films). You could also shoot a stop slower, which should help with grain.

Resource for HC-110:

http://www.covingtoninnovations.com/hc110/

 

[Mike Feit]

slower

If you're going for fine grain, you want a solvent developer. HC-110 acts as such depending on dilution and agitation.

Kentmere 400 baselines at HC-110 dil B for 5:00 at 20C. That’s a pretty standard development time (for many films). You could also shoot a stop slower, which should help with grain.

Resource for HC-110:

http://www.covingtoninnovations.com/hc110/

Thank you very much for your reply. I will try dilution B then. I always overexpose my negatives, so I should be covered in that regard.

 

[MattKing]

Welcome to Photrio.
Over-exposure will increase/affect grain more than using more dilute HC-110 will.
Dilution A was used most frequently for higher contrast materials like large sheet film used in graphic arts/printing shops.
Dilution B (1 + 31) is probably the "sweet" spot for the balance of grain and utility, although 1 + 49 (nearly dilution E) is really nice to use - here is a resource on that: https://www.photrio.com/forum/resources/hc110-made-simple.220/