HC 110 Question

I actually think that using smaller amounts than recommended can help you in some ways, by having an abrupt and extremely compensating effect to average out exposures of high density and get them more consistent with the other frames on a roll (or other sheets) more alike. But the trouble is that it's unpredictable, and it's probably more luck than skill to get it right.

I'd stick with a safe volume and just keep going. If you're using 6ml or 9ml - it's pennies anyway, even if a bottle of 500ml developer concentrate is $25. It's nothing compared to the cost of the time you spend, the risk you take with potentially valuable negs with situations you may never be able to photograph again.
I used to do a lot of extreme dilution with Rodinal and thought that I gained something by diluting to 1:200. I was challenged with what I gained and I thought I was getting all kinds of edge effects and compensating effects that I couldn't get unless I let the film sit with 10minute or 20minute agitation intervals. Turns out it was unpredictable (because of bromide streaking and uneven densities), and 1:50 dilution with 3-5minute agitation intervals gave me virtually the same negative.

So I'm back to doing 2, 3, and 5 minute developing intervals, and I'm using Xtol replenished. It gives me similar economy with the ability to process about 70 rolls of film with one 5L kit. That's about 14 cents per roll. I doubt you'll do better with HC-110 single shot, and even if you can - it's not enough to argue about. And I have amazing consistency with this method.

Those are my thoughts on film development.

That's not right. There are three "stages" of HC-110:

1. Concentrate. This is what is in the bottle when you get it.

2. Stock. This is mixed up for storage, but not used for developing (although it can be if you want to do so for "non-standard" purposes). It is 25% concentrate and 75% water, AKA a 1:3 ratio of developer to water.

3. Working solution. This is what you use to develop the emulsion.

The possible working solution dilutions are many, with dilution B being the most common. To make Dil. B, you take one part stock and seven parts water. The 1:7 refers to a stock-to-water ratio, *not* a concentrate-to-water ratio.

Unless doing stand development, I prefer to use an intermediary stock solution rather than mixing the working solution directly from the concentrate. IMO, this makes measurement easier and more consistent. Any slight error in dealing with the concentrate is magnified four times versus the same error made when handing the stock. The stock solution keeps PLENTY long, even in a bottle that is mostly air, and I say this from experience. Because of this, I would go so far as to say that it keeps indefinitely in a totally full and sealed bottle. I do only mix up small batches of stock (250 mL, which I store in amber glass bottles sometimes two batches at once when I know I will be doing a lot of processing).

Sometimes dilutions are listed as concentrate:water ratios, hence the confusion (though the word "concentrate" or "stock" makes it more than clear if you take the time to read everything). For instance, the working solution made from a 1:7 stock:water ratio is the same working solution made from a 1:31 concentrate:water ratio. The hint is generally in the numbers. Lower numbers (such as 3, 7, etc.) are for stock:water ratios, and higher numbers (such as 31, 63, etc.) are for concentrate:water ratios. Be especially careful with the 1:15 ratio, as this could be either. A 1:15 stock:water ratio makes a double-diluted Dil. B (known unofficially as Dil. H), while a 1:15 concentrate:water ratio makes a double-concentrated Dil. B (known officially as Dil. A).

Everything for mixing Ilford HC is the same. You can treat them as one and the same for purposes of mixing.

2F/2F - what's not right?

Thomas Bertilsson said:

2F/2F - what's not right?

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All the questions in the OP are what I was responding to with the statement.

"If I'm using dilution B, I mix a stock solution 1:7."

1:7 is a stock:water ratio to make working solution, not a concentrate:water ratio to make stock. No matter what dilution you are using in the end, the first step is to make the stock solution by mixing the concentrate 1:3 with water, not 1:7.

"Then, when I process the film, is it correct that I then mix the prepared dilution B 1:31?"

The 1:31 ratio is a concentrate:water ratio, not a stock:water ratio. In other words, it is used when referring to the overall dilution of the syrup for a working solution, not when describing how to use the stock solution to mix the working solution.

Dilution B is described with ratios in one of two main ways: 1) 1:31 concentrate:water ratio, and 2) 1:7 stock:water ratio.

It is the same thought process as using D-76 1:1 or in higher dilutions, except that your HC-110 syrupy concentrate is the equivalent of your D-76 packaged powder. The product as it comes off-the-shelf is mixed to make stock, and the stock is used to mix working solution. The difference is that the off-the-shelf product is a fluid instead of solid particles.

Rereading more carefully, the OP may have explained it right after all, but perhaps a bit clunkily so that it was not totally clear to me that the dilutions were understood.

2F/2F - Thanks for clarifying!

To Kodak: It is ridiculous that a developer as commonly used as HC-110 takes this much discussion to understand how to mix. I LOVE YOU, Kodak, especially your films are just plain awesome. But please, with sugar on top, listen to this discussion and make HC-110 simpler to use. Diluting the developer should not take this much effort and repeated explanation.

Thanks for the very detailed replys, everyone.

I ended up mixing a stock solutution 1:3, as I wasn't confident that I was measuring accurately enough to work with the syrup, then used dilution B for 5 mins, 135 Arista Premium 100. Next time I might try dilution H, I would prefer a longer time. I'm quite happy with the result, apart from all the dirt and scratch, I won't use that squegee again!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3460/3698901763_f5b878e960_b.jpg

CBG said:

I've been experimenting with HC-110 using 5ml syrup to 500 ml total developer solution, call it 1 to 100, in an 8x10 tray. The 5 to 500 ml batch seems strong enough to process a single 8x10 sheet of TMAX 100, one shot.

I'm just starting to test fairly weak dilutions, so maybe I'm wrong, but I suspect I could use an even weaker solution with no adverse effects, however that is just an untested hypothesis at this point. I suspect that development time will be the limiting factor for me, rather than failure of the developer, since I'm already somewhere around 20 minutes and this isn't stand development or anything like it. It's standard tray processing with continuous development, and by 20 minutes I'm fairly ready to move on to something more stimulating.

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I regularly use HC110 at 1+100 as a one shot developer. I use 5ml of goo and 500ml of water. I use this for 35 and for 120. Decrease amount of agitation and increase time (semi-stand?) for decreased contrast and some improvement in accutance. Starting with 18 min. on the timer, I agitate continuously for the first minute, then one inversion only at 15, 10, and 5 minutes. YMMV.