HC110 from concentrate

djkloss · Feb 3, 2007

I'm looking for a recipe for using HC110 at high dilutions from concentrate for roll film (plusX, triX) or 35mm. I don't develop enough to use up the working solution which only lasts 6 months. I've used Tmax developer which is easy, but wanted to try HC110 for its (supposed) compensating effects. I use Rodinal for sheet film, and am looking for similar results with HC110 for roll film. With sheet film I stand develop. That doesn't seem to work with roll film or 35mm. Has anyone tried HC110 1:50 to 1:100 from concentrate or something close?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

glbeas · Feb 3, 2007

It's easy enough to do the math to find the dilution factors for HC110. Kodak lists the factors to make a working dilution from stock, merely multiply that by the factor it takes to mix the stock from the concentrate, which if I remember right is 1 part concentrate to 3 parts water though you better check me on that. I think there may be previous threads on the subject so use the search function and see what comes up.

jim appleyard · Feb 3, 2007

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

You won't find many similarities between HC-110 and Rodinal. Yes, they are both liquid and you can whatever dilution you wish, but HC-110 is a general purpose, solvent developer, while Rodinal is not. They are pretty much opposites.

BradS · Feb 3, 2007

Long time APUG subscriber Bob Fowler posted a comprehensive HC-110 dilution chart sometime ago. Check the link in the first post in (there was a url link here which no longer exists) thread...or, go straight to the HC-110 dilution page on Bob's site.

BradS · Feb 3, 2007

Oh, as far as results....HC-110 is a wonderful developer. I use dilution d (1:40) all the time. However, to my eye the results are nothing like what you get from Rodinal.

Lee L · Feb 3, 2007

Ansel Adams has notes on using HC-110 for compensation effects at dilution G (1+119 from concentrate) with reduced agitation in his chapter on value control in processing in The Negative. He used Tri-X Professional roll film in his example. He used the same techniques to bring Tech Pan down to N-4 relative to it's naturally high gamma.

Lee

Chuck_P · Feb 3, 2007

I have used with good results (with 120 film, Tri-X and Plus-X) HC-110 diluted 1:119 from concentrate. I believe AA diluted stock solution 1:31 to achieve a compensating effect. The key to the compesating effect is the appropriate reduction in agitation from the normal interval, as elluded to earlier I believe.

Chuck

djkloss · Feb 4, 2007

Thank you all for your tips & suggestions. I look forward to experimenting.

cheers.....

Dorothy

rmolson · Feb 4, 2007

HC-110

I have used HC-110 at 1:50 dilution with 35mm Tmax 400 for years. It was my standard. With a cold light enlarger my typical time was 7 minutes at 68 degrees

wirehead · Feb 4, 2007

The covington innovations dude has it *down* for how to use HC-110. I use a syringe and a bottle-top-with-a-hole-in-it and keep it in concentrate form and it works great.

I need to screw around more with dillutions.

eddym · Feb 4, 2007

Does anyone really mix the stock solution? In 29 years of using HC110, I never have. I use the concentrate at 1:31.

eddie gunks · Feb 4, 2007

i use 1:119 with 4x5 foma100 and Fp4+ for 18 min. agitation every 3rd min. this works beautifully. try the same with roll film. agitate ever 3rd. i have also just begun to use 1:63 dilution with tmax 100. so far the results are good. i am still getting used to it. cheers

eddie

MattKing · Feb 4, 2007

eddym said:
Does anyone really mix the stock solution? In 29 years of using HC110, I never have. I use the concentrate at 1:31.

I decant 16 oz of concentrate into eight glass bottles - 2 oz each. I then mix 2 ounces of concentrate with 14 oz of water to make a 16 oz batch of half strength stock, and dilute from there (usually dilution H).

The 16 oz fits nicely in an empty HC110 bottle. I am reasonably confident in my ability to accurately measure 2 oz (of the very viscous syrup), and less confident in my ability to accurately measure smaller quantities.

The 16 oz of (half strength) stock is generally enough to develop eight 120 rolls - which is appropriate for my usual volumes.

Matt

P.S. - I use ounces, despite preferring metric measures, because that is how the HC110 is packaged.

djkloss · Feb 6, 2007

I just tried the 1:119 dilution with TriX roll film. I like mixing at that dilution but it's too soon to tell how they turned out. Could use a bit more contrast, but I can work on that.

Thanks, all for your tips, suggestions, links etc.

knight84 · Nov 1, 2011

djkloss said:
I just tried the 1:119 dilution with TriX roll film. I like mixing at that dilution but it's too soon to tell how they turned out. Could use a bit more contrast, but I can work on that.

Thanks, all for your tips, suggestions, links etc.

what time and temp did you use?

2F/2F · Nov 1, 2011

You don't have to make up the entire bottle of syrup into stock solution. I usually make just 8 oz. batches of stock at a time.

In terms of working with the higher dilutions, the easiest way to make a working solution directly from the syrup is to make up a quart of working solution H (1:63, twice as dilute at dil. B). To do that, you just pour in 1/2 oz. of syrup on top of 31.5 oz. of water.

Of course, you would wait till you have two rolls of 120 or four rolls of 35mm to develop to do it this way.

I really prefer just making up 8 oz. of stock at a time. Mix that 1:15 with water to get dilution H.

Dan Daniel · Nov 1, 2011

Use a medicine syringe for making dilutions. I have found a syringe in the drug store that has a plunger using the polyethylene as the stopper, not an extra rubber stopper piece. This works very well and I don't have problems with the rubber binding up over time. The syringe is with some pill boxes, thermometers, and other such 'stock' medicine supplies on the shelves. Or ask the pharmacist for a syringe.

I decant the stock into 4 ounce glass bottles (funnel needed), then a working 2 ounce HDPE bottle with a wide mouth, made by Nalgene. The wide mouth accepts the syringe without any need for tilting or otherwise making a mess with the included reducing bushing. I measure, squirt into the water, then pull water back in and flush the syringe with the developing solution to dissolve the syrup. Then be sure to stir the developing water, as the syrup can go to the bottom and not get mixed in well.

I use HC-110 at 1:100 dilution with 120 Fuji Neopan Acros 100. Love it. 10 minutes, 20C, agitate 6x every minute. My other film standard is TMax 400 developed in Rodinal at 1:50, 8 minutes, both 35mm and 120 sizes. I tried HC-110 on 35mm and found things way too soft for my taste. All in all, with some adjustments (in... dare I say? scanning and PS), I can go from the TMax-Rodinal combo and the Acros-HC110 combo without gross differences in look.

pinholer · Nov 2, 2011

Dilution A is 1 part concentrate plus 15 parts water. Dilution B is 1+31, Dilution C is 1+19, Dilution D is 1+39, Dilution E is 1+47 and Dilution F is 1+79.

ParkerSmithPhoto · Nov 2, 2011

pinholer said:
Dilution A is 1 part concentrate plus 15 parts water. Dilution B is 1+31, Dilution C is 1+19, Dilution D is 1+39, Dilution E is 1+47 and Dilution F is 1+79.

So funny this old thread just popped up today. I just this afternoon bought a fresh bottle of HC-110 and decided I would run a test on some HP5 to tighten up my processing. Well, I managed to get my mL and Oz mixed up, and let's just say that film was BLANK! Wow. Almost 20 years in photography and I've never screwed one up like that. Fortunately, it was just a Zone test, so no biggie.

sepiareverb · Nov 3, 2011

I used to mix up the stock solution all the time when there were several of us running film most every day. I now mix directly from the syrup per Covington. I've had open bottles of the syrup last and last. I once found a partially used bottle which had fallen off the back of the shelf ages ago it seemed. I ran a quick test and found it was fine. My favorite developer for FP4 and for HP5 when I want to see grain.

pgomena · Nov 5, 2011

I used it from the stock solution for several years when I was shooting a lot of 35mm. I would mix the stock and put it into pint brown bottles. By time I got to the bottom of the second bottle, it was getting pretty brown, but it lost none of its activity. At that point, I often would mix a new batch of stock and add the old brown remains of the last batch in just to temper the new stock a little. Whether or not this made any difference, I didn't notice, but it was a nice little ritual.

Peter Gomena

HC110 from concentrate

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