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help choosing Rodinal

vedmak

Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2009
Messages
328
Location
Chicago
Format
Analog
I noticed that everybody makes their own version of Rodinal, Adox, Foma, Agfa, Compard. What are your favorite among those, and is there any difference between them?
 
Well, I know that many see difference - but in my final prints I don't see difference between old Agfa rodinal, Afga rodinal from imaging solution, Rodinal from adox. I used only those 3 types, now only Adox - but just because I adore adox as company , not because this rodinal is better than other one. I see difference from Rodinal special.
 
Rodinal is still made in the original Agfa plant, but it's now sold to order in bulk then repackaged under various different names, as there's legal problems using the Rodinal name.

So Rodinal, Adox, Foma, Agfa, Compard versions are all identical, just the name & packaging is different.

Ian
 
I use Agfa Rodinal because that's what the store gave me. I couldn't tell you what the differences are but it works well and is really easy to use; the only problem I had was measuring such a small amount (10-20 ml at a time). I went to a kitchen supply store and bought a very little measuring cup for spices/oils which has a maximum capacity of 50ml; problem solved.
 
Kevin Kehler said:
the only problem I had was measuring such a small amount (10-20 ml at a time). I went to a kitchen supply store and bought a very little measuring cup for spices/oils which has a maximum capacity of 50ml; problem solved.
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I use those 10cc syrringes you get at the pharmacy that are used for dispensing medicine to babies - pretty accurate.
 
Phographer's formulary also sells syringes. The 6ml is really useful for very small amounts of rodinal. Prices are reasonable.
 
darkosaric said:
Well, I know that many see difference
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The "difference" is probably just a feeling. It's the same Rodinal as before.

Look at this Penn & Teller episode about bottled water. Resturant guests could taste the difference between "fine expensive brands" of bottled water. The water came from the same garden hose.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfPAjUvvnIc[/YOUTUBE]
 
degruyl said:
Phographer's formulary also sells syringes. The 6ml is really useful for very small amounts of rodinal. Prices are reasonable.
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I had bad experience using suringes with rodinal, despite my rinsing them, after some time, they become clogged, maybe I should have been more thorough with that rinsing
 

I forgot to mention the Photographer's Formulary kit for making Rodinal, which is what I use right now. I guess I just stick to what I have.
 
thanks to everyone for their input, as always I learned a lot from APUG
 
Well that one link to the Adonal says that they use the new Rodinal formula, and have another product that corresponds to the old recipe. Well if all these current brands are identical to the current Agfa Rodinal, then the question becomes what difference is there between the modern Rodinals and the old pre-1940s rodinals?
 
I used to use syringe + needle (easier to clean), now I use a 10ml measuring cylinder which is more accurate, I found by comparison with the measuring cylinder they were off a bit.
 

That reference means they are no longer using the old Orwo/Calbe manufactured R09 which is the pre-WWII Agfa formula.

Modern Rodinal as made by Agfa was re-formulated slightly in the 1960's and has a much higher pH, there was no free NaOH in the original Rodinal R09. It was also more active so diluted a further 20%.

Ian
 
fotch, I used Agfa Rodinal for over 20 years, that's the Compard, Adox, Foma version now.

These days I prefer Sandy King's Pyrocat HD which is like Rodinal on Steroids with no side effects either. suits my hippy mentality

Ian
 
Rodinal, et al, is so cheap to use why bother trying to make your own. Years ago, when anything other than Kodak was impossible to find in the wilds of Arkansas, I made my own. But I was a trained chemist with a lab for my use. I get a kick out of the people who come up with their own brews made from headache pills, hair dye, etc. Its not Rodinal and film IS expensive. If you can't find Rodinal or any of the equivalent developers such as Adonal consider Kodak HC-110. Not the same thing but a very nice developer nonetheless. Try it at 1:49 dilution from the concentrate.
 

Now, we can hardly find Kodak chems here. Oh well, I order my Rodinal from Freestyle.
 
Gerald C Koch said:
I get a kick out of the people who come up with their own brews made from headache pills, hair dye, etc. Its not Rodinal and film IS expensive. If you can't find Rodinal or any of the equivalent developers such as Adonal consider Kodak HC-110.
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Many of the people who make Rodinal-style developers from acetaminophen tablets do so because they can't get any photochemicals locally, and often not even by mail-order (because of import restrictions or whatnot), or when they can get them, they're ridiculously expensive. I get the impression this sad state of affairs is most common in small third-world nations. Those of us in the USA have it easy in terms of photochemical availability, even when no local shops sell the stuff, thanks to mail-order suppliers.
 


That's the reality here in the Philippines. D76 can still be found, but in quantities that are unfeasible for the occasional DIY at-home developing sessions. And can be expensive too.

"paRodinal" came to the rescue. I have been using it exclusively for the past 4 years. Very consistent and appears to do what the 'real' Rodinal does in negatives. Limited side by side comparisons of similar films exposed in exactly identical conditions but developed either in paRodinal or Rodinal show no differences. And it appears to have the same longevity as Rodinal too. A four year old stock solution in a half-full bottle is still able to develop film.

And paRodinal enjoys wide usage here. So much in fact that we don't really worry if the local Kodak importer decides to drop BW film developers from their import lists.


Getting those across the Pacific Ocean from Freestyle in Los Angeles CA is very difficult and expensive. After using paracetamol-Rodinal for close to four years, with various films from EFKE, Agfa, Kodak, Ilford, Fuji, FOMA, Era, Lucky, Shanghai, I can say that this "home brew" gives a real KICK as a True Developer. Using paRodinal is not the same as using coffee, red wine, orange juice or horse pee as developer substitute. paRodinal is as real a developer can be like D76, HC110, or even the 'real' Rodinal itself, and I might say, a notch better, in terms of practicality and ease of use compared to formulae like pyro-metol types because they don't require as much fuss to be used.

A lot of people here, as well as other users elsewhere can attest to what paRodinal can do.
 
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Can you get Kodak HC-110? While not the same as Rodinal it too is very flexible in use and the concentrate keeps for years. I like to use it diluted 1:49 like Rodinal.
 
We used to have HC110 here, but not anymore. Perhaps a bottle or two can still be found lurking somewhere as dead stock in some old shop. HC110 doesn't give the same edge sharpness - it doesn't even come close in achieving- the glowing Mckie (sp?) effect which even paRodinal is capable of delivering. The compensating effect which HC110 appears to be different too. Highlights are tamed, but dull. With Rodinal or paRodinal, the highlights still retain a sort of shimmering quality. This is a personal observation with no scientific or measure basis. It just looks that way.
 
paracetamol-Rodinal
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So, is this developer something that you make from over-the-counter ingredients? If so, how do you make it, or where can I read more about this process?
 
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