Help with "New" Rodinal

smo2 · Jan 8, 2008

I just bought some Rodinal at Freestyle and when it came it was just a bottle with no real info. Does anyone have a "fact Sheet" from Agfa (assuming it really is the same).

For those that have tried this version is it really the same - is it worth all the hype I have heard??? Any suggestions/Tips/Tricks/Caveats?

I am really excited to see what everyone has been raving about.

Thanks,

Steve

dpurdy · Jan 8, 2008

I just got two bottles from freestyle today as well. Mine came with a few pages of info including processing times that don't match my previous Rodinal times. They are generally shorter than what I had before from about 2 years ago. I was glad to see the rodinal is a nice light amber color rather than the black coffee color of the R09.
Dennis
I could look at the sheets of info if there is something you especially want to know.

herb · Jan 8, 2008

New Rodinal

I have been using Freestyle supplied Rodinal for quite a while, maybe a year?, and find tri x times about 6 minutes, HP5 about 8.5 minutes using it a 1/25.

That gives pretty punchy negatives, which is my style. I think the 1/50, which I have not tried, would give longer scale and probably better for some images.

smo2 · Jan 8, 2008

How about mixing? I have only used XTOL which gives VERY detailed instructions on mixing. How do I prepare for use? Is it simply adding 1 part Rodinal and 50 parts water, mixing then adding to the tank? Do I just mix right before use?

What about stand developing?

rusty71 · Jan 8, 2008

smo2 said:
How about mixing? I have only used XTOL which gives VERY detailed instructions on mixing. How do I prepare for use? Is it simply adding 1 part Rodinal and 50 parts water, mixing then adding to the tank? Do I just mix right before use?

What about stand developing?

Yes, one part Rodinal and 50 parts water.
For a 16 ounce stainless steel tank, use 10ml Rodinal and water to make 16 ounces developer.
For 1:25 dilution add 20 ml Rodinal and water to make 16 ounces.

Uhner · Jan 9, 2008

smo2 said:
Do I just mix right before use?

Yes, mix what you need right before using it.

Ian Leake · Jan 9, 2008

I didn't notice any difference when they re-introduced Rodinal. I ran out last week and had to use some R09 that was supposed to expire in June 2006 and that worked fine too I seem to remember that the timings published by Agfa were always a little bit dodgy...

Uhner · Jan 9, 2008

smo2 said:
What about stand developing?

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

srs5694 · Jan 10, 2008

More generally, for times check the Massive Dev Chart.

If you're really desperate for "official" documentation, I've got a ~3-year-old bottle of Rodinal in my darkroom, complete with its original instruction sheet. I could scan that for you; however, between the Massive Dev Chart and the advice that's already been posted here, I doubt if there's anything of much importance in that original Agfa documentation.

dpurdy · Jan 10, 2008

Ian Leake said:
I didn't notice any difference when they re-introduced Rodinal. I ran out last week and had to use some R09 that was supposed to expire in June 2006 and that worked fine too I seem to remember that the timings published by Agfa were always a little bit dodgy...

Time kind of flies by for me. It is possible that I tacked the Rodinal times up on my wall as much as 5 years ago and I didn't put a date on it but the times on the instructions I recieved a couple days ago show some differences from the earlier instructions. If it was important to anyone I could post the differences but I doubt it is.
Dennis

Snapshot · Jan 10, 2008

Here are my times for Rodinal at 1+50 dilution for select films.

APX 100.........10:00
APX 400.........13:00
Efke 25...........08:00
PanF+ 50........10:30
T-Max 100......12:00
T-Max 400......11:30
Tri-X 400........13:00

Agitation is continuous for the first 30 seconds and for 10 seconds each subsequent minute.

smo2 · Jan 10, 2008

Thanks for the info - are there films that are "good" or "bad" with Rodinal? What are everyone's favorites?

Snapshot · Jan 10, 2008

APX 100 and Rodinal 1+50 have given me some excellent results. The caveat is that APX is getting harder to find. Rodinal has a knack for bringing out tones in film, at a cost of increased perceived grain.

smo2 · Jan 10, 2008

I do have some APX that I shot a while ago.

I have been shooting 400 speed films @ 250 then developing for 80% of the recommended 400 time. Is this still the way to go with Rodinal (I did this with XTOL)?

Thanks much!

Snapshot · Jan 11, 2008

APX 400 and Rodinal 1+50 for 13 minutes have given satisfactory results. Many people feel the natural ISO of APX 400 to be less than box speed but I've found it's not necessarily the case.

Ian Grant · Jan 11, 2008

Snapshot said:
APX 100 and Rodinal 1+50 have given me some excellent results.

APX100 and Rodinal were made for each other, and give outstanding results, very fine grain, good sharpness and excellent tonality. Probably one of the best film/developer combinations around.

Substitute the APX with Tmax100 shot at 50EI and the results are very similar, the only downside is Tmax needs a stop more exposure.

Ian

Xmas · Jan 11, 2008

You will get grain with Rodinal and faster films, does not worry me, but some people may be upset.

The 100 ASA films are all ok though.

Noel

smo2 · Jan 11, 2008

What about Tri-X and HP5+? WHat about Fuji Neopan? These films are very cheap! Will the grain be very overpowering? I like the high accutance of Rodinal will I get those results with HP5+ and Tri-X or neopan?

Thanks again!

Ian Grant · Jan 12, 2008

The grain with faster films will be slightly larger with Rodinal compared to other developers like ID-11/D76 or Xtol, an exception is Tmax400 and possibly Delta 400.

Whether the grain is over-powering is really down to personal preference,

Ian

Help with "New" Rodinal

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