Ilfotec-HC Dilution

[marciofs]

I was looking for information about Ilfotec on the search and in one of the posts somebody told about this dilution:

[...] Ilfotec comes as thick goop. You have to mix it 1:3 with water to get stock. Then you dilute the stock to 1+31, 1+47 etc.

Is this right? Because I have being diluted 1+31 straight from the bottle to develop my negatives and the results seems to be fine.

 

[miha]

I also dilute it straight from the bottle, it works just fine. Ilford warns to make stock first by diluting the concentrate 1+3 with water and diluting it further 1+7 with water to make 1+31 as it is more likely to measure more accurately this way. I just use a small graduated cylinder with success.

 

[marciofs]

I didn't know that.
It means it can last even longer.

 

[StoneNYC]

Wait is this basically Ilford's version if HC-110? Similar to Ilford's version of D-76 which is ID-11 ? Anyone?


~Stone | Sent w/ iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[miha]

Anoter 'equivalent' to HC-110 is Tetenal Neopress HC.

 

[marciofs]

But you guys dilute it 1+3 (and the 1+7) before dilute it again to develop the film?

 

[miha]

No, I work with the concentrate from the bottle. I take one part of the concentrate and mix it with 31 parts of water. As simple as that.

 

[marciofs]

Since it seems most people works with the concentration from the bottle, what is the best to do? I am attempted to do the pre dilution because it would last longer. But if nobody or few does I wonder about the result quality.

 

[miha]

It would not last longer, why would it? You said that you have been diluting it straight from the bottle before and that you were satisfied with the results. Why change?

 

[marciofs]

Ok. So I got a wrong idea how it is diluted.

 

[StoneNYC]

There's no wrong way, as long as your end result is 1 part dev and 31 parts water.

You could do it in 5 steps and assuming your measurements were all correct still come out just fine.

If this stuff is anything like HC-110 it doesn't "go off" for a long time. Even the bottle itself says "Expiration: INDEFINITE" so I'm sure you will be fine.


~Stone | Sent w/ iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MattKing]

There's no wrong way, as long as your end result is 1 part dev and 31 parts water.

You could do it in 5 steps and assuming your measurements were all correct still come out just fine.

If this stuff is anything like HC-110 it doesn't "go off" for a long time. Even the bottle itself says "Expiration: INDEFINITE" so I'm sure you will be fine.


~Stone | Sent w/ iPhone using Tapatalk

Stone is correct about the dilution procedure.

However, for clarity, HC-110 (and I assume Ilfotec-HC) is very long lived for so long as no water has been added to the concentrate.

Once you start diluting the concentrate, the resulting stock or working solution is relatively short-lived.

 

[marciofs]

What I thought is that I can dilute 1+3 from the bottle enough to have 1 litter diluted concentration. Then I can re-dilute (or dilute the diluted concentration) 1+31 to develop the negative. Is this right?

It means that I would use less developer than diluting it 1+31 straight from the bottle to develop.

Therefore the bottle (or the syrup) will last longer in my stock. Or take longer to "run out".

Did I get it right?

 

[MattKing]

What I thought is that I can dilute 1+3 from the bottle enough to have 1 litter diluted concentration. Then I can re-dilute (or dilute the diluted concentration) 1+31 to develop the negative. Is this right?

It means that I would use less developer than diluting it 1+31 straight from the bottle to develop.

Therefore the bottle (or the syrup) will last longer in my stock. Or take longer to "run out".

Did I get it right?

Sorry, but no.

If you first dilute 1 + 3, you end up with an intermediate "stock" solution.

To turn that stock solution into something you can work with - a "working solution" - you need to further dilute it 1 + 7 (1 part stock plus 7 parts water).

The end result is working strength developer made up of 1 part concentrate plus 31 parts water - 1 + 31.

If you were to dilute the stock solution 1 + 31, there wouldn't be enough developer in the result to work properly.