Measuring Rodinal (Word Problem Ahead)

Only beginning Rodinal junkies use syringes - but I am advanced, hooked for 7 years, so I am using a pipette with a pressure ball to measure my Rodinal. These things aren´t expensive (mine was a gift from a friend who believed to have quit negative processes in favour of Scala slides - he just came back to Rodinal and Pyrocat HD. and are much more precise to use. Mine measures up to 20ml in 0.1ml increments.

But the real reason I use these is that they are easy to clean and much less trouble in handling. No fear of poking an eye out with the needle, no droplets on the berber carpet...

Blix,

I doubt that either you and me would see the difference between hand agitation and rotation with our eyes - it is highly subtile, more a matter of believe than fact. The choice of the enlarger light source or the use of a grain focusser has more practical influence than the difference in acutance between those schemes - we are able to distinguish "sharp" from "not so sharp" and "bw condensor head" from "diffuse dicro head" with the plain eye (the latter with the help of indicators, like scratches and texture), but not between "high acutance" and "higher acutance".

When having to develop larger numbers of films (>4 rolls at a time) I choose to use the Jobo processor instead of wrecking my wrist.

Yes, when you mix expsures (toy cameras) and you need compensation so not to blow the highlights and maintain the midtones.
Since you don;t agitate at all it's no big deal to me, also if you leave it there for 2.5 or 3 hours instead or 2 there is not much dfference.
I like the way my negs look afterwards... will try in EFKE 100 and report back next week

mikewhi said:

Can you tell me more about this standing development?
For one thing it takes sooooooooo long. Why would I do that instead of 1-13 minutes in a JOBO? Is there something in the outcome that makes this worthwhile?

Thanks.

-Mike

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Dean Williams said:

Try not to make things harder than they really are. Rodinal gives dilutions in an additive notation, ie 1+50. Not 1-50 or 1:50. For each 50 ml of water ADD 1 ml of the good stuff. Make it easy on yourself and use increments of 50 ml if you want to use the 1+50 dilution. 500 ml water plus 10 ml Rodinal equals the 1+50 dilution. Piece o' cake!
Have fun.

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Yeah, after about 45 minutes of calculations and questioning co-workers I went home and my wife said that at 1-50 I would just have to add 10ml to 500ml and the problem would be solved and (gasp) if I add 20ml to 500ml I would have a 1-25 ratio. Wow, look what common sense can do.

I spent 25 minutes just trying to figure the conversion of oz. to ml.

Oh, I would also like to thank peters, an APUG member in Ct., who sent me two plastic syringes so as to fine tune those Rodinal measurements. This may cause the Rodinal users who are weak of heart to skip a beat, but I had to use a teaspoon the other day, seeing as it was the most precise measuring devise at my disposal. So to peters, thanks!

Mixing Rodinal

You're welcome
Peter