My first RA-4

[Colin DeWolfe]

I use a Jobo for my RA4 (For some reason my Durst Printo is giving me staining). What times do you use for doing room temp? I use Kodak RT kits.

 

[Wayne]

I don't recommend a Bleach then Fix with paper. I do recommend it with film.

PE

That's what I was wondering. I haven't looked at all the options out there but I presume one of them has separate bleach and fix steps.

 

[Dr Croubie]

I'm not sure I know what you mean Wayne.

Develop, Blix, wash! 2 bath. Develop, Stop, Blix, wash, 4 bath. (including washes.

Then there is Develop, Stop, wash, Blix, wash and the possible Develop, Blix, wash, Stab which is used in any of the other combinations as well.

I don't recommend a Bleach then Fix with paper. I do recommend it with film.

PE

You forgot one:
Fix, Stop, Develop, Swear.

 

[Roger Cole]

I use a Jobo for my RA4 (For some reason my Durst Printo is giving me staining). What times do you use for doing room temp? I use Kodak RT kits.

Yeah, I was wondering if we could get a time/temperature chart or list that goes to lower temperatures (like down to 68 that PE mentions) than the Kodak publication.

 

[Photo Engineer]

With RA-RT developer replenisher and no starter, I use 2' at 68 and 1' at 100. Draw a line through these. I use tray at 68 and drum at 100. For large prints at 68, I use a drum sometimes.

My color varies by no more than 10M or R depending on the phase of the moon.

PE

 

[polyglot]

10 is a lot!

I tried doing separate bleach+fix on RA4 using the Kodak chemicals and the bleach didn't work. It seems to need a buffering agent or something (acetic acid?) from the fix part to change the pH in order to bleach properly. If you bleach then fix, you will get retained silver, low saturation and high contrast. It's a nice look for some things, e.g. if you have a flat scene with lots of texture. Damn near impossible to get a flattering portrait from it though!

 

[Photo Engineer]

10 is not much when you consider that it is over about 30 deg F. And, that is about the max I have observed.

The blix needs the fix to work and the fix needs the bleach to work. It has nothing to do with buffering or acid or base. It is the mix of hypo and FeEDTA.

PE

 

[Roger Cole]

With RA-RT developer replenisher and no starter, I use 2' at 68 and 1' at 100. Draw a line through these. I use tray at 68 and drum at 100. For large prints at 68, I use a drum sometimes.

My color varies by no more than 10M or R depending on the phase of the moon.

PE

Well that's pretty darned easy. That range is 60 seconds of time over 32 degrees of temperature, which is close enough to two seconds per degree if the slope is constant. Very easy. And as for color, I would be working almost entirely within the range from 68F (winter) to 75F or so in summer, so the variation should be much less than it would be going all the way up to 100. And the lower end of that would only happen in winter if I started printing before warming the darkroom. In practice I generally turn on the heat down there ahead of time, or at least while setting up, so the actual range is going to be more like 72-75. Liquids are always a bit below ambient (evaporative cooling, I think) but I like it fairly warm when doing quiet, still work like in the darkroom. So my actual variation would probably be a matter of three, maybe at most five degrees.

I'm not going to do it now in my still temporary and unventilated darkroom, but the work on the downstairs plumbing starts next week. Once I have a darkroom with running water and ventilation again, I think I'll be ready to get back into printing color.