My PC-512 Borax Developer

[Andrew O'Neill]

 

[mshchem]

Hey, how can you be in a convenience store in Japan and Canada at the same time??

Enjoy your trip!

Best Regards Mike

 

[relistan]

Thanks for the video, @Andrew O'Neill ! Left you a comment there. Thanks for posting

 

[Alan Johnson]

Hello @relistan, some of the development times listed for PC-512 Borax would be a bit short for hot weather.
Did you ever try it half strength 1+1 with a time increase about 1.25 to 1.3x longer from results with other developers? Just trying to get a time multiplier for 1+1 compared to 1+0.

 

[relistan]

Hello @relistan, some of the development times listed for PC-512 Borax would be a bit short for hot weather.
Did you ever try it half strength 1+1 with a time increase about 1.25 to 1.3x longer from results with other developers? Just trying to get a time multiplier for 1+1 compared to 1+0.

Hey @Alan Johnson no, I haven't tried that. In Ireland it's more or less never hot! 23C would be a very hot day here. @Andrew O'Neill has some times posted for 1+100 dilution, and it seems to work like that. His times seem like they are 25-50% longer. He can probably comment more. I do not know what effect that might have on the grain behavior. I also don't know what effect using more borax solution and less concentrate will have on the pH. If you mean to dilute with water, but same ratio of borax:conentrate, then obviously the pH wouldn't be an issue.

 

[Alan Johnson]

For the case where development temperature is high, I tried developing at half strength (49 Borax soln + 1 PC-512 +50 water). Half strength in this case is not the same as 1:100 ( 99 Borax soln +1 PC-512 ).
An increase in development time of about 80% compared to that for normal PC-512 Borax was found to give a negative density closely matching.
On A3 inkjet prints the grain from both was not detectably different, and fine.
The half strength solution result gave the half strength solution as slightly sharper in this single test.
Above results were for FP4 type 517 cine film used in the test.

At 25 C the time for FP4+ is increased from 4m14s with PC-512 Borax to 7m 38s using the half strength solution.

Massive Dev Chart Film Development, Film Developing Database

www.digitaltruth.com

 

[boring old man]

I used semistand often at my old house, my tap water came out around 26 in winter. In summer I was lucky to keep the house that cool, AC worked to keep it at 29 some days.

 

[relistan]

For the case where development temperature is high, I tried developing at half strength (49 Borax soln + 1 PC-512 +50 water). Half strength in this case is not the same as 1:100 ( 99 Borax soln +1 PC-512 ).
An increase in development time of about 80% compared to that for normal PC-512 Borax was found to give a negative density closely matching.
On A3 inkjet prints the grain from both was not detectably different, and fine.
The half strength solution result gave the half strength solution as slightly sharper in this single test.
Above results were for FP4 type 517 cine film used in the test.

At 25 C the time for FP4+ is increased from 4m14s with PC-512 Borax to 7m 38s using the half strength solution.

Massive Dev Chart Film Development, Film Developing Database

www.digitaltruth.com

Very good info, thanks for running this test @Alan Johnson ! This might be a way forward for some films with quite short dev times at 20C as well.

 

[bernard_L]

Long time watcher of this thread. I had sworn off Silver Bullets; long time user of D-76 1+1. But I was convinced by the positive evaluations. Prepared some PC-512 and developed a short series of pictures. FP4, Contaflex SuperBC, yellow filter. Dev 6'15" @ 22°C (from 7' @ 20°C per Ilford compensation chart).

Taking the film out of the PhotoFlo, I was already impressed by the low fog, the detailed shadows, and the tone separation. Nice negative! Please define? You know when you see one And after scanning, good resolution and almost no grain (although grain is not at the top of my priorities). Tonality looks all right, although a more qualified statement will wait for enlarger prints.

@relistan : Well done!

LS-2000 scan, just black and white points, no USM.

100% crop @ 2700dpi :

 

[Sidd]

I have tried pushing Tmax 400 to 800, increased the development time by 30%, results are very good.

 

[relistan]

Long time watcher of this thread. I had sworn off Silver Bullets; long time user of D-76 1+1. But I was convinced by the positive evaluations. Prepared some PC-512 and developed a short series of pictures. FP4, Contaflex SuperBC, yellow filter. Dev 6'15" @ 22°C (from 7' @ 20°C per Ilford compensation chart).

Taking the film out of the PhotoFlo, I was already impressed by the low fog, the detailed shadows, and the tone separation. Nice negative! Please define? You know when you see one And after scanning, good resolution and almost no grain (although grain is not at the top of my priorities). Tonality looks all right, although a more qualified statement will wait for enlarger prints.

@relistan : Well done!

LS-2000 scan, just black and white points, no USM.

View attachment 401576

100% crop @ 2700dpi :

View attachment 401577

Thanks for posting, this is great! Nice results and I'm glad you are happy with them!

 

[Alan Johnson]

On a hot day, FP4 cine film was developed in half strength PC-512 Borax, 1 PC-512+49 Borax +50 water. The time calculated for 20C , 7min x 1.8 =12.6min was adjusted for temperature.



I have found that using the multiplier of 1.8 times also works to convert the time from full strength to half strength PC-512 Borax with HP5+.

 

[relistan]

On a hot day, FP4 cine film was developed in half strength PC-512 Borax, 1 PC-512+49 Borax +50 water. The time calculated for 20C , 7min x 1.8 =12.6min was adjusted for temperature.



I have found that using the multiplier of 1.8 times also works to convert the time from full strength to half strength PC-512 Borax with HP5+.

This looks really good, @Alan Johnson . Mind if I add info to the data page about developing this way and add this and your other time?

 

[Alan Johnson]

Mind if I add info to the data page about developing this way and add this and your other time?

Please go ahead, it should give good ballpark figures.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I brought Rollei IR and APX 100 along with me to Japan, being very unfamiliar with the latter. After developing all the rolls (120) of both films (PC-512 1+50), I quickly came to appreciate the look of APX. I wish I had shot more of it when it was available! I've been using PC-512 going on 3 years. It's a solid developer! Here is a video spent in the morning, photographing baby bambo (takenoko), in a forest near my inlaws'.

 

[John Wiegerink]

I brought Rollei IR and APX 100 along with me to Japan, being very unfamiliar with the latter. After developing all the rolls (120) of both films (PC-512 1+50), I quickly came to appreciate the look of APX. I wish I had shot more of it when it was available! I've been using PC-512 going on 3 years. It's a solid developer! Here is a video spent in the morning, photographing baby bambo (takenoko), in a forest near my inlaws'.

Nice job Andy and that baby bamboo brings back memories. Yum-yum! We would dig it to eat just before in sprouted through the ground. I know the smell you are smelling. Kind of a strong urine-ammonia eye watering poo smell. Not so yum-yum!
Nice to know that PC-512 is working so well. Enjoy your stay!

 

[relistan]

I brought Rollei IR and APX 100 along with me to Japan, being very unfamiliar with the latter. After developing all the rolls (120) of both films (PC-512 1+50), I quickly came to appreciate the look of APX. I wish I had shot more of it when it was available! I've been using PC-512 going on 3 years. It's a solid developer! Here is a video spent in the morning, photographing baby bambo (takenoko), in a forest near my inlaws'.

Great scenery, lovely work. Too. Good to see the PC-512 Borax on those frames.

 

[Peter Schrager]

tried it with a roll of TMY400...came out pretty well but I'm thinking that my standard procedure with xtol
of using a semi process would tame the highlights
always liked borax incorporated developers

 

[chuckroast]

I brought Rollei IR and APX 100 along with me to Japan, being very unfamiliar with the latter. After developing all the rolls (120) of both films (PC-512 1+50), I quickly came to appreciate the look of APX. I wish I had shot more of it when it was available! I've been using PC-512 going on 3 years. It's a solid developer! Here is a video spent in the morning, photographing baby bambo (takenoko), in a forest near my inlaws'.

I stocked up a ton of it in 4x5 and 120. Since I have found other good 120 alternatives, I sold of the last of that a while back, but kept boxes of 4x5 for future use.

APX100 us probably the single best medium speed film I ever used.

That said, if you have not done so, try Acros II. It's an excellent film available in all formats that stains beautifully in Pyro-based developers. Another shockingly good 120 fill is the relatively new Lucky SHD 100 film. Beautiful stuff, though I have not shot enough of it to know whether it is consistent and has good quality control.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I stocked up a ton of it in 4x5 and 120. Since I have found other good 120 alternatives, I sold of the last of that a while back, but kept boxes of 4x5 for future use.

APX100 us probably the single best medium speed film I ever used.

That said, if you have not done so, try Acros II. It's an excellent film available in all formats that stains beautifully in Pyro-based developers. Another shockingly good 120 fill is the relatively new Lucky SHD 100 film. Beautiful stuff, though I have not shot enough of it to know whether it is consistent and has good quality control.

I do have some Acros II, but I'm not touching them until I have used up my stash of Acros I. I'll look in the Lucky SHD 100. Thanks!

 

[bluechromis]

On a hot day, FP4 cine film was developed in half strength PC-512 Borax, 1 PC-512+49 Borax +50 water. The time calculated for 20C , 7min x 1.8 =12.6min was adjusted for temperature.



I have found that using the multiplier of 1.8 times also works to convert the time from full strength to half strength PC-512 Borax with HP5+.

I'm a little unclear on what you did. The original recipe for PC-512 says dilute 1 + 50. So you diluted 1+100?

 

[Alan Johnson]

I'm a little unclear on what you did. The original recipe for PC-512 says dilute 1 + 50. So you diluted 1+100?

Make up some of the usual PC-512 Borax solution (1:50) then dilute it with an equal volume of water.
Develop for 1.8 times as long as specified for the usual PC-512 Borax (1:50).

 

[Alan Johnson]

120 Delta 400 developed for 7min x1.8 = 12.6min 20C in half strength PC-512 Borax 1+49 +50 due to high temperature.

 

[John Wiegerink]

Alan,
That grain pattern looks excellent for a D400 negative. Looks like an excellent film and developer combination.