My plan for using TMax RS - will this work?

[daggerlee]

Hi all,

After doing as much research as I could I've settled on the following plan for using TMax RS in a replenishment fashion.

I use a Paterson 3-reel tank that holds about 900 mL. I plan to use this almost exclusively with Neopan 400 pushed to 1600. As J-86 from Kodak hasn't been the most helpful document, I'll write out what I plan to do step by step:

1. Buy box of TMax RS - the 757 mL bottle that makes a gallon. Make said gallon by mixing the little bottle with the big bottle, and adding enough water to make a gallon.
2. Divide said gallon into a 900 mL bottle (working solution) and the rest into a separate container (replenishment solution). Keep both in bottles filled closed to the brim to prevent oxidation.
3. After each developing session, replenish the working solution. J-86 says add 45 mL of replenisher for every 135 roll developed, so I'll be adding a total of 135 mL per session. I will withdraw 135 mL of working solution first before adding fresh replenisher.

I guess that's it, right? Some questions:
-Since I'll be pushing, would it be better to play it safe by adding a little more replenisher per roll developed, say 60 mL?
-Reading some other threads on replenishment, some suggest that a 'seasoned' developer will need 20-30% longer development times than fresh developer to compensate for lowered activity. Any truth to this?

Much obliged everybody for your advice.

 

[K-G]

Some years ago I used Tmax RS developer for Tmax 400 film ( the old version ). Your precedure looks rather much like the way I used to handle the developer. I never made any time compensation after seasoning even if it sounds logical that there should be a slight drop in activity. The results allways turned out fine. I doubt that push processing should require that much more replenisher. I think the difference is greater between normally developed films with pictures of the Copacabana beach in mid day sunshine on one and a coal pile at midnight on the other. It all comes down to how much exposed silversalt is converted to silver. I think you can go by the Kodak manual and it will give you good working negatives.
Perhaps you may need some fine tuning but who doesn't when you start with a new developer.
Good luck !

Karl-Gustaf

 

[daggerlee]

I shoot mainly at night so my negatives usually come out a little underexposed, a little thin - so I'm guessing not much silversalt has been converted, so I shouldn't be using that much developer, I hope! Thanks for the advice