Paterson FX 39 anyone?

[jrong]

Just wondering. Does anyone here use Paterson FX 39 developer?

Hoping for some comments, views, thoughts on the developer.

I was thinking of using it on these films:
Fuji Neopan Acros 100
Agfa APX 100
Ilford Delta 100

Thoughts and discussions appreciated.
jin

 

[tbm]

I've not used it, but Steve Anchell's "Film Developing Cookbook" recommends developing Agfa APX 100 with an FX 39 dilution of 1:9 at ISO 100 for 8 minutes and Delta 100 with an FX 39 dilution of 1: 9 at ISO 100 for 7 minutes. I've used the "Cookbook"s recommendations for several years on a number of films and have yet to find his recommendations to be wrong. Unfortunately, the book was released before Fuji produced Acros 100, so there is no reference to it.

 

[Shesh]

Jin,
I use the FX-39 developer with the TMY (1:9, 8:30 minutes @ 20F). It is high acutance developer well suited for T-grain films and like it better than D-76 and Tmax developers (for T-grain films). I have not compared it with xtol, since I do not want to buy the developer in such a large quantity.

I recently started using Pyrocat HD with regular films but have not experimented it with T-grain films.

 

[Silverpixels5]

I havn't used it myself, but I've seen prints from it with FP4+ that look like MF or 4x5 enlargements. Seems to be good stuff. Although I hear it doesn't last terribly long after you open the bottle.

 

[Shesh]

Although I hear it doesn't last terribly long after you open the bottle.

Actually, I have used the stock solution for around 6-8 months after the bottle is opened, without any problems.

BTW, it is a one-shot developer.

 

[clay]

Actually, I have used the stock solution for around 6-8 months after the bottle is opened, without any problems.

BTW, it is a one-shot developer.

I've been using this stuff for almost all my 35mm work. It is noticeably sharper than any other developer I have tried. including Rodinal, and if you use it at the 1:14 dilution with the 1:9 recommended times with an extra stop of exposure, you will get negatives that almost print themselves. Delta 400 @EI250 and FX-39 1:14 for 11 minutes@70deg is just about perfect in my book. I also use it with Tmax 3200@EI1200 for 14 minutes at 1:9. Crisp, non-mushy grain and very nice gradation. It is worth a try even if you are a die-hard Rodinal fan.

 

[Shesh]

Oh, Clay! What have you done? You do realize you will need to stay in an underground bunker until the wrath of the High Priest, Morten subsides.

 

[Kevin Caulfield]

I have used it for several years, apart from a period when it was difficult to find in Australia. I started using it after seeing a review in Practical Photography (UK), when it was a good magazine. In comparison tests with most of the standard developers it exhibited the finest grain. I also have found no problem in using it even 10 or 12 months after opening.

 

[Tom Stanworth]

I posted recently regarding Paterson Aculux 2. I thought it had superb tonality with TMAX100 and the stuff is cheap. It looks like paterson devs are perhaps underrated/appreciated. I wanted to know if there were any other devs similar to aculux 2 that I could either make myself from raw chems or buy in bigger bottles (those 500ml bottles are too small for my needs). Roger Hicks is a fan of FX 39 with modern films - mostly delta 100 for him I think.

Tom

 

[jrong]

Thanks for the thoughts.
Will definitely be checking it out. It seems that its only available via mail order, its getting harder and harder to find chemicals in high street stores these days.

 

[Dr.Kollig]

Last year I was able to get Paterson developers from Jessops. Back in germany I get them from Fotoimpex/Berlin.

Regards,

Wolfram

 

[Joe Brugger]

I know this is a positively ancient thread -- but is FX-39 still available in some form in the USA, or do I need to roll my own? Used it very successfully in the past and now have time to do my own developing and printing again.

 

[Palantiri7]

I contacted Paterson about FX-39 availability in the US and they responded by stating that all of their previous distributors in the US refused to carry the developer. I also complained to Paterson about Silverprint's reluctance to ship FX-39 out of the UK and they gave me a flippant response essentially summed up as "too bad". Nice service.

 

[nworth]

I understand that FX-39 is becoming available again. I have not used FX-39, but I have used FX-37, which Crawley says is similar, a fair amount. FX-37 is an outstanding developer for both T grain and regular films. It is a bit more complicated to compound than other film developers, and guidelines are not available for many films. That is why I haven't used it more regularly. FX-39 is presumably improved somewhat as well as being designed for manufacturing and dry storage. It comes conveniently packaged, and instructions are available for a lot of films. It should be excellent.

 

[MMfoto]

don't tease

Are you telling me FX-39 is back! That would be great news. Really good stuff. Very HP5 friendly.

I'm remaining skeptical for the time being though...

 

[Mike Wilde]

When I shoot 35mm T grain films, I like to process them in fx-37. I DIY mix it, and find that it stores well. I try to store it in smaller bottles, that have kept viable for several months before being diluted to be used at 1:3.

I have not mixed it up for a while, becuase I am moving to traditional grain films more often for 35mm.

 

[altair]

I mean to order some from Ag Photographic, they don't state the volume of the bottle. Anyone knows in what size bottles it comes in?

 

[Tom Kershaw]

I mean to order some from Ag Photographic, they don't state the volume of the bottle. Anyone knows in what size bottles it comes in?

1000ml

Tom

 

[altair]

Good deal, thanks Tom!

 

[MMfoto]

Are you telling me FX-39 is back! That would be great news. Really good stuff. Very HP5 friendly.

I'm remaining skeptical for the time being though...

woops, I was actually remembering Acutol as so nice with HP5... FX39 I did like with TMZ however. Good stuff still.

 

[Eugen Mezei]

How long can I keep it unopened. Bought a 1 litre bottle (black plastic) and stored it at room temperature. Still usable?

 

[altair]

It should last for quite some time. Up to a year or more maybe.

 

[john_s]

There is a post here at APUG about FX-37 which might be of interest:

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Crawley apparently stated that FX-37 is the closest published formula to FX-39.

The benzotriazole can be eliminated if the bromide is doubled to 1g in the stock solution.

 

[ADOX Fotoimpex]

I brought this up to let everyone know that we made the decision to keep FX-39 developer allive after Paterson decided to stop the production.
We will manufacture it in house now on a smaller scale which ramps up the price but I think we can still make a competitive offer.
In order to keep the price per unit within reason we decided to bottle it in 500ml (just like our Adonal/Rodinal).
The price per bottle will be around 8 EUR.
This yields about 20 films, so 40 cents per film.

The product will be available in about 2-3 weeks if all goes well with the new production.

Kind Regards,

Mirko

 

[JamesMorris]

Great news.