Plus-X Super8 developing

Well that's good to know. I have D-76, and to buy it is CHEAP, so this is good news. I do not have any sodium sulfite at the time (had some, ran out); can anyone reccomend a good place to get it from?

I've recently obtained a Super8 camera, in addition to my Double-8 camera. I want to run some Plus-X through it, as the results I've seen are AMAZING from that film.

However, as I've come to find out, commercial prcoessing is not altogether cheap. When I'm paynig 13.98 (@ B&H) for the film (is there anywhere cheaper?), I don't really want to pay $10+ per roll for processing, and have to wait at least a week for the film to return.

SO, does anyone have a reccomendation for processing Plus-X at home, as far as chemistry goes. The Kodak site reccommends D-94a, which I have neither heard of nor have any of. Is there any developer that works well for this other than D94a?

I have D-76, Dektol, Some HC-110 on the way from B&H. Would these work?

Thanks

D-96 is pretty much the standard B&W movie negative developer, but it's just a lower contrast version of D-76 -- if you dilute D-76 1:1 using 10% sodium sulfite solution instead of plain water, you'll be very close to D-96. If you're reversal processing (as I'd expect for Super 8), the same chemistry you've been using for your B&W slides should work very well, with minor adjustment to the first dev.

Ok, there are a couple of issues here. First as you probably know D-76 will develop that film as a negative. If you are going to transfer it do video then that is ok, but for projection it is not what you want. You have to use a reversal process which is more complicated. Sorry if this is old news to you.

The 8mm metadirectory at http://lavender.fortunecity.com/lavender/569/ has a section on processing 8mm and super-8 film with lots of links. Ignore the tacky ad at the top. There are recommendations for processes and tanks etc.

Hope this helps,

Mike D

Just want to make sure that you know there 50 feet of film in one of those little cartridges, which isn't the funnist to find out in the dark. Do you have one of those lomo tanks or are you doing something else to devolep it?

Thanks for the link to the site, Mike. I am aware of the reversal processing part, and i have successfully done that with regular Tri-X film, so this is luckily all set.

I do not have a Lomo tank, and I do not relish the prospect of loading all of that film onto a tank in the dark (I have enough "fun" loading 120 film on a regular reel.

I'm planning on developing it with the "bucket" method (yes, I'm going for the scratched emulsion effect), so I THINK I have this under control.

How do you open the cartrige?

No idea of the official method, but I bet a hammer would work...

How do you dry 50 feet of film?

David A. Goldfarb said:

How do you dry 50 feet of film?

Click to expand...

The 8mm metadirectory link above leads to some methods. One can leave it on the lomo spiral (I've not tried that) or use a large horizontal cylinder (two end disks with wooden or plexi slats spanning the distance between the disks. There are a few designs out there on the net. I just attach one end to a plastic clothes pin at one end of my basement and pay out the film from the lomo reel. The basement is about 30 feet long so it requires one loopback to accommodate the full 50 feet. This can be done over any round plastic object with a radius of an 2cm or more, as long as the emulsion faces outward. The film drys well and clean in spite of the ubiquitous dog hair (photoflo is a must). Just remember to have a second attachment point approximately where the film will end, or you will find yourself holding the end of a wet film that you can not set down or rewind without getting it scratched and dirty.

Dead Link Removed

and if your interested also:

Dead Link Removed
( tho Lomo tanks are very easy to load if you can get one ...)


.... and if this is helpful (from:http://lavender.fortunecity.com/lavender/569/negtoposdeveloper.html):

First Developer:

Any strong developer. D-19 with some silver solvent (Sodium Thiocyanate,
about 9mL/liter) will do.

D-94 is the "official" version:

Start w/ 750mL water,
Elon (same as Metol) 0.6g / 1.3g replenisher
Sodium Sulfite 50 g / 50 g replen
Hydroquinone 20 g / 0 replen
Potassium Bromide 8 g (or Sodium Bromide 7g) / 0 replen
Sodium Thiocyanate 9 mL / 11.4 mL replen
Sodium Hydroxide 20 g / 34 g replen (careful, this stuff heats up when
stirred, use Pyrex glass. It's also caustic to the skin).

Water to make 1L

replenish at 222 mL/100ft 16mm.

Time of use: 2 minutes @ 68 deg starting point, varies with each
developer and equipment.

Bleach R-9 and replenisher

Start with 1 L water:
Potassium Dichromate 9.5 g / 30 g replenisher (don't breathe it in,
be careful).
Sulfuric Acid 100% (undiluted battery acid) 12 mL / 25 mL replenisher.
(BE CAREFUL! Always acid to water, never the other way around. Wear
eye goggles and gloves, lab coat. I am not responsible blah, blah,
blah).

replenish at 200 ml/100ft.

rec. time in typical rack/spiral reel processing equipment 3 min 68
deg.

Clearing Bath CB-3:

Start 750 mL water,
Sodium Sulfite 10 g
Water to make 1 L

Very neat!