? PMK Stain.

[Bruce Osgood]

What would cause the stain from PMK to be so dense that a paper white cannot be recorded in a print. The image I am referring to was made on a bright day of a stone church with considerable limestone detail. The contrasts were strong but in the neg they are weak and virtually non existent. It appears to me the stain has leveled the contrast. Neither single or split filter printing can produce a reasonable print.

The film is FP 4+. I used Formularies PMK 1:2:100 @ 20c, 11 minutes. Agitation is 10 sec every min including a shuffle and turn. 300 mL in a 5X7 tray, water stop, TF4 Fix 4:00 min.

I am not looking for tips on printing but ideas of what went wrong. What causes the degree of stain to vary.

TIA

 

[Ole]

Try graded paper. PMK stain works as a very efficient soft filter with variable contrast paper - I have several negatives like that. And some that print well on VC and POP, but not on anything else.

 

[shinn]

Oxidation from the open tray?

Happy days
Mark

 

[Donald Miller]

The stain that is spoken of most often in regard to PMK is apparent visually as a yellow/green stain that is a general stain. As Ole has mentioned this "general stain" color in the case of PMK does act as a soft filtration on VC materials.

There is another factor to consider in addition to this filter effect. General stain will serve to lower the negative density range. In other words, the general stain is present in the shadow as well as the highlight densities of the negative. The general stain acts as increased film base fog density.

The benefit of a staining developer is the "proportional stain" that is heavier in the higher density regions (highlights) of the negative. A staining developer that produces very little general stain and a greater degree of proportional stain will be most beneficial in printing with VC materials. Additionally a developer that does not possess the stain color that acts as a filtration on VC papers is better as well.

 

[Bruce Osgood]

Anybody want some mixed stock solution PMK developer A & B?

 

[gainer]

You should see a substantial silver image along with the stain image. If you can sacrifice a negative with the malady you describe, beach out the silver image with Farmer's reducer and see if you can get any kind of print from the remaining stain by using the maximum contrast of VC paper. Overall stain will act as a soft filter. That part of the stain that is proportional to the silver image will add slightly to the contrast, even on VC paper. If you have too much overall stain, forget the part about returning the negative to the developer or placing it in a basic solution. Even Gordon Hutchings is no longer recommending it, from what I hear.

 

[vet173]

Try NOT doing the staining afterbath. John

 

[Bruce Osgood]

Try NOT doing the staining afterbath. John

I didn't use stain a second time. I went from Dev > Water > TF-4.period. What I have done was switch to Rodinal. First experiment convinced me staining/tanning for VC paper is a mistake for me.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I also recommend trying graded paper, and if you're doing the afterbath, leave it out.

You also may not be agitating enough at 10 sec. per minute. For tray development with PMK or ABC pyro, I agitate constantly, meaning I constantly shuffle through the stack, unless it's only two or three sheets, in which case I might shuffle through the stack once every 15 sec.

Another possibility, if you don't do much tray processing, is fog from light leaks in the darkroom. It shouldn't be a big issue with FP4+ in PMK, but nonetheless, it helps to take extra precautions against light leaks if you're going to have the film in an open developer tray for 11 minutes.

 

[Bruce Osgood]

Thank you David;
I'm trying to stay away from graded paper and work with VC on purpose. It's a personal/quirky thing. I never used an afterbath, I learned early that the afterbath was actually counter productive. The agitation sequence was from something I picked up from an article by Sandy, Unblinking eye, I think. Maybe not.

The images I made were never to be prize winners, only an effort to experience PMK, FP-4, 4x5 negatives, a camera I'm not yet comfortable with and see if I can get it all together.

I've learned I can get it together just omit the PMK for now. The FP-4 in Rodinal is exciting. The rumored Rodinal grain, in 4X5 negs is only a rumor.