A recent posting on this topic prompted me to ask the following question. I have only tried to process Tech Pan Once with disastrous results. I found the film difficult to load and when I processed it using Kodak's "cocktail shaker" agitation method it came out covered in blotches caused by the film falling out of the spiral.
Has anyone processed this film (using Technidol) whilst employing more usual agitation methods. If so I would be very grateful for any advice.
I process it using stainless steel reels and have never had a problem. Since switching to Photographers' Formulary's TD-3 Tech Pan developer and using mild agitation rather than Kodak's violent agitation method, I've gotten consistently beautiful negatives every time. It seems to me that you used plastic reels which, in the past, gave me numerous problems in several areas and caused me to switch to stainless steel (Hawes) reels. Did you?
I process it using stainless steel reels and have never had a problem. Since switching to Photographers' Formulary's TD-3 Tech Pan developer and using mild agitation rather than Kodak's violent agitation method, I've gotten consistently beautiful negatives every time. It seems to me that you used plastic reels which, in the past, gave me numerous problems in several areas and caused me to switch to stainless steel (Hawes) reels. Did you?
TD-3 works very well indeed, but it isn't of much use for anything but TP, or maybe Efke 25, or other document films. I don't shoot enough TP to use up a batch of TD-3 before it goes bad, so I've switched to Pyro-TEA 1:200 with excellent results, and it never goes bad on the shelf.