Pyrocat HD question for Sandy King or other Pyrocat Users

[climbabout]

I've been using Pyrocat HD to develop FP4+ sheet film for over a year now - in homemade PVC tubes, extreme minimal agitation and I'm thrilled with the results. Typically I develop 1.5/1/175 for 45 min with the first 1.5 minute with vigorous agitation then a couple of gentle inversions at 15 and 30 min. Here are my 2 questions - would any of you anticipate any problem developing 35mm FP4+ the same way but in a small tank? and secondly - would the Pyrocat HD in Glycol behave any differently? From my search on this forum, am I correctly understanding that the glycol is only used to extend shelf life and it otherwise works identically to the original formula?
Thanks
Tim

 

[sanking]

I've been using Pyrocat HD to develop FP4+ sheet film for over a year now - in homemade PVC tubes, extreme minimal agitation and I'm thrilled with the results. Typically I develop 1.5/1/175 for 45 min with the first 1.5 minute with vigorous agitation then a couple of gentle inversions at 15 and 30 min. Here are my 2 questions - would any of you anticipate any problem developing 35mm FP4+ the same way but in a small tank? and secondly - would the Pyrocat HD in Glycol behave any differently? From my search on this forum, am I correctly understanding that the glycol is only used to extend shelf life and it otherwise works identically to the original formula?
Thanks
Tim

Tim,

I develop roll film pretty much as you describe, although I give three agitations after the first, at the 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 points of total development.

Pyrocat-HD in glycol has the same working characteristics as Pyrocat-HD mixed in water.

Sandy

 

[climbabout]

THANKS

Thanks for the quick reply. Those were the answers I was expecting.
Tim

 

[m_liddell]

A bit of a silly question, but how do you do extreme minimal agitation in tubes? I was under the impression that tube development was always continuous agitation (the 'log rolling' in tray with water).

 

[noseoil]

Total immersion in dilute developer. tim

 

[climbabout]

A bit of a silly question, but how do you do extreme minimal agitation in tubes? I was under the impression that tube development was always continuous agitation (the 'log rolling' in tray with water).

I made a 2 section tube that screws together. One section holds the 8x10 sheet of film and the other holds the chemistry. To begin development, the tubes are screwed together standing upright with the chemistry in the bottom section and the film in the top section. When inverted, the film is then in the bottom, completely immersed. I do an initial "rolling" agitation for the first 1-1/2 minutes and then stand the tube upright for the "stand" periods of development. For each agitation I do 2 gentle inversions. works like a charm. This of course is preceded by a 5-6 minute presoak, also done in the tubes.
Tim

 

[AlanC]

Tim,
Sounds like a great system. Would you care to give more details on how you made the tubes?

Alan

 

[sanking]

A bit of a silly question, but how do you do extreme minimal agitation in tubes? I was under the impression that tube development was always continuous agitation (the 'log rolling' in tray with water).

I develop sheet film in PVC open-ended tubes which are placed in print drums filled with developre to above the height of the tubes. I can do six sheets of 5X7 film in a 11X14" Beseler print drum, using the 1.5" ID PVC tubes.

It is really very simply. You just fill the drum with developer, load the tubes with film in the dark, pre-soak, and then plop them into the drum and cover the top. The rest is done with the lights on. When you do the pre-soak, move the film gently in and out of the tube just as it wets out to wet out the back. If you don't do this it will stick to the tube.

It takes more solution to develop this way, but Pyrocat-HD or -MC is very economical, and you are using a more dilute solution. I typcally use a dilution of 1.5 Parts A + 1.0 Parts B + 200 parts water for minimal or stand agitation.

Sandy King

 

[climbabout]

Tim,
Sounds like a great system. Would you care to give more details on how you made the tubes?

Alan

Be glad to.
The tubes are constucted of 3"schedule 40 grey electrical pvc. I chose 3" as that is the size needed to hold a sheet of 8x10 lengthwise.
You need 3- 3" flat bottom pvc closing caps, 1-3" male adapter, 1-3" female adapter, 1-11" length of pvc and 1-12" length of pvc.

The 11" length has a closing cap glued to one end and the male adapter glued to the opposite end. This becomes the "film" tube.

The 12" length has a closing cap glued to one end and the female adapter glued to the opposite end. This becomes the "chemistry" tube.
This tube is slightly longer to accomodate a little extra chemisrty as I found that the male and female ends, when threaded together are not perfectly water-tight and they leak a small amount during the initial agitation.

Here's my process, step-by-step:

Lights on:
1- fill the chemistry tube with water for the presoak and stand in sink.

Lights off:
2- load film into film tube and thread onto chemistry tube.
3- invert tube and so film is now soaking, unthread tubes and cover film tube with extra closing cap.

Lights on:
4- while film is soaking, I mix my developer and fill chemistry tube and stand up in sink.

Lights off:
5- at end of presoak time, gently empty presoak water and thread film tube onto chemistry tube.

Lights on:
6- invert tube, begin timer and roll tube in sink back and forth 1 revolution in each direction for 1-1/2 minutes.
7- stand tube upright(with film in bottom of course) for the stand part of the development. For the intermediate agitations, I gently invert the tube assembly twice and return it to the upright orientation. Gentle is key here as I have found that the film can shift and not then be completely immersed in developer.
8- during this time I have my water stop bath ready in another beaker as well as a tray of fixer.

Lights off:
9- At end of development time, unscrew tubes and dump developer and fill film end with water stop.
10- At end of stop time - remove film gently from tube while still immersed in water(I find it's less prone to scratching this way) and place film in fixer tray.
Lights on

It sounds like Sandy has a pretty efficient set up as well - It's all a matter of what works for you.
Tim
p.s. I don't have a full shot of the tubes but you can see the bottom of them on the shelf in the upper left corner of the middle picture here of my darkroom:
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

 

[m_liddell]

My BTZS tube caps don't hold enough developer to cover the film, so I can't try this

 

[AlanC]

Tim

Apologies for not acknowleging your very comprehesive reply earlier, but after posting my question to you my computer went on strike.
So, better late than never, many thanks.

Alan Clark

 

[climbabout]

you're welcome

You're quite welcome - glad to share.
Tim

 

[eddie gunks]

hi tim.

sounds like great idea. how many sheets of 8x10 can you/do you do at one time?

thanks

eddie

 

[climbabout]

Only 1 8x10 per tube setup - I made 2 setups, so 2 at a time.
Tim