Pyrocat MC and Efke 25

eclarke · Dec 30, 2007

I have been using MC for some months now very happily. I always expose 2 sheets of each photograph so I have a backup. Last night I developed 8 sheets of mixed film, Tmax400, Tri x and Efke 25 in one Jobo drum. The Tmax and Tri x were just fine, the Efke were bald. I took the duplicate sheets of the Efke25 and developed them in FX37, just fine. This morning I developed 2 sheets of the Efke in MC, completetly clear, I developed the sister sheets in FX37, just fine. I developed some Tri x in the MC, just fine.
The Efke was exposed at ISO 20, presoaked 5 minutes,developed in Jobo, MC @ 1+1+100/15 minutes @70º, 1 minute clear wash, 3 1/2 minutes in TF4. The MC stock is all from the same bottles. Any ideas???..Evan Clarke

JBrunner · Dec 30, 2007

This has happened to me, twice. I chalked it up to some error on my part, but now I wonder. It was MC with Efke. Clear negs with a pink hue. Perhaps coincidence.

noseoil · Dec 30, 2007

At 1:1:100 in pyrocat they should have been toast! 15 minutes is about what I use for minimal agitation at 1:1:150. Something's not right. Would like to know if you find out what the problem was. tim

aldevo · Dec 30, 2007

15 minutes? Heck, I've found that 5:45 is about right for Efke 25 and Pyrocat MC 1:1:100 with minimal agitation at 70 degrees.

Tom Hoskinson · Dec 31, 2007

eclarke said:
I have been using MC for some months now very happily. I always expose 2 sheets of each photograph so I have a backup. Last night I developed 8 sheets of mixed film, Tmax400, Tri x and Efke 25 in one Jobo drum. The Tmax and Tri x were just fine, the Efke were bald. I took the duplicate sheets of the Efke25 and developed them in FX37, just fine. This morning I developed 2 sheets of the Efke in MC, completetly clear, I developed the sister sheets in FX37, just fine. I developed some Tri x in the MC, just fine.
The Efke was exposed at ISO 20, presoaked 5 minutes,developed in Jobo, MC @ 1+1+100/15 minutes @70º, 1 minute clear wash, 3 1/2 minutes in TF4. The MC stock is all from the same bottles. Any ideas???..Evan Clarke

I sucessfully develop a lot of 8x10 Efke 25 semi-stand in Pyrocat MC diluted 1+1+100 for 15 minutes at 70F.

I would run an activity test on the developer stock solutions. add 1ml of stock A to 1ml of B and mix in 100ml of water, then drop in a small piece of Efke 25 that has been exposed to light. Record the time it takes to fully blacken the film. If the film does not quickly turn black stir in 2 teaspoons of sodium carbonate - if the film then turns black, that is an indication that your B solution has a problem.

Did you mix your solutions from scratch? Did you buy premixed solutions?

gainer · Dec 31, 2007

I suspect it has something to do with the presoak. Different film and developer combinations react differently to the presoak. If the emulsion is swollen with clear water, it may take a long time for the developer solution to begin to work, especially if there is an overcoating. Unfortunately, I know nothing about Efke film, but it might be worth a sacrificial piece of it to find out if developing without presoaking makes a difference.

Tom Hoskinson · Dec 31, 2007

gainer said:
I suspect it has something to do with the presoak. Different film and developer combinations react differently to the presoak. If the emulsion is swollen with clear water, it may take a long time for the developer solution to begin to work, especially if there is an overcoating. Unfortunately, I know nothing about Efke film, but it might be worth a sacrificial piece of it to find out if developing without presoaking makes a difference.

My standard practice Developing Efke 25, Efke 100 AND Kodak TMAX in Pyrocat- MC (that I mixed from scratch) is to presoak these films for 5 minutes in 70C deionized water (that's what I have readily available in my lab). All these films develop perfectly using this procedure.

Pyrocat MC and Efke 25

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