Reusing Ryuji Suzuki's DS-10 and DS-12?

[Rudeofus]

I just came back from some longer vacation with many rolls of film, mostly in 120 format. With inversion tanks, these rolls would call for 500ml of developer each, and I would like to know whether I can reuse these self mixed developers within the same evening without losing too much of their performance. Longer dev times are no concern to me if I know how to adjust.

Does anyone here have any experiences with these devs who would like to share them?

 

[albada]

I just came back from some longer vacation with many rolls of film, mostly in 120 format. With inversion tanks, these rolls would call for 500ml of developer each, and I would like to know whether I can reuse these self mixed developers within the same evening without losing too much of their performance. Longer dev times are no concern to me if I know how to adjust.
Does anyone here have any experiences with these devs who would like to share them?

Ryuji states that it's acceptable to use DS-10 diluted 1+1. That will cut your cost in half.
Also, consider putting two 120 films onto a single 220 reel by carefully taping the two films together. That cuts cost in half again.
With these two tricks, you use one fourth the developer, so using it one-shot won't seem wasteful.

And I hope you had an enjoyable vacation!

Mark Overton

 

[Rudeofus]

Diluting DS-10 1+1 also cuts the sulfite concentration in half, which means turning a solvent developer into one with poor solvent capability at best. For that reason I think that diluting it 1+1 would change its properties more than reusing stock solution.

I do like the idea with the taped film strips, though. The Jobo spindles came with some plastic pieces for separating two 120 rolls. I threw these away in anger when I didn't know what they were good for and after I ruined an 135 roll of film. Interesting enough, all the spindles I have acquired in the mean time also came without these clips.

Any hints which types of sticky tape will stay on the film while the soups do their work?

 

[albada]

Diluting DS-10 1+1 also cuts the sulfite concentration in half, which means turning a solvent developer into one with poor solvent capability at best. For that reason I think that diluting it 1+1 would change its properties more than reusing stock solution.

I do like the idea with the taped film strips, though. The Jobo spindles came with some plastic pieces for separating two 120 rolls. I threw these away in anger when I didn't know what they were good for and after I ruined an 135 roll of film. Interesting enough, all the spindles I have acquired in the mean time also came without these clips.

Any hints which types of sticky tape will stay on the film while the soups do their work?

I can see pursuing finest possible grain with 35mm, but with 120, would the slightly coarser grain due to 1+1 matter?

For tape: how about using the tape that holds the film to the backing? Or, the tape that's called "duct tape" in the US should work.

Mark Overton

 

[hrst]

I regularly tape two 120's together to form a 220. It can be a little tricky sometimes and take some time, but the key is to keep cool and not to rush. I use the existing tape at the end of the first film. First, I put the first film normally on the reel, leaving about two inches of the film available. Then I remove the backing paper but leave the tape on the film. Then, I take the next film and carefully "drag" it along the first film (make sure the films are not at an angle) until it hits the tape. Then, you have to carefully feel that the ends of the films are straight to each other (not at an angle) and without an offset. It's easiest to feel that there are no gaps on either edge of the film, or at least the gap is equal. When the joint feels good and even, press the tape firmly to the film, then continue feeding to the reel. If it doesn't go smoothly, start over.

Sound pretty difficult but it's not rocket science, more like a process of trial and error! If there is an angle of just a degree or two or an offset of 0.5 mm or so, it won't cause problems; but if the films are just randomly taped together, it won't work unless you are very lucky.

Usually, it goes pretty straightforward, but sometimes I have to redo it a few times. In those cases, it's most important to keep your cool. Contrary to APUG legends, this is not any more risky than developing film altogether. You can ruin even a single roll if you push it violently on a reel when it is not running smoothly for any reason. This is the key point; it just has to go smoothly, then it will work.