Rodinal: For Film as well as Prints?

[DF]

Why/what is so great about this Developer? Is it for both developing film a swell as printmaking?

 

[eddie]

It's known primarily as a film developer, but can be used as a paper developer. In my bromoil research, I came up with at least one reference to using it for paper. I have no personal experience using it for paper, though.

 

[tony lockerbie]

Never used it as a paper dev, but as Eddie has said, there probably is no reason why you can't if you made the concentration much higher. Rodinal is obviously of most use as a film dev where it excels as a high acutance developer. Films developed in Rodinal have good edge sharpness at the cost of higher grain, which can become quite pronounced in higher speed films. Some people love this look and regularly use it for films like Tri-X. I personally use it for Pan-F, diluted to 1:50.
The other advantage of Rodinal is the keeping properties and economy. Dilutions up to 1:100 are possible although it is more commonly used at 1:25 or 1:50.The concentrate seems to last forever, which is another reason why I love it.

 

[eddie]

I just looked up the bromoil article I mentioned. It recommended 1:25, or 1:30, though the author hadn't tried it either.

 

[Tjack]

Lately I've been using R09 for the Adox CHS 50 speed film with good results. I typically use 500ml in a 1:100 ratio in a tank using the agitation method at 19-20 minutes. Thats only 5ml solution to develop, pretty economical and I like the results and the slower time seems to give a better result.

 

[Ian Grant]

It was recommended for Prints many years ago, but at higher concentrations 1:10 or 1:20 which makes it a bit uneconomic. Kodak Kodinol, Liford Certinal, M&B Azol, all had similar recommendations.

Modern Rodinal is sold slightly more concentrated so 1:15 or 1:25 might be a better starting point.

Ian

 

[Rhodes]

I did some experiments with rodianl has paper developer. I recently bought a speed graphic and since <I have not yet get some film, I decided to use old paper that I have around (to sell but never got to). Since the paper is not 4x5 I decided to cut the 8x10 sheets and use them is the olders.
And since I only know that the iso of paper is low, I rated at iso 3 and iso 6. Did some exposures from my window and develop with rodinal 1+10 and 1+15, 500ml of solution.
Again my experience with tray dev+paper is limited so, when I thought that the paper was done I stop and fix.
The negs were this:






and the posives after scanning and inverting and "processing" in photoshop and lighroom (lighroom can not do a posive from a negative?)

 

[Athiril]

I've gotten excellent prints with Rodinal, it just exhausts quite quickly is the only problem.

Just add another developing agent, such as ascorbate or HQ, and it lasts quite long.

 

[Ian Grant]

I've gotten excellent prints with Rodinal, it just exhausts quite quickly is the only problem.

Just add another developing agent, such as ascorbate or HQ, and it lasts quite long.

That's what was once recommended there was a warm tone developer published in the 1930's by MJ Shaw, I have put it in the Formulae section here on APUG.

Ian

 

[pdeeh]

the Formulae section here on APUG.

I expect I am being dim, but I can't find a Formulae section ... could someone give me a link please?

 

[bdial]

It's in the "Articles" section;
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

 

[pdeeh]

aha!
thank you

 

[Ian Grant]

It's J.W. Shaw not MJ it's some time since I posted it, and (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Ian

 

[dorff]

Why/what is so great about this Developer? Is it for both developing film a swell as printmaking?

It lasts practically for ever. It is very easy to use. It produces great looking negatives for many (but not all) films. It is very easy to make, and very cheap compared to other home brews.

Yes, it can also be used for paper, at about 1:25, and must be made up fresh for every print run. It is easily enhanced by addition of ascorbate, but I would then still use it only for one day's printing. I think it might last longer if one adds additional sulphite, as in 50g/L sodium sulphite, and if one adds ascorbate it might help to add salicylic acid too. But those are guesses. For me, it is so cheap that I simply use once and discard after.

One can make a decent film developer out of Rodinal combined with Caffenol - more info on this on the Caffenol blog.

If you want to make your own using paracetamol (aka acetaminophen), then use the calculator I give in this thread: (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Others and I have tried it in all possible permutations and combinations, and it works for all of them. In addition to being cheap, it is then not necessary to mix wet chemicals until you need it, and it can be made to any batch size and used within reasonable time frame. I have stored full and half-full bottles of this for a year or more, and haven't seen degradation. To give an indication of cost, it works out to about 5 EURO cents for every 35mm/120 film developed, which is about 10 ml of concentrate (500 ml @ 1:50). By comparison, caffenol and D76 are much much more expensive. Paracetamol as commodity chemical is about 10EU/kg. If you buy capsules, you will pay many times that, and get impurities such as nano-silica which is used to improve the flow properties.