SILVERMAX reversal process

Hi!

Anyone can give me some ideas for a first reversal developer for this film at 100 ASA without halide solvent?

The only thing that worked for me was Eukobrom 1+5 (15' @ 27ºC) or Dokumol 1+9 (16' @ 29ºC). Both with 5grs/l KSCN.
The first one gives so-so slides and the second one is too contrasty. If I can avoid the halide solvent would be the best.

D-11 gives greenish slides and you loose one stop.
SUPROL gives yellowish slides and needs also a bit of solvent.
ORWO 829 gives very low contrast and warm tone.
ORWO 842 gives also yellowish slides.
I've used all of them at different temperatures and times, but mostly at 24ºC.

I don't know if the developer in the Foma Kit would work with this. I've read that it works beautifully with AGFA SCALA at 125ASA.
Fomadon LQR also doesn't work. I always thought that it was the first developer in the Foma Kit, but Foma says that it's "profoundly different".

Any ideas?

Hi Avortex

I use Suprol for reversal development of Silvermax, 1+4 for 12' @ 20C. I have experienced some warmness to yellowish but it has been inconsistent. I did try once with some solvent but got blown highlights. One time the leader was absolutely clear before the second dev but after that the leader had a yellow tint which cleared a bit after a short fix. I have done a few experiments using Iron Out as the reversal and 2nd dev stage and again got inconsistent results sometime more yellow sometimes not.

I have found a difference in final slide tone with the reversal and 2nd development stage. I did a test using Foma 100 (not the R), same first development using Suprol, then cut into 4 separate strips using different reversal stages; one with light reversal, 2 with with different SnCl2 based chemical reversal and then one with Iron Out. One SnCl2 based one had a very slight pink tinge, the other very slight green, the Iron Out was cleanest and light reversal with Suprol 2nd dev ever so slightly warmer. So it seems that any final tint may be influenced by the reversal and second development.

In my notes I notice for one roll processed in the usual way that I commented this roll came out cleaner than others but why? One of my conclusions is that the developer must be very fresh.

I also did experiment using Dokumol, 1+5 for 12' @20C but the slides were very cold and the leader grey.

I have compared my best rolls of Silvermax with commercially processed Scala and there is not much difference. Even with the Scala some frames were slightly warm.

Richard

I generally use dektol 1:1 and add hypo on the fly, only if needed. Most thin emulsions don't really need any. If you are building up too much contrast, dilute your developer or resign to using some hypo.

Any silver film can be reversed, but some are much better than others. Without hypo, your choices are usually better with the older style formulations.

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Thanks for your detailed explanation, Richard. I 've also tested several procedures (with other films) for reversal, and Iron Out works, but I found that it's like a hammer: it gets the job done, but is not very subtle. Density is excessive!
I'll test the Foma Reversal bath in the future, with Stannous Chloride and P-aminophenol. At the moment, I'm using Dokumol 1+9 as my second developer. Neutral tone with most films and I skip mixing D-72, which is the one I was using before.

Dokumol works great as a first developer with some low-contrast films like Adox CHS-II at 100 ASA (1+9. 16' @25ºC). I always do 2 inversions after every minute. What's your agitation procedure?

Peter, thanks for the answer. I'm satisfied with classic grain emulsions, but Silvermax (and its twin brother Agfa Scala) is complicated as hell...

One way of narrowing how little/much hypo you can get away with is to use it as a separate step. Make Fixer24 (http://www.jackspcs.com/f24.htm) and try a dilution of around 1:100 and put it as the 2nd step and figure out how much time you need in that bath. It will probably help you fine tune your process in a more isolated way.

In theory you could use rapid fixer, but it may be harder to control.

Thanks, Peter. I use a 2'5% dilution of KSCN, so it's manageable.
A thing that I don't understand, is that this very same emulsion needs 5 minutes less in Super-8 to obtain the same results than 35mm. How is it possible?

>>Avortex. For inversion I do it every 15 secs.

I'll try using Dokumol for the second developer but liked the idea of using the same first developer to avoid waste.

Have you seen this article on using a modified D19 formula.
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

1) It's probably not exactly the same emulsion
2) Exposure is different with motion picture.

Peter, Silvermax and Adox Pan-X Reverso is exactly the same, as confirmed by Adox themselves.
If the film is the same, exposure with motion picture cameras should give no difference, considering that the exposure is equally right. Losing 1 stop is too much of a difference! That's what I don't understand...

Richard, I tried that developer and it works OK with Fomapan R100, but I assume it's not powerful enough for other films.
Also, for reversal the negative emulsions, Sodium Hydroxide developers ara far better generally.

My comments were on the assumption that the exposure was of a motion picture camera. Is this correct?