Hello everyone
I am relatively new to photography, and decided to give home developing a go. I chose the combination of Tri-X and Rodinal for 35mm. So far, every roll of Tri-X I have developed has come out underwhelming.
Basically, I am trying to develop Tri-X in Rodinal for future darkroom printing, and having issues with the learning curve. I developed 3 rolls of Tri-X rated at 400 with the dilution of 1:50 for 8 minutes, and had two different results. I thought I had figured it out with this dilution and time, but after having a different result, I decided to just ask for help. The first two rolls were in a 2-roll Paterson tank; the second roll was in an old Anscomatic tank. Below, I've included images and all the relevant information I could think of.
First Development
The first photo (no.1) is of the bottom of 2 rolls (the bottom looked better than the top).
1:50 (~15.5ml Rodinal and ~785ml Water) for 8 minutes at ~18c (more around ~18.6c, possibly hotter by the end of development from the sun) with the first minute of agitation, then the final 10 seconds of every minute after.
Ilford wash method
Ilford Rapidfix (Mixed Oct 11 2025, used 3 times) at 22c for 2 minutes.
When I first took the negatives out of the wetting agent, they looked extremely purple, but for the most part, that has faded. Still a purple-blue base, but not as extreme.
no.1
Second Development (Trying to solve the purple-blue color)
Pre-soaked while mixing the Rodinal; I did not do that with the first development.
The dilution was 1:50 (~10ml Rodinal + ~490ml Water) for 8 minutes, but at ~19-20c (the thermometer was flipping between 19.9c and 20c). Same agitation; first minute, then last 10 seconds of every minute.
I read online somewhere (Flickr, maybe) that double fixing would help with the purple, so I did that.
First fix was Ilford Rapidfix for 2 min ~23c (Same fix working mix as last time, Oct 11 2025, I poured some into a small glass and it appeared to be fine; however, did not do a leader test).
Then I filled the tank up with water and agitated for about a minute, then poured it out, repeated that 3 times.
The second fix was Ilford Rapidfix for 3 minutes at 22c (mixed Nov 5 2025/today), after that I set it to sit under a hose with water running for a bit before drying.
This photo (no.2) does not illustrate very well how thin this leader is.
no.2
The Kodak 400TX along the top is only really visible for the first few frames, and the frame markers just do not exist. The film appears to be underdeveloped, but since this dilution worked before, I am just confused about how and why of it being as such.
no.3
The camera's white balance is slightly off; the background was an off-white/old yellowed bedsheet.
I am in a rather rural area and have to use well and/or distilled water, and collect the used water for later disposal. Controlling the temperature is also nearly impossible. I keep the distilled water outside, so it is generally cooler when I go to use it, ~17-19c with the current weather. While the chemicals are stored in a plastic chest indoors, so are normally ~20-22c. I have no idea if this is the best method or even how to cool down the chemicals effectively. I tried using ice water in the past, but that is mainly a waste of water and time, and it did not help. All chemicals were mixed with distilled water and not well water.
I'd really appreciate any advice or guidance. I am looking for negatives that can be printed with an enlarger with relative ease, which I believe means contrast and an amount of grain with detail.
Thank you in advance for your time and knowledge.
- Bill
I am relatively new to photography, and decided to give home developing a go. I chose the combination of Tri-X and Rodinal for 35mm. So far, every roll of Tri-X I have developed has come out underwhelming.
Basically, I am trying to develop Tri-X in Rodinal for future darkroom printing, and having issues with the learning curve. I developed 3 rolls of Tri-X rated at 400 with the dilution of 1:50 for 8 minutes, and had two different results. I thought I had figured it out with this dilution and time, but after having a different result, I decided to just ask for help. The first two rolls were in a 2-roll Paterson tank; the second roll was in an old Anscomatic tank. Below, I've included images and all the relevant information I could think of.
First Development
The first photo (no.1) is of the bottom of 2 rolls (the bottom looked better than the top).
1:50 (~15.5ml Rodinal and ~785ml Water) for 8 minutes at ~18c (more around ~18.6c, possibly hotter by the end of development from the sun) with the first minute of agitation, then the final 10 seconds of every minute after.
Ilford wash method
Ilford Rapidfix (Mixed Oct 11 2025, used 3 times) at 22c for 2 minutes.
When I first took the negatives out of the wetting agent, they looked extremely purple, but for the most part, that has faded. Still a purple-blue base, but not as extreme.
no.1
Second Development (Trying to solve the purple-blue color)
Pre-soaked while mixing the Rodinal; I did not do that with the first development.
The dilution was 1:50 (~10ml Rodinal + ~490ml Water) for 8 minutes, but at ~19-20c (the thermometer was flipping between 19.9c and 20c). Same agitation; first minute, then last 10 seconds of every minute.
I read online somewhere (Flickr, maybe) that double fixing would help with the purple, so I did that.
First fix was Ilford Rapidfix for 2 min ~23c (Same fix working mix as last time, Oct 11 2025, I poured some into a small glass and it appeared to be fine; however, did not do a leader test).
Then I filled the tank up with water and agitated for about a minute, then poured it out, repeated that 3 times.
The second fix was Ilford Rapidfix for 3 minutes at 22c (mixed Nov 5 2025/today), after that I set it to sit under a hose with water running for a bit before drying.
This photo (no.2) does not illustrate very well how thin this leader is.
no.2
The Kodak 400TX along the top is only really visible for the first few frames, and the frame markers just do not exist. The film appears to be underdeveloped, but since this dilution worked before, I am just confused about how and why of it being as such.
no.3
The camera's white balance is slightly off; the background was an off-white/old yellowed bedsheet.
I am in a rather rural area and have to use well and/or distilled water, and collect the used water for later disposal. Controlling the temperature is also nearly impossible. I keep the distilled water outside, so it is generally cooler when I go to use it, ~17-19c with the current weather. While the chemicals are stored in a plastic chest indoors, so are normally ~20-22c. I have no idea if this is the best method or even how to cool down the chemicals effectively. I tried using ice water in the past, but that is mainly a waste of water and time, and it did not help. All chemicals were mixed with distilled water and not well water.
I'd really appreciate any advice or guidance. I am looking for negatives that can be printed with an enlarger with relative ease, which I believe means contrast and an amount of grain with detail.
Thank you in advance for your time and knowledge.
- Bill