Yet anther Kodak X-ray film "again"

First of all let me say that this is a purely unscientific test. I have no way of checking D-max, densities, curves, toes or even fingers for that matter. I am only going by how the negatives and prints look. I work for a Hospital in Erie PA and from time to time also take care of some Drs. offices. While at one of the offices I managed to talk the Dr. out of some expired ( 1996) Kodak X-ray film. Free 200 sheets. So I did some experimenting. It was cheap so nothing to loose. The film is T-Mat G/RA. My camera is an 8X10 Kodak View 2 Improved. The lens is a Wolly Velo 9 ½ in. Film developer is Beutler High Def. ( my standard ) and the paper dev is Ansco 130 1:2 dilution. All other chemicals as usual. Paper is that Freestyle “Europes Finest Warmtone” stuff. AGFA but don’t know what? Grades 2 and 3.
Next let me say everything I read about what to rate this film at was wrong. First I tried ISO 25. Waaaay over exposed. Beutler was at standard 1:1:8 dilution. Almost black negative. I tried diluting Dev. a bit more. I took 1 liter of the working stock and added another liter of water. Started to get somewhere. I was now able to get a negative that I could recognize, but not there yet. After a few more ISO changes I ended up with ISO 200. Beutler was still the more dilute mix. Negative looked pretty good to my eye. Now to print. Grade 3 paper has a better look than the 2. I contact print on an old Burke and James printer. It has a dimmer switch for the lights and I have turned way down. Time is about 6 sec. at that setting. 2 min. Ansco 130. Although not what you would call Museum quality print, ( like most all of my junk) it looks pretty good. Contrast was well with in range of pleasing and could actually be a bit more. Probably could control it with a little less dilute developer mixture. I also tried adding a polarized filter and this did increase the contrast a little. One other note I tried a pyro developer but it was not working at the dilution I was using. A little more tweaking and that will probably work also. I’m sorry I have no way of scanning the prints to show but they do look promising. I will continue to play and tweak but this will work for fun and some interesting looking prints. I love to experiment. Comments?

I come up with a lot of "junk" too, but that's not the point, it's the enjoyment of the thing. I don't take it too seriously because it wouldn't be any fun, and that's why I'm in it. For the fun of it. Now, I have some old duping film I gotta try.

Dude, let me say I LOVE your working method!!

Agfa X-ray

Hello! Sounds like you are having fun!

I was given about 300 sheets of 14x17 Agfa X-ray film (the hospital switched to a different type and was tossing it out). I have done a little playing with it.

First sheets I exposed were processed at the hospital -- my best guess is about an ASA of 400 to 800 for portraits of my boys in open shade. I made cyanotypes with them -- just a little contrasty...they will make nice Platinum/palladium prints if I ever get around to that! Being an ortho film, it really brings out the rough-and-tumble appearance of my boys' faces!

Just starting to do some more experimenting with it. Some images under the redwoods (long exposures) seem to indicate a very high reciprosity failure. I did get a good platinum/palladium print from one of the negs I developed in D-76...sorry no notes in front of me. But it was a shorter exposure than the others (about a sec).

I'll be using D-76 for my next round of exposures...8x10 in trays, constant agitation. I have already exposed the negs -- at ASA 400, short exposures. Now to find the time to develop them! My time in the dark is limited and I have lots of negs calling to be made into carbon prints and platinum/palladium prints...so it is hard to justify "playing" around.

I normally use a Jobo drum for developing, but the X-ray film seems be coated with emulsion of both sides, which would not work well in a drum. Is your Kodak X-ray film coated on both sides?

Since I do not have a 14x17 camera, I am thinking that I might try some pin-hole images with it! It seems a shame to cut such large film down. There is a14x17 camera on ebay...if I had the $3500 laying around!

Vaughn

i've been testing some kodak digital science x ray film and an iso of 6 looks best so far dev'd in rodinal. I've been cutting it down to 4x5 from the 14x17 sheets. I'll post results eventually.

This might be of help.

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/health/tiDocs/ti1790/ti1790.shtml

Remember the film is thicker, you might want to do a focus test.

Yes the film is coated on both sides. I tray develope and flop the film over once every min. Then aggitate for the first 10 sec. just to settle the film in the solution. I found if I don't flop it it leaves the tray ribb design on the negative. As far as sharpness it looks very good, even for a soft focus lens.
As far as being fun, that is why I do photogrphy. Its sure not not to try to make money. Its the process.

problems

Be careful with X-ray films with developing as for most of the cases are both side is coated specially those originated from the medical industry!

I really don’t know where to publish this to get most of the people’s attention to get some answers.

I got some problems with X-ray films too! I have 200 sheets of Kodak’s X-ray IR films here and don’t know what and how to do! Now I don’t have any problem with usual x-ray films used in x-ray means but in photographic means I have!

The films used in x-rays are un-sensivitised films (not sure about spelling) anyway in order to establish the ISO rate to expose the negatives right need to be some testing done.

The question is this? Do the holders and the bellows hold for IR light? I think the holders would but the bellows?

The paradox in this case is if I do any kind of testing I got to know if the holders or the bellows hold for IR otherwise ther is two problems which generating the failure factor! Do any of you shut IR film in a large format camera before? Any experience with the holders or the bellows?
Because if not than I got to do a lot’s of testing before I feel comfortable to do any kind of work with this film. Knowledge please no guesses.

I recently saw an exhibition of prints made on x-ray film and mounted slightly above a bright white background. The thick, double coated film with a blue base combined with the unusual mounting produced an interesting effect. Not quite my thing, but interesting nonetheless. If you come across some x-ray film cheaply, you might try some experiments along that line.