CPD
Hello,
Can anyone here on the forum tell me whether I can finish developing negatives that have been pre-developed in Tanol in a water bath (perhaps with the addition of borax)? Or will this damage the film? What happens if the negative has to be returned from the water bath to the Tanol?
This process used to be carried out occasionally with Rodinal: a few minutes in a Rodinal dilution, then into a water bath for a while (sometimes with, sometimes without an alkali additive) until the negative was right.
This question is also linked once again to my negative development by eye. It really encourages further experimentation! :)
Regards, CP
Gast
Hi CP,
Borax solution is the gentle option; I don’t expect it to have much of an effect. Originally, Tanol was intended as a two-bath process, but I’ve moved away from that because I want to make this accessible to everyone, and if it gets too complicated, it puts beginners off.
What I noticed with the original formula (A was richer) was a fairly significant lift in the shadow areas after the alkaline bath (B solution 5–10 ml/litre of water). With the current version (A), the effect will certainly be weaker, but it’s worth a try. Of course, the fog density will also increase, but this merely results in a longer exposure time during enlargement. The stain does not suffer; it becomes stronger, which must also be taken into account when assessing the highlight densities.
When the film is returned to the developer after the alkaline bath, all densities increase because the alkali absorbed by the emulsion initiates strong development (disproportionately so in the highlights). If you wish to avoid this, an acid bath and a brief rinse in water are recommended before returning to the developer. The pH of the working solution is so high that any acid carried in is unlikely to have any negative effects. Provided the usual concentration (1–2%) is not exceeded, rinsing can be omitted.
When conducting development by eye, you could repeat the entire procedure until the result is satisfactory.
However, the processing times would then have to be measured in terms of South Indian ragas.
Regards
wm
CPD
Hello Mr Moersch,
That’s very helpful information.
The processing times are already beyond good and evil :) – but I’ll only be using this two-bath process for extreme light contrasts anyway.
I’ve learnt quite a lot from the few dozen sheet films I’ve developed by eye; the process is also enormously valuable from an educational point of view – not to mention the fun I get out of it.
One more question: I’ve now ordered Pinakryptol in England (really just for experimenting; the dim light is actually sufficient if you know the trick of holding your finger behind the negative). Pinakryptol is really just a colorant – are there any effects to be expected here? The effect on development time is sometimes highlighted, sometimes denied.
Regards, CP
WolfgangMoersch
Hello CP,
I haven’t noticed any effects with standard developer dilutions.
It is only when the amount of developer substance drops to homeopathic levels—in such small quantities that the development power tends towards zero—that Pinakryptol has the effect of giving the developer a helping hand.
I haven’t tried this with Tanol yet, neither as a pre-bath nor as an additive to the developer.
I might introduce a version for the tray in the autumn. Times of between six and eight minutes would be possible for N development, but then the N-2 becomes critically short, unless ‘sliming’ is used.
For sheet films, Tanol can also be prepared at a ratio of 1+1+50, although the speed will be slightly lower with single-bath development.
Regards
wm
