Gast
Hello
Does anyone know what the maximum temperature is for film processing?
I process at 20°C
If it’s below 18 degrees, I get grain. What temperature can it handle above 20 degrees?
Kind regards, Frank
Gast
Hi Frank,
Under 18 grains? At two degrees????? What on earth is that all about? In that case, I wouldn’t go more than 2 degrees above that for at least the first few washes.
So far I’ve thrown Effke, Forte/Classic, T-Max, TriX and PlusX, Agfa APX 100 and everything else I can’t remember into the sink (in winter more like 14 degrees) and never had any problems. I’d already been wondering whether I’d need ice-cold water if I ever wanted a grainy look.
Regards
Martin
Gast
Hello
I had this problem in the darkroom with the Orwo 125, i.e. the FP4.
The 18x24 prints were so rubbish that, because I can’t keep the temperature below 20 degrees, I always condition the film in a bucket and then rinse the reel in the bucket. I change the water 3–4 times and give it a good shake up and down so it splashes. This method is too fiddly and messy for me.
That’s why. Surely there are black-and-white processes that run at over 20 degrees.
Does anyone know anything more apart from silly comments?
Regards, Frank
Gast
Hi Frank,
I don’t mean to sound silly. When I was starting out, I used to go to great lengths to regulate the temperature of my developing water, because I was scared stiff by all the horror stories about wrinkled prints. Then one day, in a rush, I forgot all about it – see above.
If it’s FP 4, I’m surprised too, but seriously, first of all:
The problem isn’t the absolute temperature, but the sudden change.
Moersch, for example, specifies times for FP 4 up to 26 degrees for its Tanol developer. So the film can generally handle that temperature. Can you actually control the temperature of your wash water more precisely than 20 degrees?
Another alternative is to develop in the canister, using the Ilford method (tilt 5 times, change; tilt 10 times, change, etc.), and only use precisely temperature-controlled water for the first two fills, or top up with a 2-litre bucket of tap water so that the temperature slowly rises to tap temperature. However, no guarantees.
Regards
Martin
Renate
I always use a bucket to fill with water and leave it in the bathroom – which also serves as my darkroom – for a day. The water then reaches around 20 degrees, and I use it to perform development and rinse the film. My cold water, which comes straight from the tap, is often only 12 to 14 degrees in winter.
The LP Cube XS developer is intended for use at 24 degrees. I haven’t tested it yet, as I don’t have a reliable system for temperature control.
Gast
Hello,
As I’ve mentioned in other posts, I process all my black-and-white films at 24 degrees during agitation.
That is, from the previous week’s solution through the developer, stop bath, fixer, intermediate rinse, Lavaquick and another minute of water. Up to this point, everything takes place at 24 degrees with the processor running. Afterwards, the canister is disconnected from the processor and filled 10 times with normal tap water in the basin (which is around 16–17 degrees in winter and around 19–21 degrees in summer), left to stand for about 15 seconds each time before being emptied and refilled. Then pass the film through the wetting agent (for about 1 minute; as the wetting agent has also been warmed in the processor, it is at 24 degrees). Done – now into the drying cabinet with a cold air supply. My process works flawlessly without any problems; no grain, no peeling, no spots or other horrors.
Last but not least, a note on the developers and films actually used in this 24-degree process over the years.
Developers: Rodinal; Calbe R09; Kodak X-Tol, LP Supergrain, LP Cube SX; Champion Promicrol
Films: 35mm/roll film / sheet film (old emulsions/versions, some of which have been discontinued):
Agfa APX 100; APX 400; Delta 100; Delta 400; T-Max 100; Foma 100 and 400, FP4; HP5
Films: roll and/or sheet films only (current emulsions):
APX 100; Fuji Acros 100; Fuji Neopan 400 prof; MACO PO100C, Maco Cube 400; Rollei R3; Efke 25; 50 and 100; Forte/Classic Pan 200 and 400
As I said, everything works perfectly without any problems. Incidentally, I have also processed the Classic Pan 400 roll film at 26 degrees before, as I wanted to keep the development time under an hour (I had used an extremely high dilution with R09).
So, temperatures up to 24 degrees are definitely no problem, even with the ‘old films’ (Efke, Forte)!
See you soon and good luck.
Lothar van de Renne
Urnes
Hi Frank,
As Lothar already said, you can develop black-and-white film at higher temperatures too; it’s no problem as long as you reduce the development time accordingly.
However, I’m baffled by the grain issue with an Fp4 and a temperature deviation of 2°. According to standard data, the films can usually tolerate a deviation of ±5°. I generally stick to that as well. I rinse using the Ilford method and always prepare two jugs of water that are ‘lukewarm’ before rinsing; in fact, I don’t even measure it explicitly because I always use the same ratio of hot to cold water. I always feel a bit guilty about it, especially because of the wrinkling. But the only time I’ve ever caused a film to wrinkle was when I transferred it from a 22°C developer into 14°C cold water.
Erm, one more question, Frank, are you sure it’s wrinkling? I’ve just gone back and read below that you’ve still made prints from the negatives. So actually, with wrinkling, your negatives should look such that you wouldn’t even think of printing them anymore...
Regards, Sven.
