Moersch Finol / TMax films

CPD · 2014-06-10T16:20:25+00:00

Hallo! ? In Finol entwickelte Filme darf man nicht zu lange fixieren, da ansonsten der Stain verloren geht. TMax Filme benötigen aber eine recht lange Fixi...

CPD

Hello! ? With films developed in Finol, you mustn’t fix them for too long, otherwise the stain is lost. TMax films, however, require quite a long fixing time. ? How do you go about it? ? I’ve rarely used flat-crystal films (more like FP4+ and HP5+ in Tanol) and when I have, I’ve developed them in D-76. So completely without stain.;-)) ? Ciao!

Gast

Hello, I don’t use Finol myself, but another stain developer (PMK); however, there shouldn’t be any problems if you use a neutral fixer (Moersch ATS alkaline). If a slight pink fog does remain, simply hang the film in the window for a few hours – the UV light will remove the fog. A pink tinge is not an indication of insufficient fixing. € Best regards, Wolfgang

CPD

Hello Wolfgang! € Thank you very much for your message! € Do you mix the PMK yourself? € Best regards!

Gast

No, I bought a large quantity of PMK (pre-mixed) from Photographers Formulary quite some time ago. ? It used to be available from Monochrom. ? As far as I know, it’s now only available from Riegler in Austria: http://www.fotofachversand.com/Photographers-Formulary-Pyro-PMK ? Before that, I used to get it from Lotus: http://www.lotusviewcamera.at/chemie/pyrogallol_e.html ? My recommendation: Kodak Tmax 400 in PMK (15 mins at 21°C, agitate every 15 seconds, stop with water), full 400 ASA speed, fine grain, razor-sharp. ? Regards Wolfgang

CPD

Thank you very much for your advice! € I’ve been meaning to look into pyrogallol developers for a very long time. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I haven’t got round to it yet, and I’ve been using Mr Moersch’s products – with excellent results, by the way – which are certainly highly recommended. € Do you use a rotary or a tilting developer? I’d have both options, although my processor has been gathering dust since I stopped doing colour. Actually, I’d prefer tilting, and tray development for larger formats... € I’ve read time and again online about uneven development with pyrogallol developers. Also, that they tend to cease activity before development is complete. Could you please comment on this? € Best regards!

Gast

I’m tilting it. The 15-second tilting rhythm prevents uneven development. I haven’t had any problems with PMK yet. It’s very stable and extremely durable. However, PMK isn’t suitable for rotary development. For that, there’s a variant called Rollo Pyro (or the stain developers from Moersch) I can highly recommend the book by PMK’s ‘inventor’ Gordon Hutchings, *The Book of Pyro*; it contains pretty much everything you need to know about pyro. http://www.ars-imago.ch/thebookofpyrobygordonhutchings-p-8220.html €

CPD

[size=4]Thanks!!![/size]

CPD

Just one more question: ? What is [size=2]?[font=VERDANA, ARIAL, HELVETICA]PMK refill? [font=VERDANA, ARIAL, HELVETICA]Surely it’s a one-shot developer? [/size] ? ? Best regards! ? CP

Gast

No idea! Maybe you can get Lotus to refill your empty PMK bottles? PMK is always a one-off developer. Otherwise, just have a go at asking Lotus. ? Regards, Wolfgang