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Old 1st June 2020, 08:43 AM
Josh G Josh G is offline
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Default Issues with FD10??

Just recently I have started home developing black & white. I've started with some fotospeed chemistry.

I managed to develop the first 4 or 5 films successfully, mostly HP5 and some lomo lady grey. I grabbed the dev info from massive dev chart and I was having good results.

The last 4 films I have developed have been terrible though. I have not changed any process other than timing on some of them. All are badly under exposed with surge marks. (could someone prompt me on how to post an example as I'm new on here! thanks!)

I've been double checking everything, temperature, cleanliness, mixing correctly etc and each time is the same. The only change I can possibly think of is that I was storing the developer in a room with a drier. With the drier on, that room becomes exceptionally warm. So, I guess the question I'm asking is, can you ruin chemicals with prolonged heat exposure? My developing going wrong coincides with the move to store the developer in that room.

Any advice is greatly appreciated as I really can't afford to be wasting anymore film
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Old 1st June 2020, 09:45 AM
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MartyNL MartyNL is offline
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All photo chemicals should be kept in a cool dark storage so your warm storage won't help matters.

Staying with the theme that it's only a processing issue, Fotospeed states that opened bottles should last 4 months. Any idea how long your developer has been open for?
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Old 1st June 2020, 09:53 AM
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To post an image, go to advanced and click on the attachment icon.

Bear in mind the following about file size and dimensions.

http://www.film-and-darkroom-user.or...ad.php?t=12459
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Old 1st June 2020, 11:11 AM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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There are perhaps two other pertinent questions here: Did you simply decant enough dev out of the container each time and then screw the lid back on. If so then there has progressively been more and more air in the container, the earliest of which is now how old?

Depending on the date of first opening, the container might or might not be more than 4 months old.

Then then there is the question of heat. What percentage of the total time is the room more than normally warm and what does more than normal represent in temp

Unless the room is baking hot for quite a long time then my instinct is to doubt this as being more than a very marginal cause but once again time and temp is something that it would be useful to know.

My darkroom can feel quite hot at say 25C but while I can't speak for Fotospeed info on the subject, Ilford provides a conversion chart for developing above 20C and it goes up to about 25C

This will sound like a stuck record but nearly all developers with the exception of the likes of HC110 and Rodinal have a natural enemy
called air.

It is always worth decanting developer into small brown/green bottles that only hold enough for one film or use winebags which are more convenient but may not be as impervious to air in the long run as closed bottles filled to the top so there is literally no air at all

Mike
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Old 1st June 2020, 11:25 AM
Richard Gould Richard Gould is offline
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When I tried FD10 a few years ago I has all sorts of problems, first few films needed a lot more development than suggested,and the concentrate, even though stored in a cool room, went bad very quickly, if the concentrate is not clear, has gone dar, then time to ditch it and try another, If you don't mind mixing from powder the \Ilford's ID11 is a great developer, as far as storage, I store allmy chemistry in the darkroom, which on a sunny day is around 24 to 25 degrees, and never lost any yet to heat, I have both ID11 stock and RO9/0ne shot, (Rodinal) stored in there and both are fine, as is my print developer, I suggest you ditch FD10 and try another developer,
Richard
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Old 1st June 2020, 02:41 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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It would be a bit of a "faff" for most who develop a lot of films quickly and use developer faster than it deteriorates but for occasional users I have often thought that the ideal is a small sachet of a powder developer to make enough developer for one film that is poured into a jug of water, mixed in seconds at room temp and is then ready for developing.

No waste at all so no worries. It might be expensive to buy of course or certainly more expensive per film that powders that make up 1 or 5L of stock but it might remove a myriad of potential causes of poor film development that needs a lot of questions before the developer as a cause can be eliminated.

Mike
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Old 1st June 2020, 04:34 PM
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Bill Bill is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike O'Pray View Post
It would be a bit of a "faff" for most who develop a lot of films quickly and use developer faster than it deteriorates but for occasional users I have often thought that the ideal is a small sachet of a powder developer to make enough developer for one film that is poured into a jug of water, mixed in seconds at room temp and is then ready for developing.

No waste at all so no worries. It might be expensive to buy of course or certainly more expensive per film that powders that make up 1 or 5L of stock but it might remove a myriad of potential causes of poor film development that needs a lot of questions before the developer as a cause can be eliminated.

Mike
Mike, If like me you go back far enough (say around 1952 or so) Johnsons of Hendon used to sell a developer called Tabloid. It was in a glass bottle about the size of an aspirin bottle and contained pills about aspirin size. Drop in water, let it dissolve and instant developer. It was the first developer I used when I started developing films (I was 8) and was given to me by my Grandad who used it as his standard developer. I believe we used the MQ developer.

I found instructions and some other information on the Photomemorabilia site https://www.photomemorabilia.co.uk/J...MQ/Tabloid.pdf

Also if I remember correctly Roger Maile of Creative Monochrome reported on a similar idea for colour developing some time in the late 80’s or early 90’s.

That would solve a lot of problems for the occasional user.

Bill
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Old 2nd June 2020, 02:24 PM
Richard Gould Richard Gould is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill View Post
Mike, If like me you go back far enough (say around 1952 or so) Johnsons of Hendon used to sell a developer called Tabloid. It was in a glass bottle about the size of an aspirin bottle and contained pills about aspirin size. Drop in water, let it dissolve and instant developer. It was the first developer I used when I started developing films (I was 8) and was given to me by my Grandad who used it as his standard developer. I believe we used the MQ developer.

I found instructions and some other information on the Photomemorabilia site https://www.photomemorabilia.co.uk/J...MQ/Tabloid.pdf

Also if I remember correctly Roger Maile of Creative Monochrome reported on a similar idea for colour developing some time in the late 80’s or early 90’s.

That would solve a lot of problems for the occasional user.

Bill
Yes I am of an age to remember these tablets, wonderful idea, I think Tetenal did something mucn=h the same for colour, but for the occasional black and white film developer, or for someone who might want to develop film while away from home, Johnsons of Hendon did have some great ideas,and made great chemistry and prettty much everything you needed for the darkroom
Richard
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Old 1st June 2020, 04:04 PM
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skellum skellum is offline
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Josh, welcome to the forum.
From memory new members can't post images until they have made a minimum number of posts- might be 5??
Once you have earned the privilege you woud go to 'Gallery' at the top of the page (right under the FADU icon), then select 'Help' gallery (fourth down). Post you image there.
It's useful to shoot a digital picture of the film against a plain white background rather than scanning the film- a 'photo shows several frames plus the sprockets.
Might be worth making a couple more quick posts, then you can upload a picture. You'll get good advice once folk know wat you're up against.
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Old 1st June 2020, 08:45 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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Thanks Bill I do remember 1952 and things like John Cobb crashing to his death on Loch Ness in his attempt on the water speed record but nothing about photography unfortunately

I am actually quite a latecomer to the business of photography. Yes I had a camera in 1956 and dabbled for a period at school in the photography club but largely lost interest then a nightschool darkroom course in 2003 so that was really Year Zero when I was already x*! years old

Mike
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