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  #11  
Old 23rd September 2012, 01:19 PM
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MartyNL MartyNL is offline
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Hello and welcome to the forum. It's wonderful you're resurrecting your fathers old equipment and look forward to seeing the results.
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  #12  
Old 23rd September 2012, 02:53 PM
andamanaffair andamanaffair is offline
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Thank you MartyNL

It might be a little while until I can get things moving, although the black changing bag that I found amongst his kit might allow me to go ahead with some developing. However, I have to build a darkroom in the loft which,because of restricted room, might be a 'challenge'! The first job is to move junk from the loft to create a space. My father's Patterson 'Major' developing tank has seen better days and I think a new one will be my first purchase.

Thank you again for your encouragement.
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  #13  
Old 23rd September 2012, 05:16 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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I'll have to risk this sounding as if I am insulting your intelligence which is not my intention but if the black changing bag gives you the sweaty hands problem which is not uncommon or you have doubts as to its light-tightness then a cupboard in the house where you can stand up or even kneel might be ideal for loading a tank. Now that we are into complete darkness by about 7:30pm any cupboard where there are no lights on in the outer room should be fine.

Under the stairs cupboards are ideal.

Mike
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  #14  
Old 23rd September 2012, 05:49 PM
andamanaffair andamanaffair is offline
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Mike

Don't worry; all advise gratefully received! Actually, I don't have an 'under the stairs' and the darkest place in the house is probably the loft. The house is on a corner but I have street lights on either side. I had wondered just how light-proof the bag might be after all this time (I don't remember seeing my father using it, either) and had decided to do the deed at night in a nominally dark room but with the use of the bag. Happily, one thing I inherited from the Old Boy was a relative absence of sweaty hands!

Is this the right part of the forum to enquire about the best developer for stale Tri-X? I hesitate to say this but, by stale, I mean about 30 years old . I am not expecting exhibition prints from the results!
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  #15  
Old 23rd September 2012, 07:44 PM
Peter S Peter S is offline
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Long before I new about changing bags, about 57 years ago, I loaded films into a tank kneeling beside my bed with head, shoulders and arms under the bed clothes, it worked, but was a hot and sweaty job.
I think I got the idea from a article in AP, I wonder if it would work under a duvet.
Peter
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  #16  
Old 23rd September 2012, 08:51 PM
Terry S Terry S is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter S View Post
I loaded films into a tank kneeling beside my bed with head, shoulders and arms under the bed clothes, it worked, but was a hot and sweaty job. I wonder if it would work under a duvet.
Peter
Quote:
...the best developer for stale Tri-X?
Hi 'andamanaffair'... do you have a first name? It feels very odd referring to you by this!...

I have done the very same as Peter = under a sheet with a duvet on top and it did the trick when loading a film into a spiral and tank, but like you said, it can get a bit hot, but then again no hotter than the changing bag!

With no darkened room to use, if one is unsure about the light-fastness of the changing bag, then I would use it as above, which would help stop any small fibres from the sheet or duvet attaching itself to the film = which again happened to me.

Very lucky that you have relatively dry hands = they will come in very useful! A lot of films and even papers that I have used over time, have my fingerprints on them, as I am not so blessed.

As for the development of the old Tri X. Having had a quick browse, I have found the following link, along with other links on it, which is helpful: http://www.film-and-darkroom-user.or...ead.php?t=3750

Three main things come up.

1. A lot of people suggest just using the normal development time of any film developer that you already have and use. Some people say they have been in the same situation as you and the negs have been fine.

2. A few people suggest clip tests before doing the whole film whilst one person suggests using HC 110 developer as it's got a good restrainer in it, which should stop any extra fogging from the ageing. BUT as said, people have used their ordinary film devs and the negs have been fine.

3. One person suggests using water as a stop bath on old films as the usual stop can cause pinholing on the emulsion of old film.

Finally, I just remembered, I developed a very old COLOUR 120 film for someone about a year ago in my usual B/W film chemistry, adding about 20% to the usual time. Despite being a colour film, the negs were perfectly printable on a grade 4 paper, which I then scanned and sorted out in P/S. This was only because of the orange base on the colour film that gave a grey veiling over all of the prints. With a b/w film I think you'll be fine. It sounds as if they are a lot more durable than we give them credit for!

Terry S
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  #17  
Old 24th September 2012, 08:29 AM
andamanaffair andamanaffair is offline
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Terry

Thank you for your comprehensive and informative reply. I usually answer to Peter but other words have been used over the years! I have also read the links to which you refer and, bearing in mind that the pack of Tri-X that I found has been kept in relatively favourable conditions, I think the suggestion of going ahead with a standard development, using one of the developers mentioned in the links, will be my best bet. There is nothing on the roll(s) that is of any value -- all having been exposed by me simply as a test to see whether the Rollei (and I!) were performing up to par.

One aspect of modern d&p has left me puzzled. When my father was developing and printing, I was only familiar with developer and fixer -- 'hypo' as it was always called in our house. Now I see the use of a 'stopper' seems to have become the norm. My memory might be letting me down but I cannot recall a 'stopper' being used then. I ask now as, in one of the links you provided, a suggestion was made to substitite water for the stopper and use the fixer directly after the water when developing old films. I am sure that it how it was done in the 'good old days' but, as I say, I am not sure. Has the nature of the film coating changed over the years?

On the question of greasy fingers, I have noted the use of squeegees for drying off the film after removing from the tank etc. I earlier stated that my father had dry hands and I am sure he dried his films by running them through two adjacent fingers. I don't think he suffered from either scratched or smeared negatives. Nevertheless, I think I will be investing in a squeezing device!

Wet day today, so another session at loft clearing?
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  #18  
Old 24th September 2012, 10:50 AM
big paul big paul is offline
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one of my enlargers is a lpl 7700 pro condenser, it has three condenser lens inside two big and one small. the two big ones stay in place but the smaller lens is only for use up to 35mm and then it comes out for anything bigger , I presume the smaller lens reduces the width of the light and focus it on to the middle of the big lenses and you also adjust the distance of the light. when using 120 film remove the small condenser adjust the light .
I don't think not having the smaller condenser will have any effect on the quality of the final print ,properly slightly longer exposure times.

I hope that is what you were asking about and has sorted out the problem .
good luck
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  #19  
Old 24th September 2012, 11:35 AM
paulc paulc is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by andamanaffair View Post
Now I see the use of a 'stopper' seems to have become the norm. My memory might be letting me down but I cannot recall a 'stopper' being used then. I ask now as, in one of the links you provided, a suggestion was made to substitite water for the stopper and use the fixer directly after the water when developing old films. I am sure that it how it was done in the 'good old days' but, as I say, I am not sure. Has the nature of the film coating changed over the years?
A "stopper" or "stop bath" is (normally) a weak acidic solution to halt the action of the developer - Many, myself included, do not bother and just use a plain water rinse before adding the fixer. When I do use a stop bath, a teaspoon of citric acid in 1l of water is my preferred mix.


Quote:
Originally Posted by andamanaffair View Post
Nevertheless, I think I will be investing in a squeezing device!
Get yourself a bottle of Ilfosol or similar wetting agent, a bottle of distilled water and use that as a final rinse. Shake excess water off the film while it is still in the reel, then unspool and hang to dry. Don't touch a wet emulsion with fingers or squeegees - See other threads here on the evils of such devices
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  #20  
Old 24th September 2012, 12:02 PM
Richard Gould Richard Gould is offline
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Peter, Like many others here I never use a stop bath with film, prefering to use three changes of water, fill tank invert 15 times, empty and repeat 3 time the go to the fixer,I started this regime because my favorite film, Fomapan, does not seem to like acid stop, as regards then old Tri x I would be inclined to develop in D76/id11, (both developers are the same formula) for the suggested time,or, if it worth it try a clip test, then you only lose a frame or two if it goes wrong, then you can adjust the time if neded, Good Luck,
Richard
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