Re: [Leica] Anyone use Xtol Developer?

[chucko@siteconnect.com (Chuck Albertson)]

Tom---

Stick to the 5-litre size, instead of the 1-litre size. Kodak has had some
quality control problems with Part A of the solution going dead in the
1-litre packaging. If you mix up Part A (in either size) and it doesn't turn
orange, consider discarding the lot and getting a refund.

The last couple of batches of Xtol I have mixed were made up with distilled
water, and I got pretty consistent results. Since Xtol is supposed to be
buffered against variations in water quality, this shouldn't be necessary,
but it works for me.

If you're using dilutions as high as 1:2 or 1:3, keep in mind the minimum
requirement 100 ml of Xtol per roll. I have found HP5+ to look really good
when developed in Xtol 1:3, but the drawback is that I can only develop one
roll at a time in a 16 oz. tank because of that restriction.

Chuck Albertson
Seattle, Wash.

> Dear LUGers,
>
> While I love the extremely fine grain of Xtol developer on TMax 100,
> I've also encountered unexpected variability in the development of the
> negatives.  Some rolls develop differently that others.
>
> While I have been careful with times, temperatures and dilutions, I
> still can't necessarily predict what results I'll get when I souped them
> in my 3 reel tank.
>
> Any suggestions on things to watch out for will be greatly appreciated
> such as particular sensitivity characteristics of this film that I
> should be aware of.
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Tom Coleman
>