Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/08/12
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]><Snip> > Dante The way I see it if it's me (and it usually is) I mix up a new batch of Xtol and there was no melted semi gooey stuff in the middle (in which case I'd dump it right then) I'd just fly with it. So far I've never run a test roll and never had film severely underdeveloped by melted Xtol, bad water, or bad......Oh! bad storage in bottle somehow did not get filled up all the way. All together it is called Xtol failure which encoded reads: you screwed up big time darkroom geek blame it on the product. It plainly says on the package front to keep it in full stoppered bottles. I also think as i was taught when if first started out... contamination issues. Bottle smelling like fix is getting developer poured into it. If its Dektol maybe its not big deal you'll get a few less prints out of it if its Xtol you get lightly stained negs which leave much to the imagination. Minimalistic I think they call it. I ran into a photographer friend today at the corner health market which is on the corner of my street. He's studio is right in the neighborhood. We were talking about how much safer we are with a digital job unless the hard disk crashes. He mentioned bringing two Nikon film bodies to an extra important shoot just to make sure and shooting with both of them. One of them was a bad back and half the take was no good which meant the whole take was no good. Two bodies makes for twice the chance of a screw up. And I've felt that way before and kept the spare body in the bag. I also tie this into darkroom work. I try not to do to many runs. A test roll of course is different but it makes for you have to do two runs instead of one and I make mistakes on my second time through. I'm not teenager anymore if I had ADD then it's worse now. That's what i like about typing these things you just look back and see what track you were on. Old Xtol sitting there for months I'd run a 2 reel tank but not a fresh batch with nice crunchy powder that looks slightly like Flintstones vitamins pee-pee when it dissolves. Mark Rabiner Portland, Oregon USA http://www.rabinergroup.com - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html