Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/10/25
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]>There have been a number of comments on the LUG about using XTOL at a >1:1 or greater dilution. What is the rationale? 1. For economy. For eg. I need 1000 mls to develop 2 rolls of 120 films in my paterson tank. I also know that I need at least 100 mls of stock per roll. So what I do is to mix 250 mls of stock with 750 mls of water to achieve that volume of working soln. 2. For greater developing time. In practice, it is not wise to have a developing time < 5 minutes. This results in insufficient time for the film to imbibe the developer and get even development. I work at room temperatures of around 27degC and so I try to dilute my Xtol to achieve 7-10 mins of developing time. Readers of my earlier post will know that I normally overexpose my film by 1 stop and pull back my developing time by 15% and hence the increased developing time will help to ensure that my final developing time will still exceed 5 minutes. Dan K.