Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/09/22
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I guess you've never mixed 5 liters of D76 if you ask that question :-) 5 liters is nothing, Richard. That's 10 liters 1:1, 15 liters 1:2 etc. That's 40 or 60 rolls of film. For me, that doesn't involve keeping Xtol around long enough for it to get old. When I said it was easy, I meant you don't have to use scalding hot water (if you mix D76, use the upper range of their temperature recommendation ... the stuff mixes a lot easier if you do, but that's hot). The powder of Xtol just dissolves like a charm and creates a beautiful cooper sheen to boot (I recommend a stainless steel pot to enjoy the color shift to max). I just take 1.5 liter Coke bottles (or mineral water bottles). 5 liters of Xtol is three bottles + a 500ml bottle left over (for the first batch of film). Actually, I use 2 1.5 liter bottles and 3 500ml bottles. When I've gone through the 500ml bottles, I rinse them and empty a 1.5 liter bottle into them. Then I never have a partial empty bottle very long. I don't know how long Xtol lasts. I've never had a batch around very long. But I've heard that it greatly extends the times that Kodak publishes. But we've heard otherwise as well. All things considered, I still say it's underexposure. Best, Daniel On 9/22/05, Richard <richard-lists@imagecraft.com> wrote: > The only XTOL I found are in 5 liter size powder form. How could that be > easy to mix or did I miss something obvious? > > Any case, I developed my first Tri X roll in DDX tonight. Should be dried > real soon now. DDX works well enough for HP5+. Cost isn't a major factor. > Couldn't be more than $.25 per roll? > > At 12:40 AM 9/22/2005, Daniel Ridings wrote: > > >Richard, > >Xtol is a cinch to mix up. I'd mix up some Xtol instead of monkeying > >around with DDX. I've gone that route myself. I had to have DDX around > >(the only developer I got to work with Delta 3200) but didn't have any > >use for it with any other film. > > > >Just mix up more Xtol. It's cheap (DDX isn't). > > > >Daniel > > > >On 9/21/05, Richard <richard-lists@imagecraft.com> wrote: > > > Hi Dan, possibly. The XTOL working solution is ~7-8 months old. Last 2 > > > months I store it in one of those "accordian" style bottle to minimize > > > the > > > air contact but it was in a plain bottle prior to that. I just mixed a > > > batch of Ilfotec DDX a couple weeks ago. I think I will switch to that > > > for > > > the next roll and pour the remaining XTOL out. Can't be more than 500 > > > ml > > > left anyway. > > // richard (This email is for mailing lists. To reach me directly, please > use richard at imagecraft.com) > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >