Calling B&W Reversal Home Processing Gurus

Ira Ratner · January 25, 2009

I pulled the trigger on a 16/35mm tank. (Don't know what the hell I'm doing yet, but I pulled the trigger anyway.)

Anyone here do this processing with Microdol, as opposed to D19? I'm reading that Microdol is much finer grain, which is what I want for 7265.

Or any OTHER chemistries?

Okay--you're right. I'll do a search now. But I just had a fight with my wife and it's so much nicer here in the bedroom than out THERE in the living room with her.

It was all her fault, by the way.

Hal Smith · January 25, 2009

No Guru here but many moons ago I did some B&W reversal processing and learned that temperature control is crucially important. Otherwise you get reticulation that in itself can look great, but is also completely uncontrollable.

PS: It's always your fault...women seem to be wired that way.

Charles MacDonald · January 25, 2009

I pulled the trigger on a 16/35mm tank. (Don't know what the hell I'm doing yet, but I pulled the trigger anyway.)

Anyone here do this processing with Microdol, as opposed to D19? I'm reading that Microdol is much finer grain, which is what I want for 7265.

Both Microdol and d-19 are inteneded to develop B&W film to a negative.

sugest reading the Kodak processing manuals for B&W Motion pictures on the Kodak web site. http://motion.kodak.com/motion/uploadedFil...h2415_h2415.pdf

and

http://motion.kodak.com/US/en/motion/Suppo...uct_Use/h24.htm

you may also want to look for the FOMA reversal kit

Simon Wyss · January 25, 2009

I'm not a Guru, I am the Messiah-haha of hand processing.

Seriously, there have been alternatives to Metol (Kodak Elon®) since decades. Phenidone® is one of them, leads to tighter grain structures. So I employed it instead of the former with many of the Eastman-Kodak formulae which are numbered D-1 through D-97 up to now. There isn't the slightest problem with changing chemicals except for one:

Hydroquinone is still the most powerful blackening agent in fine grain layers, i. e. on micro-sized crystals, when adequately supported. Ascorbic acid also has come into use as a reducer. But, like my 25th wife used to say, cut out that talking and get to do some.

Ira Ratner · January 25, 2009

I read the Kodak documentation and got more confused than before. (Too much info.) I also thought that some folks DO use D-19 for reversal, like Jayne who visited here. But I'll check out the FOMO.

I lucked out on the price of the tank--just $35 plus $35 shipping from our Ukranian, Russian-hating brethren. Scroll down for multiple images:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=250361470144

It comes with a manual, and soon as I learn Russian, that might actually mean something. (I work with a Russian, though. A real PITA.) Also, I guess that the stylish Russian case you see there is meant for battlefield processing when you invade your neighboring satellite states.

I tried to glean some information on the various types of tanks, like the tube Lomo, but would this be considered a rewind tank? I also read that the re-exposure window that this has is important for reversal processing.

The thing is, I wanted the system that's the easiest to load. I developed tons of 35mm and 2 1/4 still rolls in the 70s and 80s using conventional tanks and reels, and I swear, my brain is not wired to load a conventional reel. I ALWAYS screwed it up, so I used this acetate sleeve system that Kodak made which was a CINCH. It was basically a curled length of thick acetate (or other plastic) with thick ridges on the edges. You just stuck one length of the film into the looped end, it naturally curled back to a circle, and the thick edges kept the surfaces from touching each other. Yeah, wouldn't work for 100' lengths of 16mm film, but it was great for the other stuff.

Anyway, this should be a real adventure. I have some ideas for maintaining temperature control, and my younger son is going to be big part of that.

Ira Ratner · January 25, 2009

Oh--I almost forgot to tell you what the fight with my wife was about:

The K3 was on the tripod with the Meteor zoom, she was cleaning and backed into it real hard, and I yelled real loud for her to grab it before for the lens crashed straight down onto the ceramic tile.

And she got mad at me for yelling at her, and refuses to accept that I had a good reason. I was across the room, so what was I supposed to do--say "please" and "honey" and whisper, while the camera almost became toast?

It KILLS them when you're right on one, and they refuse to admit fault.

Charles MacDonald · January 26, 2009

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=250361470144

It comes with a manual, and soon as I learn Russian, that might actually mean something. (I work with a Russian, though. A real PITA.) Also, I guess that the stylish Russian case you see there is meant for battlefield processing when you invade your neighboring satellite states.

I tried to glean some information on the various types of tanks, like the tube Lomo, but would this be considered a rewind tank?

yes!

Actually looks to be a very good copy of the American "morse/Arkay tank" commonly used for field processing of gun camera film and microfilm.

Very Nice field case!

http://www.geocities.com/gselinsky/technique.htm shows the morse/Arkey G-3 about half way down.

Ira Ratner · January 26, 2009

I'm learning these are a bitch to get consistent results with, so I'll just play with it every now and then.

Or pretend I'm invading Poland.

Edited January 26, 2009 by Ira Ratner

Ira Ratner · February 1, 2009

Order cancelled--and it's a good thing.

The guy said that he couldn't ship it to the U.S. because it was overweight. He would deduct $15 to send it without the wooden box, or give me a full refund, which I opted for.

I had ordered a Lomo type also, because I was afraid of those inconsistent results with this one.

The thing was cool and I wanted it anyway, but in this economy--no can do.

Edited February 1, 2009 by Ira Ratner