Personal Experience With Pyrocat HD and Kodak TRI-X

[Ian-Barber]

Just curious on your own personal experience when developing Kodak TRI-X 400 in PyroCat-HD.
Not a film I use very often but my initial thoughts on development using inversion method in a Paterson tank is something along these lines.

Dilution 1+1+100
Continuous agitation for 1st minute
3 inversions at 4,8 and 12 mins, for 15 mins in total

 

[thronobulax]

I use EI 320 and develop in Pyrocat-HDC 1.5:1:250 as follows:

90 sec continuous agitation
10 sec agitation at 8, 14, and 21 min
Pull at 28 min

Really nice edge effects and very printable negatives.

 

[thronobulax]

I should mention that I switched to -HDC after I experienced silent catastrophic failure of -HD mixed in glycol after only one year (it should be good far longer than this).

As best as I can determine, -HDC works pretty much the same as -HD (both Part As are mixed in glycol). Better still, -HDC has fewer component chemicals.

 

[Dave_P]

I've used Tri-X in 120 format. Pyrocat HD 1+1+100, metered at ISO 400, 15mins with normal inversion (30 secs at the beginning then 10secs every minute). No problems.

What I do remember thinking was that it had a very compensated sort of look on sunny scenes, but that might just have been me metering for the shadows and the developer doing its job.

I have also done Tri-X in Pyrocat using two-bath method (i.e. putting it in the part-A and part-B separately) but I seem to remember there being some weirdness, like uneven development, so I'll not bother with that again.

 

[Ian-Barber]

I should mention that I switched to -HDC after I experienced silent catastrophic failure of -HD mixed in glycol after only one year (it should be good far longer than this).

As best as I can determine, -HDC works pretty much the same as -HD (both Part As are mixed in glycol). Better still, -HDC has fewer component chemicals.

I am still using the same Pyrocat @Ian Grant mixed me from 2018 which I believe was mixed with water although not 100% sure on that

 

[thronobulax]

I am still using the same Pyrocat @Ian Grant mixed me from 2018 which I believe was mixed with water although not 100% sure on that

Yes, most people have experienced very good shelf life with -HD. But a number of people have reported this sudden death syndrome and the root cause has not been determined.

 

[Ian-Barber]

Yes, most people have experienced very good shelf life with -HD. But a number of people have reported this sudden death syndrome and the root cause has not been determined.

I haven't been doing much in the way of developing for the past 8 or 9 months and It's the sudden death which always concerns me with developers.

I was in the darkroom today and noticed that I have Diafine, D23, Xtol, Pyrocat HD A and B all sat there on the shelf for over 18 months
Makes me wonder whether its time to out them and start again

 

[Flack]

I am still using a mix of 5 ltrs of Xtol I mixed in September 2022, I use the replenish method with it and its stored in a 5ltr Wine box.
I also have ID11 and Pyro 510.

 

[Ian Grant]

I've used Tri-X in 120 format. Pyrocat HD 1+1+100, metered at ISO 400, 15mins with normal inversion (30 secs at the beginning then 10secs every minute). No problems.

What I do remember thinking was that it had a very compensated sort of look on sunny scenes, but that might just have been me metering for the shadows and the developer doing its job.

When I started using Pyrocat HD, just over 20 years ago, I was shooting Tmax 100 in all formats, and some Tmax 400 in 120 but always in Xtol.

Since then, I switched to Ilford & Foma films for 120 & 5x4, all I could get living abroad, and I've used only Pyrocat HD since around 2007. I still use EFKE & Forte 10x8 sheet film, but what amazes me is how well all these films perform with Pyrocat HD, my main films are Delta 100 & 499 (120 only), and HP5. for 5x4.

Living inTurkey, and often having to shoot 5x4 hand held using HP5, I was amazed at the quality of images achievable with this combination. When back in the UK I was equally amazed at the quality of images made with Delat 100 & Pyrocat HD on foggy days in Cornwall, or more locally in the Black Country.

These are extremes, the harsh bright contrasty light in Turkey & Greece, and the opposite on foggy days in the Blue Hills of Cornwall, and of course more normal average lighting, in between. The negatives are all so easy to print, and they also scan just as well.

Ian