Ian, I have developed many, many sheets of both 5x4 and 10x8 FP4+ in Pyrocat-HD on my Jobo, BTZS tubes, and EMA using my homemade tanks. I haven't done nearly as much with HP5+ in this developer, but I can assure you that FP4+ is absolutely superb in Pyrocat-HD!!
-
Thank You For Visiting... Please Click Here and sign up to contribute and reply to posts and download the resources.
Has MY PyrocatHD (A) Died ?
- Thread starter Ian-Barber
- Start date
Ian, I have developed many, many sheets of both 5x4 and 10x8 FP4+ in Pyrocat-HD on my Jobo, BTZS tubes, and EMA using my homemade tanks. I haven't done nearly as much with HP5+ in this developer, but I can assure you that FP4+ is absolutely superb in Pyrocat-HD!!
Martin,
I replied in haste. Picking on trivial errors was not helpful.
If you disagree with my observations on the members of this forum, I must respect your opinion. I would have been happier if you'd expressed it with a little more courtesy.
I replied in haste. Picking on trivial errors was not helpful.
If you disagree with my observations on the members of this forum, I must respect your opinion. I would have been happier if you'd expressed it with a little more courtesy.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2016
- Messages
- 665
David I take no offence at all, you did right with the spelling which is corrected, in my defence it’s the sodding iPhone predictive text that in its own wisdom takes over.
I am and have always been a little blunt with my replies, more a regional thing and not to be taken in it’s full context.
Martin
I am and have always been a little blunt with my replies, more a regional thing and not to be taken in it’s full context.
Martin
I know what you mean about predictive text. I find spell-check equally intrusive. Are they the first sign of machines taking over?
You are very welcome to think me silly, and even more welcome to say it to my face, but in a public forum, a little more decorum seems to be needed.
If you look back to my original post, you will see that I'm not lecturing anyone on safety, I'm asking for someone with the necessary qualifications and experience to post the information. I had thought it was helpful.
Here's a tentative list of situations where people didn't need lectures on safety.
Aberfan, Herald of Free Enterprise, Bhopal, Chernobyl, Challenger, Thalidomide, Asbestos, Grenfell.
You are very welcome to think me silly, and even more welcome to say it to my face, but in a public forum, a little more decorum seems to be needed.
If you look back to my original post, you will see that I'm not lecturing anyone on safety, I'm asking for someone with the necessary qualifications and experience to post the information. I had thought it was helpful.
Here's a tentative list of situations where people didn't need lectures on safety.
Aberfan, Herald of Free Enterprise, Bhopal, Chernobyl, Challenger, Thalidomide, Asbestos, Grenfell.
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2016
- Messages
- 855
Predictive text. It reminds me of the story about the little girl who got a text from her mum which read
"What do you want out of life?"
She showed her dad and they spent the next hour discussing this weighty question.
Later, when her mum got back from shopping she said, "It's predictive text. I put "What do you want out of Lidl ?" "
Alan
"What do you want out of life?"
She showed her dad and they spent the next hour discussing this weighty question.
Later, when her mum got back from shopping she said, "It's predictive text. I put "What do you want out of Lidl ?" "
Alan
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2016
- Messages
- 665
My Pyrocat (part A) I cannot remember if when new if it had a cast but it is a very light pink now, when I add part B and add water it goes clear which I suspect it should, so I did a test shot this morning with FP4, I developed it 1-1-100 and it has come out fine, the image is from a Raw scan and finished off using colorperfect. If the Pyrocat as indicated by Ian G is starting to go off with it turning this pink shade, how long would you estimate before it stops working completely.
Last edited:
Interesting looking building. Do you know anything about the cone at the top of the chimney? The developer seems to have worked.
Is there a simple way to test without making actual shots, for the state of the developer? I'm imagining dipping a strip of film into it and timing what happens, but things are seldom so simple. Or a Pantone number, beyond which it is beyond the pale?
Is there a simple way to test without making actual shots, for the state of the developer? I'm imagining dipping a strip of film into it and timing what happens, but things are seldom so simple. Or a Pantone number, beyond which it is beyond the pale?
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2016
- Messages
- 665
The only think I can think of about the cone, the factory would have been coal fired at one time, maybe at some stage it was converted to gas fired, just a guess though.
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2017
- Messages
- 3,613
Hi Martin
A pink colour, it's the intensity etc that matters. But then if the dev is made up properly with slightly oxidised Pyrocatechin flakes, who knows, it's not ideal but may last some time. Ian's examples however was darker a bit more than slight oxidation and that was fresh stock, his older Pyrocat was OK.
The developer will "work" when oxidation is very noticeable and a bluish green colour, the issue is uneven staining, I have to be very careful when using Pyrocat HD for print toning, once on the turn (a bit more than slightly pink) the paper base gets uneven staining. The solution Ian poured away would most likely have gone a blueish green when mixed with water and Part B
Your image shows why Pyrocat is so god, just copes with shadow and highlight details so easily. I was rather surprised at the shadow detail in the print I made while Ian B was here, it was made close to midday in intense sun. I showed him another shot of a loco Gordon in the engine shed museum and he noted the very good separation of shadow detail, without losing the highlights and mid tones.
They print in the darkroom as easily as they scan in my experience.
Ian
A pink colour, it's the intensity etc that matters. But then if the dev is made up properly with slightly oxidised Pyrocatechin flakes, who knows, it's not ideal but may last some time. Ian's examples however was darker a bit more than slight oxidation and that was fresh stock, his older Pyrocat was OK.
The developer will "work" when oxidation is very noticeable and a bluish green colour, the issue is uneven staining, I have to be very careful when using Pyrocat HD for print toning, once on the turn (a bit more than slightly pink) the paper base gets uneven staining. The solution Ian poured away would most likely have gone a blueish green when mixed with water and Part B
Your image shows why Pyrocat is so god, just copes with shadow and highlight details so easily. I was rather surprised at the shadow detail in the print I made while Ian B was here, it was made close to midday in intense sun. I showed him another shot of a loco Gordon in the engine shed museum and he noted the very good separation of shadow detail, without losing the highlights and mid tones.
They print in the darkroom as easily as they scan in my experience.
Ian
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2016
- Messages
- 392
Earlier in this thread (#22) I posted a negqative developed with my 'orange' Pyrocat. Here are a couple of quick shots I did a few moments ago to show what the undiluted colour is and also a 1:1:100 dilution. I know my eyes aren't the best but I cannot detect any colour in the diluted developer.
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2016
- Messages
- 665
Keith, mine was the same colour as yours when mixed, but the stock A is not as red as yours.
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2016
- Messages
- 1,723
Now Keith has posted this, it prompted me to check something out so I did.
Remember when I started the post, I showed 2 lots of neat A solution (below)
The story:
On July 19th 2017 I ordered 1000ml of PyrocatHD A+B from Wet Plate Supplies. Martin had 500ml and I kept the other 500ml. This batch can be seen on the left in the small graduate.
On August 4th 2017 I ordered another 1000ml of PyrocatHD from Wet Plate Supplies. Keith had 500ml and I kept the other 500ml. This batch can be seen on the right in the large graduate.
I asked Martin to show me some of his Part A (same batch as the small graduate on the left) and his is the same colour.
Keith has just shown us his Part A (same batch as mine in the large graduate) and same colour.
This tells me that the batch I bought on August 4th 2017 which I split with Keith is a lot different in colour to the previous batch I bought a few weeks earlier and split with Martin.
Something is obviously different in this second batch.
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2017
- Messages
- 3,613
Then compare to this double strength Pyrocat HD in Glycol that's at least 8 years old.
I wouldn't be bothered by the pale red/orange colour but when it starts to get darker you know it's beginning to oxidise faster.
Ian
I wouldn't be bothered by the pale red/orange colour but when it starts to get darker you know it's beginning to oxidise faster.
Ian
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2016
- Messages
- 1,723
When mixing in Glycol, do you use Propylene Glycol
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2016
- Messages
- 855
If you don't mind me saying so, you guys are going through a whole lot of angst just to develop film. But having used Pyrocat myself I can see why you are putting up with a lot of hassle. It's very good stuff. When I used it on FP4 I found it to be as good as Perceptol 1+3....
Alan
Alan
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2016
- Messages
- 1,723
Now I have some new freshly mixed pyrocat, its working and looking good. This issue with the Orange stuff was making me curious because WPS is the only supplier I can find and I need to protect my future investment with it.
There is just something about this Pyro which sings, the way in which it controls the high values is amazing
Yep, and what's really cool is that you can place your shadow values a little higher up the straight line section of the curve and if your highlights fall a little too high on the shoulder you needn't worry because Pyro can handle it easily. Good stuff!!
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2016
- Messages
- 1,723
In some recent tests I have done, I have placed the low values on Zone 4 and not done any N- development for N-1 and it still handled it. Anything above N-2 I usually switch over to the EMA process