Regards from Oregon

Steve Anchell

Steve Anchell

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Greetings, All.

I've been watching this forum for a while and am pleased to introduce myself finally. I have been using LF since 1971 when I replaced my Kodak Retina 35mm viewfinder with a Crown Graphic. I used that Crown for commercial assignments, primarily architectural, until I sold it for $25 more than I originally purchased it.

(This is a helpful tip for anyone using a Graflex camera, Speed, or Crown. If you're photographing interiors, use a tripod that will get you to about 7—or 8 feet, and use a sidearm to hang your camera upside down from just below the ceiling. Drop the front standard (this would be a rise if the camera were right side up) to include the floor. You will achieve a better perspective and coverage this way (my photo mentor, Frank Rogers, taught me this technique). Be sure to use a wide-field lens (not a press lens) so as not to vignette.)

I began using an 8x10-inch Agfa-Ansco sometime in the mid-70s. After about five years, I got tired of lugging around a 20-pound wooden tripod and 8x10 film holders, so I downsized to a 5x7-inch Agfa-Ansco (Henry is his name; see the attached photo), which I still use to this day. In fact, I use it when I teach large-format workshops.

Some of you may know me for my writing on darkroom practice, particularly The Darkroom Cookbook and The Film Developing Cookbook (co-authored with Bill Troop). Both are published by Focal Press, headquartered in the UK.

I tend not to be very active on forums, but if I can assist anyone or answer any questions, please feel free to contact me.
 

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Welcome Steve.

Nice to put a face to the Darkroom/Developer books!.

Mike
 
Steve Anchell said:
Greetings, All.

I've been watching this forum for a while and am pleased to introduce myself finally. I have been using LF since 1971 when I replaced my Kodak Retina 35mm viewfinder with a Crown Graphic. I used that Crown for commercial assignments, primarily architectural, until I sold it for $25 more than I originally purchased it.

(This is a helpful tip for anyone using a Graflex camera, Speed, or Crown. If you're photographing interiors, use a tripod that will get you to about 7—or 8 feet, and use a sidearm to hang your camera upside down from just below the ceiling. Drop the front standard (this would be a rise if the camera were right side up) to include the floor. You will achieve a better perspective and coverage this way (my photo mentor, Frank Rogers, taught me this technique). Be sure to use a wide-field lens (not a press lens) so as not to vignette.)

I began using an 8x10-inch Agfa-Ansco sometime in the mid-70s. After about five years, I got tired of lugging around a 20-pound wooden tripod and 8x10 film holders, so I downsized to a 5x7-inch Agfa-Ansco (Henry is his name; see the attached photo), which I still use to this day. In fact, I use it when I teach large-format workshops.

Some of you may know me for my writing on darkroom practice, particularly The Darkroom Cookbook and The Film Developing Cookbook (co-authored with Bill Troop). Both are published by Focal Press, headquartered in the UK.

I tend not to be very active on forums, but if I can assist anyone or answer any questions, please feel free to contact me.
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Nice to see you out and about on various fora. I count myself as among the faithful who've purchased multiple generations of your books to very good purpose.

(I know your part of the country well. I grew up in a place very far North and very far West of you and did repair work on some of the fishing boats that came up from Corvallis :)
 
thronobulax said:
Nice to see you out and about on various fora. I count myself as among the faithful who've purchased multiple generations of your books to very good purpose.

(I know your part of the country well. I grew up in a place very far North and very far West of you and did repair work on some of the fishing boats that came up from Corvallis :)
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Thank you, Thronobulax. Where are you located now?
 
Steve Anchell said:
Remember to keep your seat belt buckled and remain seated until the plane reaches the boarding gate. :)
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I am fortunate in that I actually do not much have to travel any longer.

I used to travel from the US to the UK Midlands (Nottingham) enough that the air crews knew me on sight and would greet me with "Welcome back, your usual sir?" You know you are traveling far too much when flight attendants identify you on sight.
 
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Raghu Kuvempunagar said:
Welcome @Steve Anchell.

As someone who has benefitted from your books and as one who regularly makes monochrome slides using reversal processing, I've one question for you. Why isn't Dr5's industry best reversal process appearing in DCB 5?
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Great question, Raghu, and one that I have been discussing with members of the photrio forum.

I arranged with David Wood to publish the complete Dr5 process in the fifth edition. When David finally shared the process with me, I realized it was too advanced for the home darkroom, besides taking up more space than was possible in the book. IMO dr5 is only appropriate for a pro lab, preferably with a dedicated machine processor.

I suggested to David that he publish Dr5 as a stand-alone book, including the schematic for his machine processor, and that I would introduce him to my editor at Focal Press and offer to edit the book for him. He declined. I then suggested a print-on-demand book to be sold on Amazon and have not heard from him since.

In the meantime, Bill Troop has shown an interest in the process. I recommended he contact David directly and perhaps arrange to include it in the 3rd edition of The Film Developing Cookbook, a far more appropriate venue. I gave Bill David's email and have heard nothing from either; that was about three months ago.

I, too, would like to see the dr5 process published, but it is now in David's hands.
 
Steve, thanks for explaining why Dr5 process is not appearing in your book. It's interesting that you say that Dr5 process is too advanced for the home darkroom and best done with a dedicated machine processor. In an old video on Facebook, Dr5 had stated thus: "for those that didn't know, all #dr5 Chems are hand mixed for processing your b&w film into #BWslides, now for over 20yrs." So, if Dr5 is hand mixing the chemistry, I guess the complexity in the process is not in the mixing of chemistry but in the machine processing of film with the chemistry. And that's a little anticlimactic, at least to me, as the steps in reversal processing are fairly straight-forward and well understood.
 
Hello @Steve Anchell, quick question: is it ok to re-use diluted wetting agent? It takes around an hour to distill a litre of water at home with my water distiller and I'd like to eek out as much use as I can from the wetting agent solution. So far I have only been using it one shot. Thanks.
 
Nas said:
Hello @Steve Anchell, quick question: is it ok to re-use diluted wetting agent? It takes around an hour to distill a litre of water at home with my water distiller and I'd like to eek out as much use as I can from the wetting agent solution. So far I have only been using it one shot. Thanks.
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Assuming the film has been properly washed and there is no carry-over fixer contamination, wetting agents can be reused in a single darkroom session; it does not break down. However, it should not be kept overnight, as it can develop a sludge that adheres to the film and causes early deterioration. The time it takes for sludge to develop is unknown and would depend on the particular wetting agent. Since we don't know, it is best to use it for as many rolls as possible in one session and toss it when you finish your darkroom session.

By the way, most of what I know about wetting agents is based on Kodak Photoflo and Edwal LFN. However, all wetting agents are highly viscous soaps of one kind or another, so I am assuming that the above would apply to all. I'm open to correction. :)
 
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Raghu Kuvempunagar said:
Steve, thanks for explaining why Dr5 process is not appearing in your book. It's interesting that you say that Dr5 process is too advanced for the home darkroom and best done with a dedicated machine processor. In an old video on Facebook, Dr5 had stated thus: "for those that didn't know, all #dr5 Chems are hand mixed for processing your b&w film into #BWslides, now for over 20yrs." So, if Dr5 is hand mixing the chemistry, I guess the complexity in the process is not in the mixing of chemistry but in the machine processing of film with the chemistry. And that's a little anticlimactic, at least to me, as the steps in reversal processing are fairly straight-forward and well understood.
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The problem is not mixing chemicals; many of us mix our own chemicals as a matter of course. The process itself is doable by hand, but it is, in my opinion, too complex for the average user. The point is that I do not feel it belongs in the DCB. I may be wrong, and perhaps I have done a disservice to the photo community by not publishing the process, but I firmly believe that it should be a stand-alone book or manual where it can be fully explained.

I cannot discuss the process, as I promised David I would not share any of the information released to me. Has anyone on this forum approached David about helping to publish the process?
 
Steve Anchell said:
Assuming the film has been properly washed and there is no carry-over fixer contamination, wetting agents can be reused in a single darkroom session; it does not break down. However, it should not be kept overnight, as it can develop a sludge that adheres to the film and causes early deterioration. The time it takes for sludge to develop is unknown and would depend on the particular wetting agent. Since we don't know, it is best to use it for as many rolls as possible in one session and toss it when you finish your darkroom session.

By the way, most of what I know about wetting agents is based on Kodak Photoflo and Edwal LFN. However, all wetting agents are highly viscous soaps of one kind or another, so I am assuming that the above would apply to all. I'm open to correction. :)
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I don't know about other brands, but - per the MSDS - Photoflo is 20-40% Propylene Glygcol and <= 10% Ethananol. I don't know what the other half is.

I believe the PG acts as a surfactant to prevent water from standing on the negative and the alcohol serves to promote drying.

I am unclear whether actual soaps are used in such products.
 
Steve Anchell said:
Thank you for checking that out. I misspoke by saying they were highly viscous soaps. I have a tendency to try and simplify everything to make it understandable.

However, when it comes to preventing water spots, they behave like soap in the way they allow the water to run off the film. The ethanol does facilitate drying. Again, they are all different in constituency, so even the broad statement I made about sludge may be incorrect. Someone, somewhere, may have a wetting agent that does not create sludge and lasts forever. But until I know about it, my recommendation is to toss wetting agents after each session.

Being new to this forum, I want it to be clear that I am neither a scientist nor a chemist, my knowledge is mainly based on 54 years of practical experience in the darkroom and what I have learned from other photographers. I don't mind being corrected so don't hesitate to hold my feet to the fire, we'll all learn from each other. :)
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Well, you not wrong in that soaps are made, in part, as surfactants. However, they normally are made to be alkaline (that why soap and developers are "slimy") and also have scent. I have not checked Photo Flo, but I don't believe it is alkaline - I'll have to get out the old pH meter and check.

The whole point of any surfactant is to reduce surface tension on the water as well as the so-called "interfacial tension" between the water and what it is resting upon - film, in our case.

@Nas My experience is that one can use working strength PhotoFlo for a few days or more, if it is stored in a closed, glass container between uses. I would not push this too far, but so long as the working solution remains clear without any sludge between uses, it should be OK. I would add about 5ml/l of 70+ % Isoproyl alcohol or Ethanol to the working solution each time you take it out for a max additional alcohol of, say, 30ml/l or so. I do this routinely with PhotoFlo even though I use it as one shot only. 30ml/l of alcohol into the working solution helps promote better drying. Just do not use Denatured alcohol because it is full of evil additives ....

Also, you do not absolutely have to mix PhotoFlo with distilled water. Deionized water will do just as well. For that matter, if you have clean tap water, with low mineral content, you can use this by passing it through a drinking water filter like the Brita system. You just don't want particulates or high amounts of mineral content in the working solution.
 
Thank you, both for your replies. For the record, I use Ilford wetting agent and the water where I live is very hard which makes it useless for preventing drying marks. I bought the water distiller to avoid constantly buying deionised water and having to deal with all the plastic bottles that would involve. I will follow your advice and eek out a little more use from my wetting agent. Many thanks.
 
Steve Anchell said:
The problem is not mixing chemicals; many of us mix our own chemicals as a matter of course. The process itself is doable by hand, but it is, in my opinion, too complex for the average user. The point is that I do not feel it belongs in the DCB. I may be wrong, and perhaps I have done a disservice to the photo community by not publishing the process, but I firmly believe that it should be a stand-alone book or manual where it can be fully explained.

I cannot discuss the process, as I promised David I would not share any of the information released to me. Has anyone on this forum approached David about helping to publish the process?
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Over social media I have encouraged Dr5 to publish their process as a self-published book or as a bunch of premium videos. However, from their response I sensed that they're embittered by the rejection handed out to them by journals and DCB. I hope they'll someday make their process public.

Is there any specific reversal process you would recommend to average users that in your experience can come close to Dr5 in giving top quality results?
 
A very small point here to avoid confusion.
The USA seems to use the word soap as a generic term for all substances used in washing, at least in a domestic context. Hence “dish soap” which would be called “washing-up liquid” here.
Over here we make a distinction between soap and (synthetic) detergents.
 
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