Film Developing Procedure FD-400TMY-XTOL-1 for T-Max 400 in XTOL Stock

My process for developing Kodak T-Max 400 film in Kodak XTOL stock solution.

Process

  1. Prep
    1. Exhaust fan on.
    2. Start water bath. Set temp to 22.7C. Results in 22.9-23.0C. It may overshoot initially, so use 1-2 ice cubes in bath to drop down as necessary.
    3. Place developer and fixer bottles in bath at least 30m before developing.
    4. Layout equipment needed for loading film: can opener, scissors, tank, tank lid, reel, and spindle.
    5. COMPLETELY DARK: Cinestill off (screen is bright), no phone screens visible, glowing timers covered, door/curtain secure.
    6. Load film onto reel and seal tank
    7. Cinestill on and set
    8. Measure 500mL distilled water into graduate and add 2.5mL of Kodak Photoflo
    9. Attach Jobo Cascade Film Washer to faucet
    10. Measure and record temperatures:
    • air
    • rinse water (adjust to within a few degrees of dev temp)
    • water bath setpoint
    • water bath (measure with thermometer, reading on screen lies sometimes)
    • developer at start of developing
    1. Put on gloves
  2. Developer
    1. Set timer (CI=0.51@6m0s, CI=0.58@7m0s, CI=0.63@8m0s, CI=0.68@9m0s, 9m@22.1C is equivalent to 8m35s@22.9C)
    2. Start timer and start pouring XTOL into tank at same time (FAST).
    3. Tap tank then agitate with 7 inversions in 5s (VIGOROUS), tap tank to dislodge bubbles, repeat every 30s, place in water bath in between
    4. Measure and record developer temperature after last agitation.
    5. When timer goes off, quickly dump developer back into container and place bottle in water bath and proceed to the water stop
  3. Water Stop
    1. Attach Jobo Cascade (FAST) and adjust flow until boot just starts to expand
    2. Start 1m timer
    3. After timer goes off, dump water down the drain
  4. Fix
    1. Pour fixer into tank
    2. Start 4m timer
    3. Agitate for 30s per minute.
    4. After timer goes off, dump fixer back into container (mark usage) and place in water bath
  5. Rinse
    1. Attach Jobo Cascade and adjust flow
    2. Start 5m timer
    3. After timer goes off, dump water down the drain
  6. PhotoFlo
    1. Pour photoflo solution into tank
    2. Start 1m timer
    3. Agitate periodically
    4. After timer goes off, dump water down the drain
  7. Dry
    1. Open tank and remove film
    2. Squeegee with clean gloved fingers dipped in tank
    3. Hang diagonally to dry

Notes

  1. These are my personal procedures, are subject to change, and may not be optimal for everyone.
  2. Development times are the results of testing and are different than Kodak data sheets.
  3. Kodak says to pour developer in the tank, and then put the reel in the tank. I don’t think most people do it this way.
  4. In general, faster and more agitation results in more contrast and grain, but Kodak recommends pretty vigorous agitation for T-MAX 400.
  5. Jobo Cascade Instructions: Push it firmly into the center opening of the tank, open the water tap carefully, water flows out through the openings in the tank lid. Now close the little hole on the transparent tube with a finger, this will close the air intake, the water will rise in the tube. Adjust the water flow with the tap so that the water level is steady between the two red lines on the tube, then unblock the air intake again.
  6. TF-5 fixer capacity: 15-20 rolls per liter of working solution where working solution is 1L stock + 3L distilled water = 4L working solution.

Equipment

References