Can anyone tell me how many sheets of 8x10 film I can expect to process in a 1 liter solution of PMK pyro (tray developing) before it is exhausted? I am reasonably sure that I have some oomph left after 4 sheets. Also, does it make a difference if I process sheets one at a time or 4 at a time considering the second trip to the developer after fixing for additional staining?

-- David N. VanMeter (vanmet@ibm.net), March 28, 2000

Answers

I think four 8x10 per liter in trays is about right. I shuffle 8 8x10s at a time 70 degrees for 15 minutes.I think the difference in processing one or four or eight will be in the amount of agitatiion, i.e. the amount of fresh pyro available, which will obviously greatly affect the contrast of the final neg. I try for a contrastier negative for platinum/palladium printing. Sometimes I process at 73 degrees for the same time.Its hard for me to detect much difference.

-- Lewis Lauring (dlauring@tampabay.rr.com), March 28, 2000.

David,

The 'official' rating is three 8x10's in a liter of PMK, but I don't think you'll have a problem squeaking out four. But they'll have to be all at once. PMK will last through even a long tray development time (20' or more) but should not be used for successive developments, and certainly not if you've put a hypo-laden negative back into the developer for staining.---Carl

-- Carl Weese (cweese@earthlink.net), April 02, 2000.