Julian Tanase
Well-Known Member
My last bottle of Rodinal comes to an end soon. I do have a full bottle of FX39 II, of which I've heard is almost (?) like Rodinal. Anyone has any experience with this developer, please? Thx !
Rodinal vs. FX39 II
- Thread starter Julian Tanase
- Start date
Shaun Haselden
Well-Known Member
Paterson FX39 was my go to everyday developer. I used it for everything from 2005 until 2015. I never had any complaints it just did the job I wanted it to do. If I wanted anything special though my choice was Neofin Blue.
Stevenson Gawen
Well-Known Member
I remember reading (forgotten where) about making rodinal from scratch. I just did a search for 'diy rodinal ' and it turned up a few sources ... No idea if that would be useful though!
Geoff Chaplin
Well-Known Member
According to the Adox website its based on the formula for Neofin Blue. Alec Luycks blog 88 has a review of Copex Rapid developed in Rodinal and FX39 (among others) and he seems to think the results (with this film and the dilutions and timings chosen) are very similar.
Julian Tanase
Well-Known Member
I had my fair share of home cooked Rodinal
, but those days are over for me. Anchell's cookbook is an excellent reading and compendium of recipes.
Julian Tanase
Well-Known Member
Thank you, Geoff. I guess this is where my fuzzy idea of Rodinal being almost similar to FX39 II comes from. I am reading his blog on a regular basis
.
Julian Tanase
Well-Known Member
Thank you, Shaun, however I am baffled by the missing info on MDC about the FX39 II. The FX39 it's there, but not the II formula.
Julian Tanase
Well-Known Member
Thank you guys, very informative. Btw, are there any major differences between these two formulas (FX39 and FX39 II) ? While the FX39 is listed on MDC, the FX39 II is not, so I am a bit baffled by what times and dilutions should one experiment with.
Would the data from FX39 be close to that needed for FX39 II ?
Would the data from FX39 be close to that needed for FX39 II ?
Shaun Haselden
Well-Known Member
Julian, if making your own developers from a printed formula be careful with some of the constituents. A few of these substances can cause long term health issues. If you are already familiar with chemistry then apologies for preaching to the already initiated.
Tony Warren
Well-Known Member
I am an avid devotee of Rodinal and have never used FX39 (is that by Geoffrey Crawley if it is of Paterson origin?) but I did use Neofin Blue and Color for some time a long time ago. Very convenient but quite capable of nicking the finger. Rodinal is just so long lived and flexible. Does FX39 keep as well?
I will tinker with mechanical things but chemistry worries me ever since someone had not cleaned up some spilled Cibachrome solutions in the club darkromm and I ended up with a bad case of dermatitis, probably one of the minor afflictions possible as Shaun says.
I will tinker with mechanical things but chemistry worries me ever since someone had not cleaned up some spilled Cibachrome solutions in the club darkromm and I ended up with a bad case of dermatitis, probably one of the minor afflictions possible as Shaun says.
Julian Tanase
Well-Known Member
Shaun, thank you, your advice is more than welcomed. However, as said, I stopped tinkering with poisons quite a while ago. Bottled, ready-made chems for me these days. I am lazier and more health-focused than I was in my 20s
Shaun Haselden
Well-Known Member
"more health-focused" I wish I had been. As well as using photographic chemicals on an almost daily basis I worked as an analytical scientist for over thirty years. Whatever the cause, I now have developed Parkinson's Disease which medical professionals think may well be linked to exposure to chemicals. Whatever you do Julian I hope it is amazing fun and very productive in terms of fine photography. If my daily life would allow me the space, I very definitely would still be doing 'real' photography. The thought of tramping around my home county of Lincolnshire with a 5X4 field camera appeals a lot right now. Anyhow, all just wishful thinking.Shaun, thank you, your advice is more than welcomed. However, as said, I stopped tinkering with poisons quite a while ago. Bottled, ready-made chems for me these days. I am lazier and more health-focused than I was in my 20s
Julian Tanase
Well-Known Member
Shaun, I am sorry to hear this. Wish you a good journey ahead, and by all means, do take care !
