hi everybody

Im new to coffee developers .i think i have all the stuff i need. except the washing soda

Which is not available in Ontario ? . So i made my own from baking soda.

I cant seem to find any info for plus-x. I bought 60 rolls , exp. 2006 works great in

rodinal at 6 min at 20c. But i don't know about the coffee. Does anybody have any info.

I did find some for fp4 12 min at 20c . Its iso 125 like plus-x but i don't know if it will

Work the same. Can you make prints with the same dev as film? . and how many can

you get out of a batch of dev [5x7] ? .

any info would be great.

Thanks . al.b

Hi, yes it works with Plus X I also have a bulk roll with an exp date earlier that yours.

I leave mine for 20 mins at 20C and the results are fine, my own personal view is that caffinol is more art than science, by that I mean don't get too hung up on times , but be consistent with your mix.

Dai.

hello Dai

thanks for the reply .I'll give it a try next week, Been sick as a dog for 2 weeks so I haven't felt like doing to much .

How many prints could you get out of a mix [5x7] . Or can you even dev mg paper in it.

Thanks again for the info.

al.b

al.b,
I use Caffenol as my primary print developer. It's quirky, but if you are patient you can really get some wonderful results. I tend to mix it about double strength for printing, and give the prints a good rinse in the sink before hitting the stop and fixer baths just to keep the coffee stain from contaminating all my trays. As for capacity, you can generally judge it by eye, but I think I get about half the number of prints as I would out of traditional developers.

BTW, The washing soda is available here in Ontario. I live in Leamington, near the gates of Point Pelee, and have no trouble buying it. I use Arm & Hammer "So Clean Super Washing Soda", which works well in Caffenol and also as a bleach for cyanotypes as well. A box of washing soda should last you several years.

Cheers,
Tom

Hey Tom

Thanks for the reply. I was not sure if it would work ,i thought it might but now I know. Still sick so i don't know when i'll get to it.Sounds like fun though.

I dont know what is up with the soda in Hamilton/Burlington area cant seem to find it at all. I asked all over and people just looked blank, no idea what it was.

Thanks again i'll let you know how it goes.

al.b

This is the stuff I use... imported by Church & Dwight Canada Corp. 6600 Kitimat Rd. Mississauga, ON L5N 1L9

Hi Tom

Thats the stuff I was looking for . I went to their web site got their phone # called them . They told me that it was in the stores around my area [Hamilton/ Burlington] . Went to all the food stores and nothing, most people never herd of it.

I guess they don't know the stores dropped this item , they don't update their web site. I made my own from baking soda ,so i have some fore now i'll keep looking thought.

thanks Tom

al.b

If you find some, buy two boxes. (one box would last a decade in the darkroom, but my wife keeps stealing it for the laundry)

Another thought, I find it's important to pre-wash the film before developing, I generally wash until the water clears, I find that a lot of dark "stuff" comes off the film.

I agitate for the first minute and then for 10 seconds every minute until the end.

Dai.

al.b, I just tried some prints with Borax in lieu of washing soda, (20 Mule Team Brand) and it seems to work fine. It seems slower in action, and smells much worse, but it gets the job done.

[update]
Update for Canadians looking for washing soda, I was in the Real Canadian Superstore last week and picked up a 3kg box of Arm and Hammer "So Clean" for $5.99. That should last me another few years.

Cheers,
Tom