Great developer. To measure small quantities accurately, I use glass calpol bottles and the medicine syringe that comes with them. Decant a litre into 10x 100ml bottles and this works really well. The seals are child proof and airtight. Even Ilfosol 3 keeps practically forever in these bottles.

I have just developed a roll of HP5 with Ilfotec HC 1:31 and it's hanging up to dry, seems ok to me at the moment, like others, I pour out the neat dev and use a syringe to draw the amount I need, then flush out the syringe with clean water as I add it to the mix until finally topping up with water to the required amount. I also make up 320 ml as opposed to 290ml for 35mm film, as this gives me 10ml of neat dev and is easier to measure. I shall check my leader tomorrow when the film is dry 0-)

Thank you so much for this information! I too was using the wrong dilution, and your video solved my problem!

developper stock solution has to be kept totally air free. You can prepare one or several 1 liter folding bottles to be air free even after having used a part of the bottle content. For bigger stock solution volumes a bought some empty 3l wine bag in box devices with a little metal filling rig. You fill through a big filling port on the top and take what you need on a tap at the bottom and it's stored air free.

You had me reaching for the calculator because I have always used it direct from the bottle. Making a stock solution is 1HC + 3 Water = 25% dilution. At 1+31 for 1 litre you use 125mm stock to 875mm water. 125mm stock = 25%HC = 31.25mm HC in the 1000mm which is exactly the same as adding 31.25mm of syrup to 968.75mm water so the ratios are the same. If there is any difference it must be that the stock is easier to mix than straight syrup, but as JonnyRobbie said the stock would not last as long. Longevity is important to me because I only develop one or two rolls of B&W per month. Next time I might try the 1+47 ratio and see how that goes as I assume a weaker solution but with extra development time reduces grain, or alternatively mix a small amount of stock which I can sacrifice. My results vary, from very good to very grainy but I have blamed my exposure (I normally over expose HP5) rather than the developer. Thanks for your videos which are a great encouragement.

I use Ilfotec HC to process my different Ilford films. I use 16ml straight out of the bottle to make 500ml for 120 film using a 5ml syringe and happy with the results.

Isn't it amazing how often the simple things trip us up? Shame about the waterfall, but you'll get it next time.

I think I would have missed that detail as well on the making stock first! Good tip on checking the leader for darkness to determine if development was good!

That’s a great tip: exposing one frame of 120 on Bulb and saving that developed frame for future reference. Thanks also for that method of examining the fully-exposed frame with a cellphone flashlight behind it. You’re making great videos. Good luck!

This is my go to black and white film combo. At 1:62 dilution (my fav for this developer) I get either 166 rolls of 120 or 332 rolls of 35mm with my Patterson tank. That comes out at either £0.18 or £0.09 per roll in developer costs! I don't pre-dilute to make working solutions, I use a syringe to get exactly what I need for each one-shot and the developer basically never goes off. For economy, shelf life, and nice full film speed results it's hard to beat

Great advice with checking the leader. Will do! "I've been scratching me canister" - Love it!

Interesting! I started developing HP5 and FP4 with ID11 before moving over to HC110 for a short period. Comparing images it’s obvious that HC was the inferior dev. Maybe the differences aren’t too dramatic with 120, but I always had increased grain and less pleasing images with 35mm. Great shelf life, yes, but I went back to ID11 and have been very happy ever since!

You should come out here to Thailand man. You would have a lot cooler stuff to take photos of. Your channel is great, very interesting. Your personality is awesome. Thanks for the video.

It is the classic combination with HP5 Plus. It is also a quite sharp developer which is a god send for those who wet print their negatives.

Yep. Had the same lightbulb moment 3 months ago. Made sense once I got my head around it all. Wishing you well and great content as always sir.

Nice handy tip there!! I wouldn't have thought to read the Ilford info!! Ta bud :-)

Been using Ilfotec HC for a couple years now. I like it a lot! With HP5 it looks great pushed to 800.

I've just bought a Minolta Autocord from a Scottish enthusiast, it will be my 2nd medium format camera, the other is a Mamiya 6 x 4.5 pro 😉😊

Glad you were able to solve the problem. Great job Boss!

Nice video as usual. Lots to learn. Thanks

My time for dilution B and hp5 is 5 min and 15 sec. I start the clock when I start pouring. Illford times for all their developers are way too long as I had similar overdevelopment using DDX

At 9:15, when you show the leaking shot on frame 11, did you notice the lines, I guess traces, on the right side from the center and right strips ? Too much washing agent ? Thanks for (all) your videos Roger

I do use hc-110 and ilfotec Hc as my main developers but I do sometimes use d76 or Atomal 49. I diluted both of them (hc-110 - IlfotecHC) straight from the bottle. I would say that my negatives with ilfotec-HC are a bit more dense and contrasty than the ones processed in HC-110 but not anything dramatically dense, furthermore I rarely get black dense negatives with the Ilford staff. I also use Ilfotec-HC when I am pushing HP5@1600.

Roger I’ve used HC for past 3 years. I think the confusion is that 1+31 dilution is exactly that when using raw HC ie 31ml raw HC and 969ml water. In the ilford data sheet they give figures of 125 HC to 875ml water but this 125ml of stock 1+3 solution both give a final solution of 1+31. The difference is stock solution does not keep well compared to raw solution which keeps as long as methuselah. If you were mixing 125ml of raw to to 875ml man that would have been souped up! Also as others have said you can dev 5 rolls to a litre that’s about 160 rolls of film per litre or here in Australia at 56cents a roll.

I'm not sure, Roger. It's funny, becuase I do use HC from the beginning and I've developed a buttload of HP5s. And I always prepare the dev raw and never had any problems - if anything, I sometimes experiment with pushing the film because it gives a bit nicer density. The catch is that the raw dev has a really long shelf life (mine is 4 years old and still rocking - I've heard reports that that stuff lasts decades), but once you dilute it to stock, it oxidizes and expires like nothing. Like I said, I've never had any trouble with preparing the final solution from raw dev - I just use a syringe to properly measure 1+31 and that's it. Is it possible that perhaps you did not compensate for ambient temperature and developed it too hot? I always make sure to be at most half a degree off a 20C, maybe even 19.5, since when it's hot outside, the dev gets warmer. Also, one of the advantages of the HC is that it is not a one shot. Ilford says you can dump up to 5 rolls in one batch, I usually don't go over 3 (adding 10% to thedev time for every roll it has been through) though - so the HC can actually be an extremely economical choice.

You can also mix yourself Ilford LC29, its 1:0,6. With dillution H i get 11ml of LC29 per 120 film at 13min for hp5

Nice work Roger i always used ID11 back in the day these days I used D76 as it’s readily available in NZ and generally the cheapest option for what do I’m more than happy with the results cheers for the vid

I use it with a pipette and instead of fixing the total amount of dev + water to 600 I adjust it so that the total gives me an easy HC amount to pipette so in this case 20ml to 605ml water which is easy to get on my graduated developer. This stuff is so cheap I dont mind using more to make the maths easy and lots of room still for agitation

I've never had this problem with HC110, I used D76 for years and would prefer it but it's short shelve life once mixed made me switch to HC110.

I use legacy pro l-110. It’s an hc-110 clone. Not sure if it’s is available on the other side of the pond. Cheaper and is identical. Normally do 7 minute 1:31 solution for hp5 at box speed. Pretty much all I use

Kodak also mention diluting HC-110 1 part concentrate 3 part water in it's datasheet (publication j24) instead of using the syrup directly, but state that "Both mixing methods provide the same photographic characteristics.". Among HC-110 users, I think pretty much nobody chose to prepare the 1+3 solution, and i'd guess that it's not more necessary with Ilfotec HC. Oddly enough, if 6.5min was to much for HP5+ at box speed in dilution 1:31 with Ilford's HC, using the time for kodak HC-110 dil. B (5min) might be better. I don't know what the weather's like on your side of the channel, but if it is as hot as my side, the temperature of the solution may rise in the paterson tank, explaining the over-development ? just a thought. A common "trick" with HC-110 is to use the unofficial dilution H (1:63), twice the dilution and time of dil. B (1:31), to have better control over the contrast and less risk of uneven developement due to the short dev times. Anyway, always a pleasure to see your videos pop-up on my notifications, interesting content and your enthusiasm is contagious :)

Thanks!

There’s a manufacturer in the UK who is now selling a highly concentrated developer called 510 Pyro and they talk a big game when it comes to what it’s supposedly capable of… would love to see some real hands on testing of their claims!

I've been using Kodak's HC-110 but I might have to try Ilford's HC. Hmm I have to try that leader. I just checked my leaders form Rodinal development today and they're quite transparent hmmmm.... I have to look into that.

The price has stopped me from trying Ilfotec HC in the first place, although per film it might be very economical. I choose Ilfosol 3 as my main developer, I really like it with FP4+, HP5+ and Acros, which are my main films. I mostly shoot HP5+, develop it at 1+14 for boxspeed or 1+9 if pushed to 800. I have a "baby bottle" Rodinal around, because yeah, you should have some. Occasionally I also use ID-11 or XT3 if I have some weird or old film that doesn't have times for Ilfosol 3 published.

What EI are you shooting HP5 at? F8/250 is probably 2 stops over for that harsh sunlight at EI250.

Great video Roger, neat tip on that film leader . I've been using Ilford Ilfosol3 with my all my Fomapan films. They look good. I'll have to test and exposed piece, next time. Any thoughts on Ilfosol 3 ? I like the convince factor in use. KB

Stock solution as with HC-110 and Rodinal equals short life time, used straight from original bottle dilution and you are talking years of use.

Wow, you aren’t stingy with your exposures. HP5 in near full sunshine at f/8 , 250th s. Oh well, better a decent splodge of light than not enough

.swot up .. 😂

The experimentation side of analog is a double edged sword. On one hand you may end up with a magical shot. But on the other, you might find yourself with a wasted roll. Nothing more disheartening than images you know were good but got naffed by one of the dozen volatile variables involved

The 'new' HC 110 does not last! My old bottle HC-110 is losing power as i descend.. I found bottle of original Rodinal, much sharper, grainier and better tones on Whites always, flaring on Kentmere. Not sufficient anti-halation backing? Ilford HC way to expensive. Kodak not available here. Simply not here. I used to mix from RAW, a simple developer, used in A and B parts. A develop, B bring up details. Very fine grain. It's not rocket science. Metol, Sodium Sulphite=A Sodium .Carbonate or Borax is B. 4~7 mins in A, 3~4 mins B. I doubt one will find Formulae on Google or Bing. They delete true info. It's all about sales. Useless crap.

That looked like telephone wires not ‘leccy wires!

I evite the massive dev chart for all my film, I call it massive fantasy dev chart, any fooney can contribute to the very baloney chart