I've pulled !

[dmb]

Perhaps I should rephrase that. I've pulled for the first time ever.

Oh! A film! I pulled a film .

Never had reason to do this before. Usually have been shooting at box speed or trying to pull the last possible speed out of whatever I have to hand. Enter my Friday 13th camera. A nice enough OM1-n - needed some work on it, including removing a corroded battery. So on Saturday took it for a wander round a local Mere and got what I thought would be some nice shots on some HP5+. Got back to car and set to rewind, no tension. I'd only gone and done a @Mr Badger , (sorry) that is not ensured film was advancing.

Sunday was dull so returned today (Monday) with the same film (having retrieved the leader) and tried to re-create the shots. Headed back to car and took one last shot and glanced at the aperture and shutter speed. Alarm bells, this was a genuine Sunny 11/16 day and I was nearly two stops adrift. The set film speed of 400 was giving me exposures suitable for 160 ! Checked with another camera, perhaps just a stop out as the Tamron 35-80 on the OM1-n changes aperture as you zoom by almost a stop. Will need to check out why the meter is out - battery voltage (zinc/air) was spot on, perhaps this camera had been recalibrated but the corroded cell I had to remove was an original mercury one.

The only documented Ilford method for pulling HP5+ to 200 uses Perceptol which I don't have and the one from Massive Dev notes low contrast - hmm so took a punt and extrapolated from other pulling times for similar dev's and estimated a time of 6 mins in ID11 stock, as I'm using a Jobo that actually reduces to 5 mins 6 sec (15% for rotation). Glad to say negs look fine - now to check over the metering again.

 

[ChrisR]

Surely over exposing negative film is fine? You can certainly over expose colour negative film by a stop in many conditions, without adjusting the processing time. (I once rang FilmDev in a panic, realising I'd over exposed a film by two stops, they said not to worry, and were right). I used to over-expose my Tri-X by 1/3 or 2/3 of a stop, although I haven't bothered for ages, and I see no great difference between the results. It does of course affect the density of the negative, but can be compensated for in the scan or wet print stage... or so I understand!

 

[john.margetts]

With black and white film, neither exposure nor development need to be precise. With exposure, a stop either way is nothing. Developing, also not critical - temperature can be a degree out with no harm, dilution is unlikely to be precise in the home (unless you have bought laboratory pipettes and graduated flasks) and towards the end of the development time, development is continuing very slowly so time is also not critical.

 

[dmb]

I do like to try and get it right in camera and during developing, then at least the only thing I can get wrong is taking the shot in the first place .

...(unless you have bought laboratory pipettes and graduated flasks)

Was a chemical analyst at one time and so do have that sort of kit, still have my microlitre syringes for when a drop is too much .

One from Monday




OM1n (being difficult) -Tamron Adaptall 2 SP 35-80 f/2.8-3.8 (01A) - HP5+ pulled to 200 ISO

 

[ChrisR]

Well, however you got there, can't really complain about that result! Very nice, David.

 

[Mr Badger]

Sorry to read that you've 'done a badger'! I hope it's the first and last time for you too. Never mind, it looks like your second crop has blossomed despite the exposure issues.