The DARKROOM COOKBOOK, Third Edition

142 THE DARKROOM COOKBOOK
● It doesn’t hurt the fi lm to be left in the wash.
● Because it is diffi cult to re-spool wet fi lm onto plastic reels use stainless steel reels only.
● Do not splash water on the hot light bulb.
● Do not allow the fi lm to get too close to the bulb in order to avoid heat damage.
● It’s a good idea to keep a pair of sunglasses handy!
9. Second developer. Do not use thiocyanate or thiosulfate in the second developer. You
may use D-72 (Dektol) 1:2 for 3 minutes at 68F/20C, Kodak D-19, or any other energetic
developer.
10. It is important to use a full-strength stop bath after the second developer in order to stop development
in the shortest possible time. This will also help to clear the highlights and aid in archival
preservation.
11. Rinse for 1 minute.
12. Fix in an acid fi xer without hardener such as ATF-1. Do not use an alkaline fi xer.
13. Rinse in half strength Hypo Clearing Agent.
14. Wash thoroughly to insure the removal of all excess chemistry.
15. Dry as usual.
INTERPOSITIVE
The drawback to using an interpositive, as opposed to an original positive, is that each generation
of negative to positive and back to negative gains contrast and suffers some loss of
tonality. However, when using alternative printing processes the amount of gain and loss are
often inconsequential. If you fi nd your image quality compromised then the best method is
to make original positives. Otherwise, it is usually easier to make an enlarged negative from
an interpositive.
When making an interpositive it is important to keep the original negative and glass
clean. Any dust will appear as a white spot on the interpositive, a black spot on the negative,
and fi nally as a white or gray spot on the fi nal print. All though it is not diffi cult to retouch
light spots on a print it is more work down the line.
Making an Interpositive
Compared to reversal processing making an interpositive takes practically no time at all. In
fact, except for the time it takes for the fi lm to dry it seems almost instantaneous!
To make an interpositive you will need the following:
1. 4 � 5 inch Ortho fi lm. Adox 25 ORT, available from Freestyle Photographic Sales (FPS), is a good
choice.
2. An 8 � 10 inch contact proofi ng frame. These are available from both FPS and Photographers’
Formulary (PF).
3. Wratten No. 1A or 2 red safelight with a 15- to 25-watt bulb or equivalent.
4. Kodak Dektol, D-72, Photographers’ Formulary TD-3, or similar developer.