[LargeFormat] tmax film pre wash gets the red out!

[Pete Caluori]

From: Les Newcomer <lnphoto@twmi.rr.com>
Date: Thu, 8 Aug 2002 06:24:22 -0700

If Your talking Tmax films, I was always told that was a dye they added
for better spectral response.

I've processed Tmax in rolls and sheets since it was a test product back
in '88.  I ALWAYS had this brilliant magenta pre wash water every time.

I ordered some more Tmax about a month ago. Notice we are in transistion
at this point from the old coating alley at Kodak to their new one.

What I bought had the old catalog number, and the old notches, the old
logos, it just came in the new 50 sheet box.

I processed some test stuff to tweak the dev time before I jump into my
100 sheets of exposed stuff from my recent trip out west...  I got the
film into the fix, covered it and turned the lights on, to my shock the
prewash water was CLEAR!!!.

The negs look great with not magenta cast either, or very very slight.


I called Kodak pro tech support.   "No you definietly have the old
stuff, the magenta dye varies quite a bit from time to time, sometimes
they put a lot in, other times they don't."    BULLLLLL-ONEY!!!!

Sometimes I think the mouthpieces at Kodak were trained by Pravda.  He
didn't have a clue, or if he suspected I had the new film (which is what
I think) he wouldn't/couldn't say.  Just like the latest PR stuff about
the old coating ally being so ancient they couldn't keep anything in
spec. They made it sound like it was being held together with chewing
gum and paper clips, but if you thought you got a bad batch of
something, they had a very different story!


<snip>

Thanks Les, but I'm aware of Tmax.  The films I was referring to are all 
Ilford and the water comes out blackish gray, not magenta.

regards, Pete

_________________________________________________________________
MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: 
http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx