Hi Don ... for some reason I didn't realize you were talking about film development. My solution - very low tech - is to keep all the chemicals and water at the same temp. There are several gallon jugs of distilled water here, the working solution of developer, the working and stock solution of fix, and so on. That's my temperature control. The containers are kept in a place that remains about the same temp all year 'round, and development times are adjusted based on the actual temp of the developer (which varies only a few degrees throughout the year). It's never been higher than 72-degress, and rarely, if ever, lower than about 65-degrees. Over time I've learned the correct timing for any temp variation (there are usually charts that can be found with the film or on line that provide adjusted times for temperature variations).
Temperature change during the process is minimal. I fill the tank with some of the stored water for a while before loading the film, handle the tanks by the edges when developing to reduce the chance of my hands inducing a temperature change, and keep the work counter insulated with a piece of cardboard so that the tank doesn't gain or lose temp from the counter top. I don't use a running water rinse, so even the rinse temp is the same as the rest of the process. The technique conserves water and is archival. Let me know if you want the details. This has worked very well for me. YMMV, and it probably will. Remember, it's as important to "calibrate" your thermometer and timer as well. By that I mean to always use the same instruments to measure the temp and time the process. Likewise, always use the same measuring containers. Not all indicated liters and quarts hold exactly the same volume. So, while you may be very precise with maintaining your temp with coils and refrigerant and what have you, if you use different instruments at different times to measure the temp, or decide to use a different brand or sized beaker when measuring your chemicals, you may be off in your result anyway. One of my two liter beakers holds a slightly different amount of liquid than two of my one liter beakers. You might also want to pick up the latest edition of The Film Developing Cookbook: http://tinyurl.com/any2o and http://www.graphos.org/ HTH ... FWIW, I develop the film in my kitchen and use the timer on the microwave oven to keep track of elapsed time. Shel > [Original Message] > From: Don Sanderson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <pentax-discuss@pdml.net> > Date: 7/16/2005 3:22:13 AM > Subject: RE: Darkroom temperature control. > > Thanks everyone for the suggestions, they ranged from > high-tech to no-tech! ;-)
