PMK PYRO Film Development Chart

pmk pyro

film development chart

Caution: PMK Pyro is POISONOUS and is absorbed by bare skin! Handle with extreme care! Avoid inhaling fumes! Always wear protective clothing, including eye goggles and non-porous gloves! Read THE BOOK OF PYRO by Gordon Hutchings, before using this product. For products contact Eight Elm Photo.

PMK Pyro Developer = 1 part A + 2 parts B + 100 parts Water

Presoak Film > Developer > Stop Bath > Fixer > Used Developer > Wash

1) Presoak - 2 to 4 minutes. Dry films placed in PMK Pyro will immediately stick together.

2) Developer - Agitate every 15 seconds during development. Inadequate agitation may result in streaked negatives. Tray processing is NOT recommended. Tanks ensure consistent results.

3) Stop bath - Diluted to at least ¼ normal strength. 4 minutes in plain water is ok for normal or plus times.

4) Fix - 10 minutes using only a non-hardening fixer.

5) Used Developer - Agitate every 30 seconds for 2 - 4 minutes after fix to induce stain.

6) Wash Film - 30 to 45 minutes (stain intensifies during the wash).

The Stained Negative:

PMK Pyro is a fine grain pyrogallol developer with which extremely sharp negatives with beautiful highlight detail may be created. The yellowish stain it produces, when combined with the bluish light from a cold lamp enlarger permits the 0 filter to darken highlight areas without affecting shadows.

The 5 filter will darken shadow areas without affecting highlights.

I have obtained excellent results with Agfa's APX 100, 120 film. Some newer emulsions do not stain as well as Agfa 100, although Ilford SFX 200 appears to be an exception. Some older films such as Kodak's 35mm Tech Pan do not stain well. There also appears to be a difference between 35mm, 120 and 4x5 sheets of the same film.

The following developing times are not absolute, and are given for normal development at 70°F. For each degree of increased temperature, reduce developing time by 4%.

FILM & LINKS	RATING	MINUTES	STAIN

*Agfa*
APX 25	16	11	Poor
APX 25	25	10	Poor
APX 100	80	14
APX 100	100	13	120 Good, 35mm Poor
APX 400	200	16
APX 400	400	14 ¾

*Forte*
Fortepan 400	400	14	4x5 Good

*Fuji*
Neopan 100 Acros	50	11
Neopan 400	400	12
Neopan 1600	1600	12

*Ilford*
Delta 100 Pro	100	10
Delta 400 Pro	400	13
Delta 3200 Pro	800	15
Delta 3200 Pro	1600	14	35mm Good
Delta 3200 Pro	3200	9
FP4 Plus	80 -100	10	Good
FP4 Plus	125	9	Good
HP5 Plus	320	13	Good
HP5 Plus	400	11	Good
Pan F Plus	32	8	Poor
Pan F Plus	50	7	Poor
SFX 200	200	9	Good

*Kodak*
High-Speed Infrared	200	12
Plus-X Pan	80	9
Technical Pan	25	8	Poor

*Konica*
Infrared 750	16	10
Infrared 750	32	9	Poor

Minus-X Development (as per Gordon Hutchings)

To photograph a dark scene that includes a window in full sunlight with up to ± 20 stops of contrast;

1) Meter and place only the low values, adding 3 stops to the exposure.

2) Reduce the normal film developing time by 50%

With the free Acrobat Reader you may download this document here.

Click the Chart for Zone System information.