When I first started developing black and white film at home, I got a starter kit from Fotoimpex. It came with Rodinal and a brochure that guided me through the process, including an explanation of agitation method used by Ansel Adams. The instructions suggested agitating the tank for 10 seconds every minute by twisting the tank around its axis while turning it upside down. This method worked perfectly for me with Rodinal and, later, with HC-110.
Eventually, I switched to XTOL and then to replenished XTOL. The data sheet for this developer recommends agitating for 5 seconds every 30 seconds rather than 10 seconds every minute. I followed those instructions, but I noticed my negatives were consistently on the contrasty side. It didn’t ring any alarm bells while I was only scanning my film, because editing contrast of the scans digitally is quite straightforward.
Everything changed once I built a home darkroom and started making prints with an enlarger. I realized these negatives were difficult to work with, especially those shot under harsh light. In most cases, I had to decrease the contrast by using grade 0.5 to 1.5 filters. Frequently, I had to use the split-grade printing technique.
It felt like my negatives were overdeveloped. Since I was using replenished XTOL, I assumed the solution might be too concentrated. Because there is no official guidance on how many rolls should be processed before XTOL is considered seasoned and ready to be replenished, one need to dial it in through experimentation. I tried cutting the development time to reduce contrast. This definitely helped, and I began getting negatives that were much easier to print.
After a recent trip, I decided to dump my bottle of working XTOL solution because it was a year old and I wanted to be safe. I mixed a fresh batch and developed three rolls of Delta 100 using the stock times from the data sheet. To my surprise, the negatives were again far too contrasty. Since the chemicals were fresh, concentration couldn’t be the issue. I returned to the data sheet and focused specifically on the agitation section.
I realized I had never paid close attention to the number of cycles. I had been quickly turning the tank during those 5-second intervals, usually completing 3 to 4 cycles. However, the data sheet recommends only 2 to 3 cycles depending on the desired contrast. Furthermore, I had been spinning the agitation rod quite vigorously for the initial step. The data sheet actually specifies 5 cycles of one-half turns, alternating clockwise and counter-clockwise.
For the remaining 9 rolls, I followed the pattern of 2 cycles exactly. The result was perfect negatives: they had enough contrast to look punchy, but they weren’t blown out. If you feel like something is off with your development, take the time to read the developer’s data sheet very carefully. You might be missing a tiny detail that can dramatically affect your results.