Many of you might know that I've recently started shooting more film, and I've fallen in countless deep rabbit holes, like scanning. But one of the most exciting aspect of film photography, for me, is the darkroom process itself.

I've already experimented developing Harman's Kentmere 400 but I have to perfect my process for it. Today I want to share my approach to developing Kodak Tri-X 400 pushed to 1600 ISO.

I develop in a Lab-Box. It’s partly similar to the Agda Rodinax (link in italian), that solves the darkroom-less problem, but since I want to save water and chemicals, I opted to introduce a new variable: continuous agitation, that changes the way the chemistry interacts with the silver in the film.

The Calculation

There's no standard time for Tri-X in Bellini Euro HC (Dilution B). What I did was to go to Massive Dev Chart for Kodak Tri-X and find the time for HC-110 at 1600 ISO, wich is 16:00 at 20°C, dilution B, with standard agitation. But continuous agitation increases the chemical activity. The developer is always fresh against the emulsion, so the process happens faster. Also the push of 2 stops means we need to extend the time.

To compensate, I used my film calculator to find the right development time.

The mix: 10ml Euro HC + 290ml Water. Need help with the ratios? Check the dilution tool.

For the stop bath, I keep it simple. Water. 3 cycles of rotation to ensure the development is fully halted across the entire roll.

Then, the fixer. Bellini FX-100. It’s fast and reliable.

The mix: 60ml Fixer + 240ml Water.

Washing in a Lab-Box can be water-intensive if you aren't careful. I use the "Ilford Method," adapted for rotation. It’s efficient and ensures archival stability without wasting liters of water.

Finally, the wetting agent. This is the finishing touch, ensuring the final negatives are clean and streak-free. I use Bellini Stab.

The mix: 1ml Stab + 300ml Water.

The Results

Since I’m not patient enough to wait for natural evaporation I hung the film to dry in a room with a dehumidifier running.

The negatives look promising. The contrast is punchy, and the highlights are dense without being blocked up. Most importantly, the edge markings are crisp and legible. In the darkroom, legibility is the definitive proof of your development time. If the text is clear, the chemistry worked.