Playing with Franka

Since I found the 6x6 mask for the Franka Rolfix [I was given another with the mask snuggled inside] been meaning to put a roll through. FP4 was around in it went but it took me few months to get it through. anyway, now I remember why i put this one to one side - it scrathes the negs !!!
But still, I have cleaned it all up a bit and have three snaps to show for it. The FP4 was sloshed in R09.

Here's Guy, the derny mender who works in Angola at present and sorts the motor-pace bikes when he comes home. Couldn't work without him.

This is Dan - Yasumitsusan - with his chum Skooby . Fast bike racers the pair of them!

Then there's Flash Gordon - aka Alan Geldard, 1948 Olympic cycling bronze medallist and all round nice guy. Yasumitsusan's g'dad

T'mill comes alive

I was wandering back down the very steep little lane that serves my little house when I noticed, to my great surprise, that the mill in the valley seems to have come back to life. Since I have been there 6 years now and never once have I seen this, it got me worrying. Then up piped this fellow-me-lad who was mending the gutter on his even-older-than-mine cottage who tells me it's proabably kids setting a fire at the base of the chimney. Well, I suppose if they are going to do it anywhere it might as well be here!!!
It's a nice sight for a few moments to see the smoke drifting from the chimney - but I'm glad it's not every day
Snap taken with Spotmatic - Hanimar 28mm - APX400s

APX400s

This, I am informed, is surveillance film. But since I got it from Silverprint for next to nothing for a tin of 100' , it had to be worth a go. Trouble is, I just haven't had any luck with it despite sloshing it in Aculux2 [which I usually prefer] and FX-39 [which is another favourite]. Today, I tried Rodinal - or R09 [1-50] as this one is. I hadn't tried this combo before since I had read that it is terrible. The film had been exposed in a Minolta A5 rangefinder with a sharp Rokkor lens. Half the film went in this soup, the other half in ID11 [1+1].
As it happens, theR09 with APX400s isn't half bad while the Id11 is great. See for yourself - flickr - MiLady.

Too many variables

I acquired this 28mm Hanimar lens with M42 that fits on Pentax so I teamed up with the Spotmatic, loaded up with some Era 100 Chinese film I recently bought [cheaply; very cheaply actually] and shot away.
Not sure about this combination! Either the focus on the lens is off or the film is rubbish. [or of course, I'm a rubbish snapper] I suggest its the latter.
Anyway, here's a couple of snaps -from in and around my home :-) - from this combi, sloshed in ID11 [which i had never used before].
Next time, i shall try one new thing at a time !

And again..

..another couple of snaps from the Kiev 60. This time Hp5 @800 in R09.

When it's good.....

.. It's excellent. But most of the time it all goes wrong. I'm talking Kiev 60 and baically, and I paraphrase my chum here"they're hopeless". Well, I tuned up the muscles, lifted he huge camera into my bag and shot a roll in Bolton [of all places!]. Most were ruined by
1. film transport issues
2. a hole appearing in the shutter
3. me taking rubbish pictures..

apart from this one of Jon [Professional cyclist]. and the tother one is Aileen McGlynn MBE - Athens gold medallist
fp4/Rodinal.

Mathers

Bolton is not my first choice when it comes to going out for a nice cup of tea but I found myself there today and took the opportunity to visit Mathers to get some B&W chemicals. If you don't know, this is great place to get your Ilford film at VERY reasonable prices.
Eventually found this dinky little cafe where my chum Mr Norfolk and myself took little light refreshment. Somehow, the planned photos didn't materialise!

It's grim oop north

Down by t'canal near my little cottage is this scene. Grim eh?



So we took a ride over to my chum's bike shop and found Trevor building wheels in the basement.

Disappointed in Manc.

A sad day. Didn't get the house we had bid in for. So it looks like another trip to the Outer Hebrides will be have to be made to try and get another.
Never mind, a nice roll of HP5 souped in fx39 looked good after it came out of the Retinette 1a today - my, what a sharp little lens.

And here's anoher from the same lovely camera in the local DIY store - just like shops should be! If you look on my Flickr presence you can see an image called Iron Maiden. Twas taken in this shop! [APX400s-fx-39]

Thinking of Harris

Lichen

Flashing Record

So, I takes this lovely Record, wire up an old and small electronic flash and shoot away with TMY400. Flash directed at a reflector on the floor.