I contributed to the earlier thread, but will follow up with what I've learned since.(posted 8510 days ago)1. I believe Anchell/Troop's prediction in the Film Developing Cookbook that a pyro afterbath would be unneccesary if the film were fixed in an alkaline fixer is true. Going straight from TF-4 to the wash seems to work fine at my house.
2. Hutchings' suggestion to mix the developer an hour or so before using to increase stain seems to be helpful. I also find that as my developer gets older, its staining power seems to increase. I'm thinking of buying another kit and aging the "A" solution as he suggests.
3. I also find Hutchings' recommendation to use PMK double-strength to increase film speed works well, especially with P3200, where it also helps staining. I have a high school basketball season's worth of negatives to bear this out.
4. This one doesn't make sense to me, but I do find 35mm FP4+ harder to stain than its 120 version. Has anyone else had this problem? It does seem to work okay using the steps outlined in #2.
5. Unlike most findings, I find my tap water seems to work better with PMK than distilled. I do live in a small town with an excellent water system, which may account for this.
6. I've been using PMK for about a year now, and the better I get to know it, the more I like it. As a previous poster mentioned, it does very well with HP5+ AND FP4+.