Kodak D-163

[Keith Tapscott.]

Kodak D-163 B&W Print developer.
Water at about 50C. 750ml
Metol developing agent 2.2 grams
Sodium Sulphite (anhydrous) 75 grams
Hydroquinone 17 grams
Sodium Carbonate (anhydrous) 65 grams
Potassium bromide 2.8 grams
Water, to make 1 Litre.

A developer for bromide & chlorobromide papers, extremely versatile and very long lasting when stored in full stoppered glass bottles.
For use, dilute 1:3 and develop for approximately two minutes.
A very popular developer that is still made by Speedibrews and sold by Silverprint Ltd and Retro-Photographic.

[billybob]

Hi Kieth, I'm trying to mix from a kodak D-163 powder set (admitidly ancient but sealed) . I have a white powder in a big bag and a crystalised formula in a smaller bag. Not tried mixing from powder before... how does one do this?

Billy BOb

[Christopher Walrath]

Inaccurate data. Deleted by Christopher Walrath.

[Ian Grant]

You can't take data for a formula like this from a Focal Encyclopedia comparison table of working strength diluted developer because it's not claiming to be the actual Kodak formula.

Kodak themselves published the formula as Kieth's listed it with two dilutions 1+1 and 1+3. Andrew Mannheim's table in the Encyclopedia is compared working strength Contrast developers, all the developer ratio's are adjusted to compare like with like, in a later table it's listed again this time all the devs have a 1+1 dilution (this is the 1+3 equivalent).

Mixed as you've posted will have poor keeping qualities.

Ian

[billybob]

Sorry to act dumbly, but are you saying that i need to add extra chemicals to the powder mix. How the the ratios work when mixing powder and water??

[Ian Grant]

No Kodak's powder mix is fine, as is Keith's posting of the formula. It's whether you then dilute 1+1 or 1+3.

Sometimes chemists want to see what's actually in the working strength dilute solution to make valid comparisons, that's what are in the Focal Encyclopedia. Chis makes a mistake thinking it's a different version of the formula, which is far from the truth.

Ian

[billybob]

But 1 part of what! to 3 parts of what! I'm guessing 1 part powder to 3 water, but how do you measure the powder out?

Liam

[Christopher Walrath]

Then I do stand corrected. Friendly query sent to you, Ian, via PM.

[billybob]

But 1 part of what! to 3 parts of what! I'm guessing 1 part powder to 3 water, but how do you measure the powder out?

Liam

[Jim Noel]

Mix the powder as directed on the package. Store this in a tightly capped, full, brown glass bottle. When ready to develop mix one part of this with 1-3 parts of water to make a working solution.