Glycin Developers for Film

[David A. Goldfarb]

I have not tried these, but since people are experimenting with Ansco 130 as a film developer, they seem to be of potential interest. These come from The Morgan & Morgan Darkroom Book, ed. Algis Balsys and Liliane DeCock-Morgan (Dobbs Ferry, NY: Morgan & Morgan, 1980), pp. 152-55. The book has some obvious typos, like a recipe for Agfa #12 that leaves out the developing agent, so if anyone can confirm these from other sources, that would be helpful.

Agfa #8--Normal Contrast Glycin Developer

Warm water 52 C--750 ml
Sodium Sulfite, desiccated--12.5 g
Glycin--2.0 g
Potassium Carbonate--25.0 g
Add cold water to make 1.0 liter

Development time for ASA 100-125 films is 10-12 min. at 20 C

Agfa #72--Soft working developer

Water 52 C--1.0 liter
Sodium Sulfite (anhydrous)--125 g
Glycin--50 g
Potassium Carbonate--250 g

For tank development, dilute 1+10 and develop at 18 C for 15-20 min.
For tray development, dilute 1+4 and develop at 18 C for 5-7 min.

Gevaert GD-202

Metol--1.0 g
Sodium Sulfite--32.0 g
Glycin--0.5 g
Hydroquinone--0.5 g
Sodium Carbonate--28.0 g
Potassium Bromide--1.5 g
Citric acid--1.0 g
Water to make 1.0 liter

"If exposure has been correct, the film will be properly developed in 10-12 minutes."

Kodak D-78

Water--750 ml
Sodium sulfite (anhydrous)--3.0 g
Glycin--3.0 g
Sodium carbonate (mono)--7.2 g
Water to make--1.0 liter

The average development time is 15 to 25 min. at 18 C.

[Photo Engineer]

Just a note about bromide in developers.

As the level of bromide goes up, edge effects are repressed, and so with enough bromide you can reduce sharpness substantially. Reducing alkali, as long as pH can be maintained, will increase edge effects somewhat.

Like all "rules", these are generalizations that should be tested. People state that contrast is good, but give no proof that sharpness or grain are maintained and etc...

You know, there is a "theory of developer design" for engineers. Maybe someday I should teach it.

PE

[Ray Rogers]

Yes.

I am sure that would the most popular thread around,
excluding the joke thread.

[Alan Johnson]

It was reported that glycin does not dissolve in propylene glycol (to make long lasting 2-part developers) but only in TEA. However I made this experiment: 2g glycin, 6ml TEA, 1tsp water,on heating gently and stirring this formed a clear solution which dissolved in 14 ml propylene glycol.The solution is only a few days old so it is not known if it is stable.
Heating these organic solutions cannot be made completely risk free IMO.

[David A. Goldfarb]

I've merged two threads on Ansco 130 for film into this thread--

http://www.apug.org/forums/forum37/1...eveloping.html

There is another thread on Ansco 130 as a split developer, and the search engine will also turn up threads on Agfa 8 and Kodak D-78.

[Anscojohn]

FWIW, that Morgan and Morgan darkroom book, I have also found, has a considerable number of typos and other errors in its formulary. I packed it away years ago rather than rely on it.

[Tom Hoskinson]

Tom: any photos you can post so we can see how this is working out for you? Sounds interesting.

Yes, I'll dig out some photos developed semi-stand in diluted Ansco 130 and post them. I'll post some Agfa-8 examples as well.

[Trask]

Thanks -- I'm particularly interested in these two developers.

[CBG]

Hi Trask. Can you give names for those formulae, and can you pass on title and publisher etc for the books you found them in?

Thanks for the formulas, David. I have a few more culled from some photo lab books in French I picked up in Brussels, but they call for exotic components like Diethylparaphenylenediamine sulfite (or sulphate, it’s not clear) and hydroxyethyl-o-aminophenol.

Here’s one that’s stated to be a compensating developer:

Sodium Sulphite 40 grams
Potassium Carbonate 40 grams
Glycin 8 grams
Phenidone 0.5 gram
Potassium Bromide 2 grams
Water 1000 ml

Dilute 1:1, average time of development at 20 degrees Centigrade: 8-12 minutes.

Another, somewhat similar, formula is said to be fine grain and come from Ilford:

Sodium Sulphite 90 grams
Sodium Carbonate 2 grams
Borax 2 grams
Glycin 5 grams
Phenidone 0.2 gram
Water 1000 ml

Used straight, average time of development 8 minutes.

An alternate formulation also said to be from Ilford, in a different book, as follows:

Hot water 700 ml
Borax 2 grams

Then, with water at 50 degrees Centigrade, add in order:

Sodium sulphite 70 grams
Sodium carbonate 2 grams
Glycin 5 grams
Phenidone 0.2 gram
Water to bring level to 1000 ml

For a gamma of 0.65, develop 11 minutes at 17-18 deg Cent, or 9 minutes at 18-19 degrees. (NB: no explanation as to why they’re staying below 20 deg Cent) Further, can be diluted 1:1 and used at 20 deg Cent for 8-9 minutes for slow-speed films.

[Trask]

They come from two books:

La Pratique du Developpement by A.H. Cuisinier, Publications Photo-Cinema Paul Montel, Paris, 1966 (thirteenth edition)

Developpement Negatifs - Noir et Blanc by Jacques Prioleaud, Publications Photo-Cinema Paul Montel, Paris, 1980 (sixth edition)

Until writing this response forced me to look, I hadn't realized these were published by the same publisher. I bought both, I think, at a quasi-used book store in Brussels a few years ago.

Developer #1 has no name, is just said to be "an excellent compensating developer"

Developer #2 and #3 have no names in particular, are just sourced to Ilford. FYI, it's stated the the pH of #3 is 9.3.

I like these older books, especially the one from 1966. It's got a formula in it that includes potassium metabisulphite, hydroquinone, phenidone, sodium sulphite, ammonium chloride, boric acid, potassium bromide, acetone and benzotriazole. I think I'd have to by stock in Photographer's Formulary before I bought all that stuff!

[Thomas Bertilsson]

I once studied chemistry - in high school... I have no clue what these different formulas do. I just use the chemicals.

Ansco 130 (from Photographer's Formulary) really is a good developer for film. I've done nearly twenty 5x7 sheets in it, and it gives me great negatives to print. I've used 1+4 and 1+8 so far. I like 1+8 best as highlights seem to print easier.

- Thomas