making D-76

[Ian Grant]

I think D-76 is the best developer of all time. When you make it up, it is a bit like draught Guinness, you have to wait for it. But once made you can't go wrong.

Kodak spent many years looking at how to imporve D76 which is a derivation of a much older Wellington & Ward Buffered Borax developer. As a consequence there are over a dozen variants of D76 all but one (DK76b) containing both Metol and Hydroquinone

However there was an un-numbereed Kodak Fine Grain Developer published in 1927.

From the 1928 British Journal Photographic Almanac.

Eastman Kodak Research Fine Gran Developer 1927

For Fine grain. - A developer recommended by the Eastman Kodak Research Laboratories for use when images of specially fine grain are required is as follows:-

Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 gr (2g)
Sodium Sulphite (anhyd) . . . . . . 400gr (100g)
Borax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 gr (2g)
Water to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 ozs (1600ml)

The developer works more slowly than those of normal formula. - A.P., May 25, p. 504.

This seems to be one of the earliest published Fine Grain developer from Kodak.



One of the problems with D76 is the high sulphite level and if this is dropped slightly as in Adox Borax MQ there can be some significant improvements in terms of better sharpness, slightly higher film speed, cleaner working (less solvency effects) which helps improve tonality.


Adox Borax MQ (Fotokemia FR-2)

Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2g
Sodium Sulphite (anhyd) . . . . . 80g
Hydroquinone . . . . . . . . . . . . 4g
Borax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4g
Potassium Bromide . . . . . . . . 0.5g
Water to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Another option which was commercially available in the US:


Agfa 44 (Agfa-Ansco 17)

Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5g
Sodium Sulphite (anhyd) . . . . . 80g
Hydroquinone . . . . . . . . . . . . 3g
Borax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3g
Potassium Bromide . . . . . . . . . 0.5g
Water to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre


If I still used a developer of this type it would be Adox Borax MQ, it lives up to what Geoffreu Crawley wrote about it back in the early 1960's, and with 35mm negatives there's a noticable improvement over D76.

Ian

[Bruce Osgood]

Adox Borax MQ (Fotokemia FR-2)

Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2g
Sodium Sulphite (anhyd) . . . . . 80g
Hydroquinone . . . . . . . . . . . . 4g
Borax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4g
Potassium Bromide . . . . . . . . 0.5g
Water to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

I am a dedicated D-76 home brew user but keep an eye out for something that may show me a better negative. This one looks interesting to me. Can you tell me how the development times used for D-76 compare to Adox Borax MQ?

TIA, Bruce

[Ian Grant]

I am a dedicated D-76 home brew user but keep an eye out for something that may show me a better negative. This one looks interesting to me. Can you tell me how the development times used for D-76 compare to Adox Borax MQ?

TIA, Bruce

Dev times are 10-20% longer, but there is a touch more speed 1.3 to 1/2 a stop.

Ian

[jon.oman]

This is an interesting thread. I may have to try mix my own....

By the way, do you have a formula for a replenisher to be used with any of the above?

[nworth]

REPLENISHMENT
Ansco 17R

Water (52C) 750 ml
Metol 2.2 g
Sodium sulfite, anh. 80 g
Hydroquinone 4.5 g
Borax, granular 18 g
WTM 1 l

Add 1/2 to 3/4 oz of replenisher to Ansco 17 for each sheet developed.
Maintain the original volume of developer, discarding some of the used developer if necessary.

[Ian Grant]

REPLENISHMENT
Ansco 17R

Add 1/2 to 3/4 oz of replenisher to Ansco 17 for each sheet developed.
Maintain the original volume of developer, discarding some of the used developer if necessary.

That should read as every roll of B2 (120) or 35mm 36ex or equivalent.


There's also a replenisher for Adox Borax MQ.

Adox Borax MQ Replenisher (Fotokemia FR-2 replenisher)

Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3g
Sodium Sulphite (anhyd) . . . . . 80g
Hydroquinone . . . . . . . . . . . . 5g
Borax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18g
Water to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Replenish with 15 - 20ml replenisher per 35mm 36ex/120 or 4 sheets of 5x4 film.

Ian

[jon.oman]

Thanks for the replenisher information!