Film developers formulas, paper developers, fixers, alternative processes and other technical information.

For some formulas, such as Kodak D-76, time/temperature data is readily available from Kodak. Where possible I have included a range of times.  Other formulas will have to have times determined for your working methods. When in doubt follow Gordon Hutching’s maxim, “It’s always 12 minutes."

When a film developing-time range is given it is for films rated by the manufacturer between ISO 100 and ISO 320, unless otherwise stated. To choose a starting time, use this rough rule of thumb: For films rated between ISO 100 and ISO 320, use a time in the middle of the range. For films rated from ISO 12 to ISO 80, decrease the development time from the midpoint by 25%. For films rated higher than ISO 320, increase the time from the mid- point by 25%.

EXAMPLE:

Suppose a developing formula recommends using between 10 and 14 minutes. With an ISO 125 film, start by developing a test roll for 12 minutes. With an ISO 50 film, develop for 25% less, or 9 minutes. With an ISO 400 film, increase by 25% to 15 minutes. This is a rough rule, and you may find that it is too much or too little. That is why an initial test roll or two is recommended.

If you routinely overexpose film by rating it at a lower EI (e.g., Tri-X rated at EI 250 instead of the manufacturer’s recommended ISO 400), try developing it at the time indicated for the new EI. In the example just given, that would mean developing Tri-X at 12 minutes, as you would for any film rated between ISO 100 and ISO 320. With most developers a variation of one minute on either side of full development will not seriously affect the results.

Testing

Take some film, walk down the street, and expose it to a range of subjects. Try to include textured whites (painted white buildings) and some deep shadows. Keep careful notes. In the darkroom, cut the test roll into two, three, or four equal strips. Develop each strip for a different time. Give at least a 10% increase or decrease in time from your best guess starting time. Round the time off to the nearest 30 seconds. When in doubt about what time to start with, do what I do start with 9 minutes for slow films, 12 minutes for medium speed films, and 15 minutes for fast films. These times will probably be too much or too little which is why is important to use a test roll.

Reciprocity Failure

Reciprocity failure occurs during exposures exceeding one second. Essentially what this means is that the emulsion, having been designed for high-speed exposures, fails to respond in its usual proportions to the amount of light it is exposed to. Every emulsion responds differently to long exposures so it is recommended that you get specific data from the manufacturer. In general the following times can be used as benchmarks:

Colour Negative

1 sec: + 1 stop

10 secs: + 2 stops

100 secs: + 2.5 stops

Colour Transparency

1 sec: + 0.5 stop

10 secs: + 1.5 stops

100 secs: + 2.5 stops

B/W

1 sec: expose for 2 secs, under develop by 10%

10 secs: expose for 1 min, under develop by 20%

100 secs: expose for 20 mins, under develop by 30%

Colour emulsions will experience uncorrectible colour shifts as reciprocity fails at different rates in the various colour layers. With colour film it is therefore better to adjust the aperture, rather than increase the exposure time, to minimize the effects of colour imbalance. With B/W film densities build up proportionately during development, so the exposure is usually altered by shutter speed with a corresponding cut in developing time.

The Ilford PQ variants of ID-11 (D76)

Most of the MQ variations of D76 are published widely, but less is known about the PQ variants of Ilford's equivalent developer ID-11
Although J.D. Kendall of Ilford discovered and patented Phenidone (1-Phenyl-3-Pyrazolidone) in 1941 it was 11 years before the first packaged products containing it went on sale.

Many of these first developers were simply Phenidone based versions of MQ developers, typical examples are ID-20 PQ and ID-36 PQ, and research into other possible developer combinations & formulae continued.
In 1954 Ilford published the first formulae in The British Journal of Photography stating "As Phenidone is now generally available in bulk packets ranging from ¼-oz. to 4-lb., it is felt that the publication of a number of formulae in which this new developing agent is used in combination with hydroquinone will be useful to those workers who wish to compound their own developers".

Fine grain developer for plates and films (1954)

Sodium sulphite (anhydrous) 100 gm.
Hydroquinone 5 gm.
Borax 2 gm.
Boric acid 1 gm.
Potassium bromide 1 gm.
Phenidone 0.2 gm
Water to make 1 litre

Development time: 7-11 minutes at 68° F.

Apparently identical to Kodak D-76, by the way.

D-23

Distilled Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . 750 ml
Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.5 g
Sodium Sulfite (Anhydrous) . . . . . . . . . . 100 g
Cold Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 ltr

An economical, slow-working low-contrast developer for use when a low density range is desired.

DK-25R Replenisher for D-23

Distilled Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . 750 ml
Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 g
Sodium Sulfite (Anhydrous) . . . . . . . . . . 100 g
Kodalk (Sodium metaborate) . . . . . . . . . . 20 g
Cold Water to make 1 ltr

Add this replenisher to the D-23 stock solution at the rate of 23 millilitres per roll developed

D-76H

Distilled Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . 750 ml
Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 g
Sodium Sulfite (Anhydrous) . . . . . . . . . . 100 g
Borax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 g
Cold Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 ltr

Said to provide the same development times and effects as D-76, but without the variability that comes with aging.

Germain Fine Grain Formula

Distilled Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . 700 ml
Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 g
Sodium Sulfite (Anhydrous) . . . . . . . . . 70 g
Paraphenylene Diamine (base) . . . . . . . 7 g
Glycin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 g
Cold Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Use full strength. Replenish with stock. Works best after it has had 5 or 6 rolls run through and has ripened and stabilized. Develop 9 to 15 minutes at 75 º F. Keeps almost indefinitely.

Agfa 17

Distilled Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . 750 ml
Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 g
Sodium Sulfite (Anhydrous) . . . . . . . . . . 80 g
Hydroquinone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 g
Borax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 g
Potassium Bromide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.5 g
Cold Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 ltr

Fine grain borax formula.

PMK Pyro Formula

Stock Solution A
Distilled Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . 400 ml
Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 g
Sodium Bisulfite* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 g
Pyrogallol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 g
EDTA (optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 g
Cold water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500 ml

Stock Solution B
Distilled water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 700 ml
Sodium Metaborate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1000 ml

Make a working solution by mixing 1 part A with 2 parts B with 100 parts water. To make 1 liter of working solution add 10 ml of A and 20 ml of B to 1000 ml of distilled water. This high-acutance developer produces superior gradation for fine art work.

Rollo Pyro

Stock Solution A
Distilled water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400 ml
Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.5 g
Sodium Bisulfite*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 g
Pyrogallol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 g
Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 g
EDTA - Na4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500 ml

Stock Solution B
Distilled water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 950 ml
Sodium Metaborate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 g

Make a working solution by mixing 2 parts A with 8 parts B with 100 parts water. This pyro solution is specially designed as a substitute for PMK and provides even development with tube processors running at 25 rpm. Developing times range from 5 to 7 minutes.

Pyrocatechin Compensating
Formula

Stock Solution A
Distilled Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . 100 ml
Sodium Sulfite (anhydrous) . . . . . . . . . . 1.25 g
Pyrocatechin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 g

Stock Solution B
Sodium Hydroxide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 g
Cold Distilled Water to make . . . . . . . . . . 100 ml

Mix 40 milliliters of A and 100 millilitres of B with 1000 millilitres of distilled water to make a working solution. This highly compensating formula causes a speed loss of at least a full stop, but allows the film to capture approximately a 14-stop range.

Pyrocat-HD

Stock Solution A
Distilled Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . . 75 ml
Sodium Metabisulfite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 g
Pyrocatechin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 g
Phenidone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.2 g
Potassium Bromide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 ml

Stock Solution B
Distilled Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 ml
Potassium Carbonate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 g
Distilled water to make - - - - - - - - - - - - - 100 ml

To make a standard working solution, mix 1 part A with 1 part B with 100 ml water. Pyrocat-HD is not subject to problems with uneven development, so agitation can be reduced to once per minute or less. 2.5 grams of Metol may be substituted for the Phenidone.

Hypo Clearing Agent

Water (125º F) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Sodium Sulfite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 g
Sodium bisulfite*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Dilute 1:9 for use.

Paper Developers

Ansco 120

Water (125 deg. F.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750.0 ml
Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.3 g
Sodium Sulfite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36.0 g
Sodium Carbonate (mono.) . . . . . . . . . . 36.0 g
Potassium Bromide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.8 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.0 litre

Low-contrast developer, suitable for print solarisation. Standard dilution is 1:2. Alternatively listed as Agfa 120.

 

Kodak D-163

Water (125 deg. F.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 g
Sodium Sulfite (anhydrous) . . . . . . . . . . . 75 g
Hydroquinone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 g
Sodium Carbonate (anhydrous) . . . . . . . 65 g
Potassium Bromide (10%). . . . . . . . . . . . 2.8 ml
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

I’ve read that D-163 was pulled from the U.S. market when Dektol appeared, though it remained available overseas. Dilute 1:3 or 1:4 for normal use. For bromoil, use dilutions of 1:6 to 1:12.

 

Universal Paper Developer

Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.4 g
Sodium Sulfite (Anhydrous) . . . . . . . . . 50 g
Hydroquinone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.8 g
Sodium Carbonate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 g
Potassium Bromide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.8 g
Sodium tetraphosphate . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.8 g
Cold water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.0 litre

Dilute 1:2 for use. Dektol substitute.

Agfa 120

Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Sodium Sulfite (Anhydrous) . . . . . . . . . . 60 g
Hydroquinone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 g
Potassium Carbonate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 g
Cold water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.0 litre

One of the few hydroquinone-only formulae. Said to give brown tones on Agfa Portriga (1:4) and warm black tones on Agfa Brovira (1:5). The Ansco 120 formula above is often referred to in formularies as Agfa 120.

Ansco 130

Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 g
Sodium Sulfite (Anhydrous) . . . . . . . . . 50 g
Hydroquinone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 g
Sodium Carbonate (Monohydrate) . . . . . 78 g
Potassium Bromide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.5 g
Glycin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 g
Cold Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Use undiluted for high contrast. Dilute 1:1 for normal work. Produces neutral tones on bromide papers.

Adams' Ansco 130 Variant

Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 g
Sodium Sulfite (Anhydrous) . . . . . . . . . 35 g
Sodium Carbonate (Monohydrate) . . . . . 78 g
Potassium Bromide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 g
Glycin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 g
Cold Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Use undiluted or 1:1 for low contrast. Produces less contrast and a warmer print colour than the standard formula.

Agfa 115

Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Sodium Sulfite (Anhydrous) . . . . . . . . . 90 g
Sodium Carbonate (Monohydrate) . . . . . 150 g
Glycin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 g
Hydroquinone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.5 g
Potassium Bromide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 g
Cold Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Also known as Dassonville D-3, and nearly identical to Edwal 106. Dilute 1:3 for use. Develop 2.5 to 3 minutes. May be used at dilutions as high as 1:7 or 1:15 for brown tones, with developing times of 3 to 10 minutes.

Agfa/Ansco 113

Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Sodium Sulfite (Anhydrous) . . . . . . . . . 44 g
Potassium Bromide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 g
Amidol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.6 g
Cold Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Use full strength. Add the amidol only after the solution of the first two chemicals has cooled to below 80 degrees.

Fein's Amidol

Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Benzotriazole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 g
Sodium Sulfite (Anhydrous) . . . . . . . . 58.5 g
Amidol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.8 g
Citric Acid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.5 g
Cold Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Produces beautiful print colour with chloride papers. Add amidol and citric acid after solution has cooled.

Peckham Amidol

Water (125º F) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Sodium Chloride (salt) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 g
EDTA* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6 g
Sodium Sulfite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 g
Catechol (pyrocatechin) . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.33 g
Kodalk (Sodium metaborate) . . . . . . . . . 2.6 g
Amidol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.33 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

A clean-working, economical formula.
* The EDTA may be omitted.

 

Amidol Formula (from Lootens)

Water (125º F) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Sodium Sulfite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.5 g
Citric acid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.6 g
Amidol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.1 g
Potassium bromide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.6 g
Ammonium thiocyanate . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.3 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

the ammonium thiocyanate can be omitted, but is said to give better blacks. The citric acid is to reduce oxidation and prevent stains.

 

Reducers

Farmer’s Reducer for Prints

Stock Solution A:
Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250.0 ml
Potassium ferricyanide . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64.0 g
Potassium bromide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30.0 g

Stock Solution B:
Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500.0 ml
Sodium thiosulfate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120.0 g

For use normal use, mix 1/4 ounce (7.5 ml) of solution A with 6 ounces (180 ml) of solution B and add water to make 16 ounces or 500 ml. This solution works quickly, so reduction must be carefully monitored. For a slower reducing action, increase the amount of water or reduce the amount of Solution A.

 

Farmer’s Reducer for Negatives
(Cutting formula for overexposed negatives)

Stock Solution A:
Potassium ferricyanide . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 ml

Stock Solution B:
Sodium Thiosulfate (hypo) . . . . . . . . . 240 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

For use, mix 30 ml. Solution A with 120 ml. Solution B and add water to make 1 litre. This is for cutting the density of negatives, but it also increases contrast.

 

Farmer’s Reducer for Negatives
(Proportional formula for overdeveloped negs)

Stock Solution A:
Potassium ferricyanide . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.5 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Stock Solution B:
Sodium Thiosulfate (hypo) . . . . . . . . . 200 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

For use, place negative in solution A for 1 to 5 minutes, then place in solution B for 5 minutes. Wash thoroughly.

 

Print Toners

Dupont 6T Gold Toner
(for blue tones on chloride papers)

Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Gold Chloride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 g
Potassium Thiocyanate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

 

Nelson Gold Toner
(for warm tones on chloride papers)

Stock Solution No. 1:
Water (125º F) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 litre’s
Sodium Thiosulfate (hypo) . . . . . . . . . . 960 g
Ammonium Persulfate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 g

Dissolve the hypo completely before adding the ammonium persulfate. An equal amount of potassium persulfate may be substituted. If the bath does not turn milky, increase the temperature until it does. Cool the solution before proceeding.
Prepare the following solution and add it (including precipitate) slowly to the hypo-persulfate solution while stirring the latter rapidly. Both solutions must be cool.
Cold water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 ml
Silver nitrate crystals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2 g
Sodium chloride (table salt) . . . . . . . . . 5.2 g
Dissolve the silver nitrate completely before adding the salt. Do not use iodized salt.

Stock Solution No. 2:
Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 ml
Gold Chloride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 g

Add 125 ml of Solution No. 2 slowly to Solution No.1 while stirring the latter rapidly. After mixing, the bath should not be used until it has become cool and has formed a sediment. Sediment formation may continue for several days or a week. Pour off the clear liquid for use.
Add the clear solution to a tray standing in a water bath and heat the solution to 110º. Dry prints should be soaked thoroughly in water before toning. Keep an untoned print at hand for comparison purposes.
Chloride papers should be toned between 100º and 110º Farenheit for 5 to 20 minutes. Most modern papers seem to require about 20 minutes.
After 50 8x10 inch prints have been toned, add 4 ml of Stock Solution No. 2 to the toner mixture.

 

Gevaert G-417 Gold Toner
(for blue tones on chloride papers)

Solution A:
Gold chloride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 g
Calcium carbonate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 ml

Solution B:
Thiourea (thiocarbamide) . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 g
Sodium thiosulfate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 g
Potassium metabisulfite . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 ml

Prints should be developed a little lighter than usual for this toner. Solutions should be prepared 24 hours before use and mixed in equal parts immediately before use. Toning takes about 5 minutes. Wash thoroughly.

 

Thiocarbamide Sepia Toner

Reducing Bath:
Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Potassium Ferricyanide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 g
Potassium Bromide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Redeveloper Stock Solution A:
Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Thiocarbamide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Redeveloper Stock Solution B:
Very cold water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Sodium Hydroxide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Handle sodium hydroxide with extreme care. Wear gloves and eye protection. Add the hydroxide very slowly to the cold water, while stirring, as it will generate a great deal of heat and may boil if added too quickly.

Instructions: Reduce the prints in the reducing bath until no trace of black remains. 1-2 minutes is usually sufficient. Wash thoroughly until all the yellow has been cleared. Redevelop.

Print colour is controlled by varying the ratio of redeveloper solutions A and B in water:
1. Yellow-Brown: 8 A, 4 B, 100 water,
2. Medium-Brown: 6 A, 6 B, 100 water,
3. Dark-Brown: 3 A, 9 B, 100 water,
4. Purple-Brown: 2 A, 10 B, 100 water.

 

AGFA Rodinal - Original Version

General purpose film developer

Solution A

Water, 125F/52C 750 ml
p-Aminophenol Hydrochloride 100g
Potassium Metabisulfite 300g
Cold water to make 1000ml

Solution B

Cold Water 300ml
Sodium Hydroxide 200g
Cold water to make 1000ml

Mixing instructions: Add chemicals in specified sequence. Always use cold water when mixing sodium hydroxide due to risk of heat reaction. Unlike many other two part developers, you must mix both parts together to make the concentrated solution. In The Film Developing Cookbook, Troop and Anchell suggest the following sequence for making the concentrated developer: Allow Solution A to cool until a precipitate forms. Mix Solution A in an iced water bath at this stage, then slowly mix in Solution B while constantly stirring, first adding 280ml of solution B, and then adding the remainder until the solution suddenly turns dark. Follow this by adding the last drops of Solution B very slowly. Always wear gloves and protective goggles when mixing sodium hydroxide.

Dilution: 1+25, 1+50, 1+75, 1+100 and others.

Starting point development time: varies by dilution.

Note 1: This is the old formula for Rodinal and is not identical to the commercial version; however, practical use is very similar and starting point development times remain the same.

Note 2: Mixing this formula is recommended for experienced users only. If you would like to purchase a ready-made liquid version, we recommend Fomadon R09

 

Promicrol

Speed-increasing film developer

Water,   125F/52C	750 ml
2(beta-hydroxyethyl)   aminophenol sulphate	6 g
Glycin	1.13 g
Sodium   Sulfite (anhydrous)	100 g
Sodium   Carbonate (anhydrous)	11.5 g
Sodium   Hexametaphosphate	1.7 g
Cold   water to make	1L

Mixing instructions: Add chemicals in specified sequence.

Dilution: 1+9, 1+14

Starting point development time: ? mins.

Notes: Promicrol is considered by many to be one of the best speed-increasing developers ever made. Sadly, one of its key ingredients, 2(beta-hydroxyethyl) aminophenol sulphate (aka HEAP sulfate), is no longer in production anywhere in the world. Current commercial products sold under the name Promicrol or claiming to be similar to Promicrol, are not comparable to this formula.

 

Caffenol

Caffenol film developer

Water	8 oz
Arm   & Hammer Washing Soda	2 tsp   (level)
Folger's   Coffee Crystals	4 tsp   (slightly rounded, NOT decaf)

Mixing instructions: Mix soda until completely dissolved and solution is clear. Add coffee, mix until all grittiness is gone and solution is uniform, let stand 5-10 minutes until microbubbles clear. Use within 30 minutes.

Dilution: Use undiluted

Starting point development time: 30 mins

Notes: Gives image wise stain and general (fog) stain.

Caffenol-C film developer

Water	8 oz
Arm   & Hammer Washing Soda	2½ tsp   (level)
Vitamin   C powder	¼ tsp   (level)
Folger's   Coffee Crystals	4 tsp   (slightly rounded, NOT decaf)

Caffenol-C-M (+i) film developer

Water	500ml
Washing   Soda	27g
Ascorbic   Acid	8g
Coffee   Crystals	20g
Iodine   Salt

Cyanotype

Solution   A:	25   grams Ferric Ammonium Citrate
	125ml   Distilled Water
Solution   B:	17   grams Potassium Ferricyanide
	125ml   Distilled Water

It is a good idea to prepare the chemicals at least 24 hours before use to ensure that they are completely dissolved. Both solutions should last indefinitely if stored in opaque containers.

To use: Under safelight conditions (or in a very dimly lit room) mix equal parts A and B and apply to etching or watercolour paper with a brush (without metal ferrule), sponge, or by immersion for 2-3 mins. Allow to dry. Paper may be stored in a light-tight box for several days.

To expose: Place the negative in contact with the surface of the coated paper using a piece of glass or a contact printer to keep the items flat. Expose the image to a natural or artificial UV light source (eg. sunlight, sunlamp). Exposure times vary greatly depending upon the strength of the UV source and the density of the negative. Run some trials or test strips to determine a good exposure time.

To process: Rinse the print in cold water for about 20 mins.

Van Dyke Brown

Ferric   Ammonium Citrate	35   grams
Tartaric   Acid	6   grams
Silver   Nitrate	15   grams
Distilled   Water	400ml

To mix: Mix each chemical separately in 100ml distilled water. Once mixed, slowly combine solutions making sure to add the silver nitrate last. Follow hazard instructions for use of silver nitrate (wear goggles and gloves at all times). Bring final solution up to 400ml with distilled water. Store in brown glass bottle or similar container. For best results allow chemistry to age for a few days prior to use.

To use: Coat watercolour or etching paper evenly under dim 15w or safelight conditions. Use a coating rod or brush without a metal ferrule. Dry in total darkness.

To expose: Place the negative in contact with the surface of the coated paper (emulsion to emulsion) using a piece of glass or a contact printer to keep the items flat. Expose the image to a natural or artificial UV light source (eg. sunlight, sunlamp). Exposure times vary greatly depending upon the strength of the UV source and the density of the negative, but 10 minutes in direct sunlight is a good starting point. Run some trials or test strips to determine a good exposure time.

To process: In dim 15w or safelight conditions wash print for 5 mins. Fix in 5% Sodium Thiosulphate (Hypo) solution for about 3 minutes. Avoid over fixing as the print will become bleached. Rinse in cold water for about 20 mins. You may use hypoclear to reduce washing time.

 

Bromoil Process

In 1907, working from the research of Howard Farmer and E.J. Wall, C. Welbourne Piper publicised the working details of a process that produced an inked image from a silver bromide paper print. A non-supercoated paper print is treated in a dichromated bleach solution, converting the silver image back into silver bromide. The bleaching bath also hardens or tans the gelatine in proportion to the amount of silver present. The print is washed in water, swelling the gelatine into a relief matrix that will accept greasy ink in the shadow and mid-tone areas, but repel it in the highlights (where the water content is highest). Once the matrix has been drained and blotted, the original photographic image can be inked up with a large blunt-cut brush, or small rubber brayer. Bromoil transfer is a variant of the above wherein the inked matrix is printed onto a second sheet of paper. A mangle press or the back of a spoon can be used for the transfer, which is suitable for colour work as a series of selective matrices can be printed in register to produce a coloured image. (see Bromoil Video & other products, p.67).

 

The Process

Paper:

Kentmere Art Document bromide enlarging paper, contrast grades 2 or 3 Print the bromide print for both highlight and shadow detail, printing somewhat darker and flatter than usual. Develop, wash (do not use stop bath) and fix using the solutions below, and wash thoroughly.

Developer:

use a developer having a minimal hardening effect on the gelatine of the paper: Amidol and Sodium Sulphite, or: Kodak Dektol diluted 1 part developer to 10 parts water.

Fixer:

without hardeners. A basic fix should contain acidifiers but no hardeners. If in doubt, try Kodak F-24 non-hardening fixing bath or plain hypo (sodium thiosulphate) with sodium bisulphite. These fixers can also be used to fix the bleached print.

 

Bromoil bleaching bath:

15 g copper sulphate 15 g potassium bromide 1 g potassium dichromate Mix in 375ml. distilled water, then top up with water to make 500ml. stock solution. Store in a dark brown bottle, away from heat and light. Dilute for use: 1 part stock to 3 parts water. Bleach in the bleaching bath until the image is a faint beige colour, and leave in the bath for half again as long. Wash thoroughly and fix as usual. A grey-ish image should be barely visible. Dry the print, and store away from light.

Inking:

Adana letterpress inks or Charbonnel litho. inks. Add French chalk to increase tacky consistency, a solvent is extra-refined lighter fuel. Soak the print in water at 20°C for at least 10 minutes. Place the print face up on a paper towel to blot water off the back, then face up on a smooth waterproof surface. A tilted sheet of melamine or plexiglass is suitable as an easel. Blot the surface of the print (gently) with a damp chamois. Work over the print with brayer, covering entire surface quickly then more carefully redistributing and clearing highlights and mid-tones. Or, with a brush, start with a hard consistency of litho ink and hop this onto the entire surface of the print. Work over the print with shorter hopping strokes to redistribute the ink from the highlight to shadow areas. Once inked, the print will take about 24 hours to dry thoroughly.

 

Cyanotype

Invented by Sir John Herschel in 1841, this simple process gives a continuous-tone image of Prussian Blue using a sensitising solution of Ammonium Ferric Citrate and Potassium Ferricyanide. These iron salts, when exposed to natural or artificial ultraviolet light, are reduced to their ferrous state, producing a high contrast blue image when oxidised. Oxidation is hastened by immersion in running water, which also washes away the unused iron salts.

The Process

Solution A 65 g ammonium ferric citrate (green) in distilled water to make 250ml total.
Solution B 23 g potassium ferricyanide in distilled water to make 250ml total.
Note: distilled water is more commonly known as 'purified water'.
Store solutions separately in brown glass bottles, away from light. Filter before use, and mix in equal proportions A to B.

Printing.

Paper: For all alternative processes high quality art paper such as those used in printmaking or watercolour work are most suitable. Atlantis Silversafe 200g/sq m., Somerset Satin and Waterford Satin are good papers to start with, however it is advisable to make tests to find a paper to suit your requirements.

Coat:

in subdued tungsten light, and dry away from light and heat. Print by contact (in a printing frame with a full sized negative) in sunlight or by an ultra-violet light source until the shadows look bronzed. Allow at least one stop over-exposure to compensate for loss of density during processing.

Development:

immerse in running water, and wash until the chartreuse stain of the ferric ammonium citrate has completely disappeared. Take care to avoid excessive washing as this will to wash out the image.

 

 

Argyrotype

The inherent problem of the iron-based silver processes lies in the danger of leaving residual ferric iron in the print, to its eventual undoing as the image is attacked. The Argyrotype process, developed by Mike Ware, has been designed to avert this problem, and ingeniously uses a little known silver salt, silver sulphamate, manufactured 'in-situ'. The resulting acidic sensitiser can be washed out of the paper cleanly. Brief working details are included here, and we can supply the Fotospeed kit, detailed on this page.

Argyrotype Sensitiser

• Chemicals needed. (GPR grade ca 98%)
• Sulphamic acid 7.6g. Silver (1) Oxide 7.6 g.
• Ammonium Ferric Citrate (green) 23g.
• Tween 20 0.8ml (surfactant, assists spreading, poly-oxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate)
• Distilled water to make 100 ml.

Procedure for making up

Use subdued tungsten light.

1. Dissolve the sulphamic acid in about 700ml of distilled water at room temperature.
2. Add the powdered silver(1) oxide in small portions with vigorous stirring so that it dissolves over a period of about 20 minutes or so. (Ignore any grey crystals that separate out at this stage.)
3. Add the ammonium ferric citrate in portions with continuous stirring until it is dissolved. The solution will appear murky green at this stage.
4. Add the Tween 20, mixing well, and make it up to 100ml. with distilled water.
5. Filter the solution, and store it in a brown bottle, kept in the dark at room temperature.

notes

1. On storage, the sensitiser may slowly deposit a small amount of black solid. This does not significantly impair its strength, but if troublesome it should be filtered off.
2. To make a more contrasty sensitiser, an additional 10g of sulphamic acid may be added per litre of solution.

Coating and exposure

Coating is most easily done using a glass rod as spreader as under 'Coating Methods'. Dry thoroughly, as wet sensitiser will ruin a negative. Pre-humidifying the paper will give a cooler purple/brown. Not all papers are suitable, do some tests. One of the best is the smooth surfaced Atlantis 'Silver-Safe' cotton-fibre paper in 200 g/sq. m. weight. Printing is by contact, using Ultra-Violet or sunlight. Exposure time is likely to be 1 or 2 minutes in sunlight, and can be gauged to some extent by the degree of printing-out visible from the front of the contact frame, although a 'split' frame is a great help

Argyrotype processing

1. Immerse in running water (or 3 or 4 changes of static water) until the yellow background has disappeared, which will take about 5 mins.
2. Immerse in a 2% sodium thiosulphate fixing bath for about 3 mins. The image will cool.
3. Wash in running water (or static changes) for about 20 mins.
4. Drain and air dry. The image tones 'dry-down' somewhat.

notes

1. The dilute fixing bath will need replacement frequently. This should be carried out when the colour shift from orange to brown becomes sluggish.
2. Over-exposed prints may be 'reduced' by prolonging the fixing time.
3. Very delicate gradation in the high values may be obtained by leaving the exposed print in a humid atmosphere (100% R.H.) for about 10 minutes before wet processing.

 

 Kallitype Process

This is an iron-silver process. In 1842 Sir John Herschel invented the chryso-type process, using a strong solution of ferric ammonium citrate as a light-sensitive coating on paper. Once exposed, the paper was developed up with silver nitrate (Herschel first used gold chloride), washed, and fixed in hypo (another of Herschel's many innovations). The latterly termed Argerotype process was not much used, but in 1889, W. J. Nicol based his Kallitype process on Herschel's work. Known as the 'poor mans platinum', the Kallitype had many complex and sometimes highly toxic variations. In its most basic (and least toxic) form, a light sensitive coating of ferric ammonium citrate and silver nitrate produces a sepia image of great richness.

The Process

Sensitiser

note: rinse all utensils in distilled water before use.
Make 3 separate solutions;

1. 6g Ammonium Ferric Citrate in 22ml distilled water
2. 1g Tartaric Acid in 22ml distilled water
3. 2.50g Silver Nitrate in 22ml distilled water

The tartaric acid should be freshly mixed just before combining the solutions to sensitise. The other solutions will keep in brown bottles, away from light. The ammonium ferric citrate solution may need to be filtered before use.Mix the first two solutions. Add the silver nitrate slowly, a few drops at a time, stirring well to be sure that there is no milky precipitate. Paper: Use a good quality art paper.Sensitise the paper by coating (see 'Cyanotype' for suggestions) in subdued tungsten light. Dry in the dark.

Printing:

Expose in sunlight or by ultra-violet lamp in contact under a negative until the image prints out. Do not overprint: the image will intensify during fixing. Wash in running water until all milky silver nitrate residue disappears.

Fixing:

12g sodium thiosulphate in 1 litre water
Fix until image reaches maximum density: beware of over-fixing, which will erode the image.Wash thoroughly in running water (up to 30 minutes if thick paper is used). Note: Iron-silver prints may be toned with gold toner as per (Talbot's) salted paper.

 

Salted Paper

William Henry Fox Talbot's original salted silver nitrate paper evolved between 1834 and 1839. Talbot used smooth writing paper washed in a weak solution of common salt, dried, then coated with a solution of silver nitrate, resulting in light-sensitive silver chloride. Once dry, the paper could be printed out in strong sunlight. The resulting image of metallic silver was fixed in a strong solution of salt. Talbot refined the process, and Sir John Herschel suggested sodium thiosulphate (hypo) as a fixing agent. Salted paper was the basis for Talbot's Calotype process, which used silver nitrate and gallic acid to develop up a latent image in the exposed paper, and is the foundation of modern silver-based photography.

The Process

Paper:

good quality art paper. Note: rinse utensils, etc. with distilled water before use.

Salting Solution:

1.8% solution Sodium Chloride (1.8g to 100ml. purified water) Salt the paper by soaking in the salting solution for about 2 minutes. Be sure to disperse any air bubbles that may form on the surface. Blot with photographic blotting paper, and allow to dry.

Sensitising solution:

3g silver nitrate to 20ml. distilled water 20% solution Citric Acid (saturated solution, 2g to 10ml distilled water)
Mix 3ml Silver Nitrate to 0.3ml Citric Acid - just before coating. Sensitise the paper in subdued tungsten light (see 'Coating methods').
Dry paper in the dark, then re-humidify over bath of washing soda or plain water.

Printing:

contact print by inspection in sunlight or under an ultra-violet lamp, until the image is 1/2 stop over-exposed.
Wash the print in running water until the milky silver compound has completely dispersed (2-20 minutes, depending on paper weight.

Fixing:

fix the print in a plain sodium thiosulphate fixer for 5-30 minutes (depending on the paper, as above). Wash in running water for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the paper weight.