2-bath buffered divided developer

narsuitus · May 18, 2019

I have tried to reconstruct, from memory, the two-bath buffered divided developer that I used decades ago.

Does this formula look reasonable?

Bath A
12 grams Metol or Elon
20 grams Hydroquinone
45 grams Sodium Sulfite (des)
8 grams Potassium Bromide
8 grams Boric Acid
2 liters Distilled Water

Bath B
60 grams Sodium Carbonate (mono)
45 grams Sodium Sulfite
2 liters Distilled Water

Murray Kelly · May 20, 2019

Yes it looks OK to me. It puts me in mind of D-72 with added Boric acid to prevent development until the accelerator stage. I note you intend to mix 2L quantities. Can be confusing.
My question is; why so much KBr? That is a huge amount. 4g/L is 4 to 8 times any normal developer.
Have fun and I hope it satisfies the yen to use what you did 'in the old days'!

narsuitus · May 20, 2019

Thanks for the comments. I will cut back on the KBr.

narsuitus · May 28, 2019

Thanks so much for your help.

I cut back on the Potassium Bromide and the Sodium Carbonate.

I just developed three rolls of 120 film and 6 sheets of 4x5 film in the divided developer.

I just love the way this developer quickly handles different brands of film and different speeds of film within a wide range of bath temperatures and within a wide range of development times.

Murray Kelly · May 28, 2019

I meant to get back to you after I refreshed my memory of the D-72 formula. My ancient Kodak hand book says it has a lot of KBr in it but it seems modern films don't require so much (4g/L). 1g should be enough.

The principle is somewhat like divided D-76 with half the sulfite in one bath and the rest in the other.

Have fun.

narsuitus · May 29, 2019

Murray Kelly said:
Have fun.

Thanks !

I did have fun while obtaining the look I was after.

Still Life by Narsuitus, on Flickr

alanrockwood · May 30, 2019

narsuitus said:
Thanks !

I did have fun while obtaining the look I was after.

Still Life by Narsuitus, on Flickr

Very dramatic! Can you share the technical particulars and the location?

narsuitus · May 30, 2019

alanrockwood said:
Very dramatic! Can you share the technical particulars and the location?

This is the southern end of a 38-meter outdoor sculpture by Lorado Taft. It was completed in 1920 and located in Washington Park, near the University of Chicago, on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States.

Its name is "Fountain of Time."

2-bath buffered divided developer

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