Aarrrrggghhh! Dense and stupid

[gainer]

I should have remembered. The chromium intensifier uses hydrochloric acid, not sulfuric. If you bleach to completion and redevelop in a slow acting developer, you can stop when you think you are where you want to be. If you stop too soon you may be worse off than before. If you develop to completion, you will also be worse off than before unless you use a low contrast developer with lots of sulfite. I don't think you will do the grain any good in either case.

 

[Ian Grant]

I don't think that's right. That dichromate bleach is the first step in chromium intensifier IIRC. It doesn't remove the silver, but essentially plates it with chromium. I'll have to look it up before I swear to it.

Two very different Dichromate bleaches.

1 Dichromate/Sulphuric acid - used as a dish cleaner or reversal bleach, dissolves silver, but not silver halides.

2 Dichromate/Hydrochloric acid - used for Intensifiers & re-development toners.

Ian