Anyone have a formula for D19?

We have a customer who wanted to buy Kodak D19 from us, but unfortunately it's no longer available. We we obtained the formula from a Kodak publication from the 70's and they have sourced the component chemicals from their usual chemical supplier, but they have had difficulty, and I quote:

"when we mix it, it comes out a really dark brown/black colour, which is different to the D-19 developer that we still have. Plus the students cannot develop their holograms"

I should add, it's the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Birmingham, so they should be familiar with mixing up a chemical formula, I would have thought.

So, the question is:

- Does anyone have a formula which we could compare with the one we already have?

- Or have any ideas what might be going wrong?

Thanks for any help!

This is the D19 formula that appears in Kodak's tech pub J1:

500ml Water at 50°C
2g Metol
90g Sodium Sulphite
8g Hydroquinone
52,5g Sodium Carbonate monohydrate
5g Potassium Bromide
Cold water to make 1litre

52,5g of monohydrate Sodium Carbonate can be substituted by 45g of anhydrous.

I've made and used it, probably from the same publication, when I needed higher contrast for things like oscilloscope pictures. First I'd check if your metol or HQ is really dark. It shouldn't be.

500 ml water
2g elon/metol/N-methylaminophenol sulphate
90g sodium sulphite anhydrous
8g hydroquinone
52.5g sodium carbonate monohydrate
5g KBr anhydrous
water to make 1 liter

add in above order. You can add a pinch of sulfite before the metol to take out some oxygen.

D19b
Metol 2.2gm
HQ 8.8 gm
Sodium sulphite crystal 144 gm
Sodium carbonate crystal 130 gm
KBr 4 gm
Water to 1 litre

BJA 1960 p288

D19 is available

D19 is readily available from Photographers Formulary. The formula is posted on Kodaks web page. I usually mix my own because my own needed volume amounts vary but it is much cheaper to buy already prepared. I am writing on an ipad and not near my formula library. If you are developing for transparencies you will need to add additional chemical . The folks at PF can answer your questions .
Good luck！

Ilford ID-19 was the Ilford equivalent (same formula) of D19b (which was the modern packaged version of D19). Ilford ID-72 was the more modern Phenidone version of the same developer, Phenisol is I think a liquid equivalent and still available.

It would be worth asking Ilford, the listed scientific and technical uses are identical for ID-19/ID-72/Phenisol and D19.

One or both of the developing agents the University department is using has oxidised,

Ian

If the solution turns dark then it is being mixed incorrectly. The ingredients should be added in the order that they appear in the formula. Wait until each dissolved before adding the next. The only exception is to add a pinch of sulfite to the water before adding the Metol. Both developing agents are quite stable but as Ian says it is possible that they have oxidized. They should be white in color or slightly gray.

Matt5791 said:

I should add, it's the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Birmingham, so they should be familiar with mixing up a chemical formula, I would have thought.

Click to expand...

Hmm anything where students are involved there are no guarantees

Lets hope they haven't got sulfite confused with sulfate or sulfide ?

Kodak D-19 high contrast film developer

Water (52C) 750 ml
Metol 2 g
Sodium sulfite (anh) 90 g
Hydroquinone 8 g
Sodium carbonate (mono) 52.5 g
Potassium bromide 5 g
WTM 1 l

Replenisher D-19R

Water (52C) 500 ml
Metol 4.5 g
Sodium sulfite (anh) 90 g
Hydroquinone 17.5 g
Sodium carbonate (mono) 52.5 g
Potassium bromide 7 g
WTM 1 l

Replenishment rate is 1 oz per 100 sq in (25 cc per sheet).

Variation (SD-19a high emulsion speed):
High emulsion speed developer SD-19a (Kodak)

Solution A
6-nitrobenzimidazole nitate (0.2%) 20 ml
Hydrazine hydrochloride 1.6 g
WTM 1 l

Solution B
(Kodak D-19)

Add 30 cc of solution A to 1 liter of solution B and mix thoroughly. Prepare immediately before use. For maximum emulsion speed, develop a time for the fog to reach a density of about 0.4 (usually 12 to 20 minutes).

For high speed development of normally exposed negatives, develop 2 minutes at 18C or 1 minute at 30C.

Variation (D-19b):
High contrast film developer D-19b (Kodak)

Metol 2.2 g
Sodium sulfite (anh) 72 g
Hydroquinone 8.8 g
Sodium carbonate (mono) 58 g
Potassium bromide 4 g
WTM 1 l

Use full strength for microfilm. Develop up to 10 minutes at 20C. For X-Rays, develop 5 minutes at 18C.

Replenisher D-19bR

Metol 4 g
Sodium sulfite (anh) 72 g
Hydroquinone 16 g
Sodium carbonate (mono) 58 g
Sodium hydroxide 7.5 g
Water to make 1 l

Replenish to maintain tank level.

Variation (D-19-25):
D-19-25 is a low solvent version is useful for some applications. The formula is the same as for D-19 except that the sodium sulfite is reduced to 25 grams per liter.

Variation (D-67 reversal first developer):
D-67 is a variation used as a first developer in reversal processing. The formula is the same as for D-19 with the addition of 2 grams per liter of potassium thiocyanate.

Thanks very much for all the useful replies everyone - really very comprehensive and they will be really thankful for the assistance. I will pass on and let you know how they get on!

Many thanks!

I am surprised no one has picked up on the intended use for holograms. These require rather special developers and usually dichromate bleach steps, and a non solvent developer. Monobaths are also popular, there are a number of standard texts about and I doubt D19 is mentioned or Google would have picked that up. I was able to supply a local hobbyist with some of the chemicals a few years ago when in business as a Pharmacist so have a limited experience here.
Also given the time elapsed since the D19 was discontinued that they are comparing to that as a sample reference is a little worrying, unless they have actually tested it recently for this purpose?

I appreciate Matt your role is limited to supplier but the background to this is rather more vague than I would be happy with. Perhaps Ilford Harmann would be useful, they do produce hologram plates both green and red sensitised.

Chris Livsey said:

I am surprised no one has picked up on the intended use for holograms. These require rather special developers and usually dichromate bleach steps, and a non solvent developer. Monobaths are also popular, there are a number of standard texts about and I doubt D19 is mentioned or Google would have picked that up. I was able to supply a local hobbyist with some of the chemicals a few years ago when in business as a Pharmacist so have a limited experience here.
Also given the time elapsed since the D19 was discontinued that they are comparing to that as a sample reference is a little worrying, unless they have actually tested it recently for this purpose?

I appreciate Matt your role is limited to supplier but the background to this is rather more vague than I would be happy with. Perhaps Ilford Harmann would be useful, they do produce hologram plates both green and red sensitised.

Click to expand...

I realised they were processing Holograms, their choice of developer is D19 (actually D9b the commercial packaged product). If you read my reply you's see I suggested they contact Ilford/Harman

Ian

Indeed I missed that, still, D19 / D9B is a novel choice in this application given other well established formulae are available.