Hi Rachelle,
I would be surprised if you can’t source the raw chemicals in such an advanced country as Japan - especially as you only need three chemicals. Making this developer is very easy and, just in case you don’t have Barry Thornton’s Two-Bath developer recipe, it is as follows:
BATH A
85 g Sodium Sulphite (Natriumsulfit)
6,5 g Metol
To mix put 750ml of hot distilled water in a measuring jug. Put 3-4g of the Sodium Sulphite (Natriumsulfit) into the hot water and dissolve. Then add all of the Metol and dissolve. Then put in the rest of the Sodium Sulphite (Natriumsulfit) and dissolve. Then top the jug up with cold distilled water to 1L.
Bath B
12 g Sodium Metaborate (Natriummetaborat)
To mix put 750ml of hot distilled water in a measuring jug. Put all of the Sodium Metaborate (Natriummetaborat) into the hot water and dissolve. Then top the jug up with cold distilled water to 1L.
I litre of Barry Thornton’s Two-Bath has a minimum capacity of 12 films.
If you can’t source the chemicals in Japan, I can highly recommend the following supplier here in Germany (you will need to order using the German chemical names in brackets):
Fototechnik Suvatlar
Simrockstr.178a
D-22589 Hamburg
Tel.040 / 39 57 09 und 040 / 39 79 31
Fax: 040 / 39 19 08 66
Mobil: 0173 / 60 11 77 2
For your information, the processing sequence that works for me (using Paterson plastic tanks and ALL chemicals always at 20C) is as follows:
- Pour pre-soak into the tank (many people will probably pick up on this and state that you should not use a pre-soak. However, I have always used a pre-soak with this developer - now more than 15 years my only developer - and, as the developer will be reused multiple times, it is necessary so that you can remove as much of the dye as possible. Some chemist have told me that the dye is not a problem but I could not bring myself to put my films in some murky looking developer)
- Start the clock and agitate constantly. Then, following the clock, use this sequence (with the numbers representing minutes and seconds on the clock)
- 01:45 drain pre-soak out of the tank
- 02:00 Pour Bath A in and gently invert 4 times in the first 30 seconds followed by a sharp tap on the bottom of the tank to dislodge any possible air bubbles. Then one gentle inversion every 30 seconds always followed by a sharp tap on the bottom of the tank to dislodge any possible air bubbles.
- 07:15 Pour Bath A out of tank into a jug ready to be transferred back into the bottle.
- 07:30 Pour Bath B in and invert 4 times in the first 30 seconds followed by a sharp tap on the bottom of the tank to dislodge any possible air bubbles. Then one gentle inversion every 30 seconds always followed by a sharp tap on the bottom of the tank to dislodge any possible air bubbles. NOTE: no stop-bath between Bath A and Bath B.
- 12:45 Pour Bath B out of tank into a jug ready to be transferred back into the bottle.
- 13:00 Pour in water stop bath and agitate constantly
- 13:45 Pour water stop bath out into the drain.
- 14:00 Pour in rapid fix (1 + 4) and agitate constantly
- 17:00 Remove films from tank and place into a large jug of water and leave until all of the pink dye is removed from the film then return the film to the fix for a further 2 minutes.
- Finally, wash using the Ilford method.
A quick note on my exposure technique using Delta 400, Barry Thornton's Two-Bath developer and the above processing sequence.
On sunny days I make a reading of a shadow area where I want to retain good detail (i.e not the very darkest part of scene) and this is then place on Zone III (meaning as the exposure meter expects that it is seeing an average scene, it will suggest an exposure that allows too much light to reach the film). This is achieved by either closing the aperture two stops smaller than the meter has suggested or using a shutter speed two times faster than the meter has suggested.
On duller days, the brightest part of the image (excluding the sky) where some detail is required is metered and placed on Zone VIII (meaning as the exposure meter expects that it is seeing an average scene, it will suggest an exposure that allows too little light to reach the film). This is achieved by either opening the aperture three stops wider than the meter has suggested or using a shutter speed three times slower than the meter has suggested.
Best of luck sourcing the chemicals,
David.
www.dsallen.de