An easier way to deal with both film and paper is this: (NOTE: ALL MEASUREMENTS ARE IN ML EXCEPT FOR THE BENZOTRIAZOLE) Also note: the abbreviations are as follows; SSA = sodium sulfite, anhydr // BZ = benzotriazole // H = hydroquinone // SB = sodium bicarbonate // SCM = sodium carbonate, mono (essentially washing soda that you buy in the supermarket) // DD = diluted Dekol (for this purpose) is Dektol 1 + 4. // WTM = water to make.
To make Hydroquinone-Restrainer Stock (HRS): 32 SSA + 16 H + 1 GRAM OF BZ + 8 SB + 16 SCM in WTM 400
To make diluted Dektol (DD): mix Dektol normally, as per Kodak, then take one part of this mixture and add 4 parts water. THAT is my DD.
Both DD and HRS must be kept (separately) airtight in either glass or PET plastic, filled to the rim. This combo is a silver bullet for both paper and film.
I use an ambient temp of 80 F for all BW processing fo film and paper. WARNING: with intensely age-fogged materials you MUST GROSSLY OVEREXPOSE. This means rating '400' films as low as 16, even possibly lower. Paper: expose up to 5 STOPS more. Few of you will have this much fog to deal with, thus you will probably not have to give such excess exposures, but here I have stated the worse case scenario. The paper might have to be developed for up to four minutes. The film development time should approach 'normal', like about 8 minutes. (Remember, my ambient is 80 F, so adjust timings accordingly.)
FOR INTENSELY AGE-FOGGED MATERIALS:
1 part DD
1 part HRS
8 parts water
FOR MATERIALS THAT ARE ONLY MODERATELY FOGGED (development time for paper will probably be a compromise between normal 2 minutes and intense 4 minutes, thus about 3 minutes):
1.5 parts DD
0.5 part HRS
8 parts water
This combo will handle virtually any degree of age-fog and deliver clean negatives and paper. If, with paper, there is still some fog, either slightly overexpose the next print and use diluted Farmer's Reducer to bring back the tones, or expose more in the enlarger and develop for less time (so that the fog does not get created in the first place). One way might work better than the other because a certain development time MUST be made to make the tones natural and complete.
My theory on this is this:
Age fogged materials are starved for contrast. The lowest density is already about half way up the Characteristic Curve, so there is little room for the other tones to manifest. In this weird case, Dektol is actually the 'low contrast' component here because such age-fogged material is so lacking in contrast. The HRS delivers two things: a boost in contrast (huge proportion of hydroquinone) and restrains (benzotriazole) threshold density (which is caused by the age-fog). - David Lyga
