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Developer for Fp4+

Snapper

Member
Allowing Ads
Joined
Mar 18, 2004
Messages
230
Location
Brighton, En
Format
Med. Format RF
Ilford FP4+ has been one of my favourite films for years. I used to develop it with PMK Pyro and loved it, but since I lost my darkroom, I develop at home in the family kitchen. I'm a bit worried about the toxicity of pyro in the kitchen, especially with young children about. Should I worry?

So now I use Rodinal at 1+50, as I tend to use Rodinal for everything. I read somewhere here (can't find the thread now) that Rodinal 'loses speed' with FP4+ - what does that mean?

So what would be a good alternative? I shoot 120 format, rating it at 125.
 
If you clean up well after using Rodinal, and are not worried, I don't see anymore hazard with a Pyro developer. Good housekeeping will take care of you.

Mike
 
If I couldn't use Pyrocat with FP-4, which is a favorite film of mine also, I would use XTOL. I currently use XTOL replenished and it is very nice. You can also use it diluted–a starting suggestion is to dilute it 1:3 @ 70º F (20º C) for 12 minutes with gentle agitation every minute.
 
I use Rodinal at 1:100 with FP4+, expose at ISO 64ish and love it.... good luck! Shawn
 
Snapper said:
I'm a bit worried about the toxicity of pyro in the kitchen...
Click to expand...

The tales of pyrogallol's toxicity are overblown.

Until recently it was an ingredient in skin creams and hair color. Not that hair color is something one would use for coloring cup-cakes.

Pyro isn't much of a threat when compared to the chemicals found in the kitchen cupboards and regularly mixed in the kitchen sink. It is an irritant so handle the powder with the same care you would use for Drano and there shouldn't be any problems.

The LD50 lethal dose for pyro is about half that of table salt.
 
I'm partial to Xtol 1+1 and ID-11/D-76 and I rate at 125 too.
 

BINGO!!! He gets it. Replenished XTOL produces much better tonality than 1:1.

Steve
 
I use Xtol 1+1 with FP4+. I don't know how harmful phenidone is, but at least it contains vitamin c, which ought to be healthful.
 
Hexavalent said:
pryo: Oral rat LD50: 789 mg/kg
Sodium chloride: Oral rat LD50: 3000 mg/kg.
Click to expand...

You are right, I'm old enough to know better: research first, post second and not the other way around.

Now I'm trying to remember what it was that was ~1,600 mg/kg. Some photo chemical...
 
Chazzy said:
I use Xtol 1+1 with FP4+. I don't know how harmful phenidone is, but at least it contains vitamin c, which ought to be healthful.
Click to expand...

Phenidone was long believed nontoxic, but more recent studies suggest that it is toxic but less likely to cause allergic skin reactions than Metol. It is used in much smaller amounts due to its higher energy as a developing agent and that may be why it seems less toxic...developers based on it do not use near as much, by weight, of phenidone as they need of Metol.
 
FP4 and Pyrocat....wow!
 
Besides the standard D-76, I have had very good luck with XTOL, HC110-B, and DD-X all have treated mr very well. I say try them all see what you like.
 
Pyrocat-HD and FP4+ is working very well for me. I think I read somewhere that Catechol is less toxic than Pyrogallol. I can't be certain of that as I don't read up on the toxicity of every element of developers these days. I do take the precaution of wearing disposable nitrile gloves when processing film.

Peter Gomena
 
Wasn´t Xtol the developer advertised as environment-friendly? I think if it´s so friendly to the environment, it is also supposed to be the least harmful to humans. (Which doesn´t mean that it is healthy either.)
 
I was asking the same question a year ago. The solution is PCTEA. This one almost no toxic and I use CPP2 and develop time is 9.5 min.
 
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