Diafine revisited: Ascorbate version

[whlogan]

I, too, would really like some deeper scientific data and proof here as a dedicated /diafine user. If you got it, then I with you !
Logan

 

[Relayer]

Nice results Relayer! Hard to tell from this small pictures, but Diafine C grain looks "mushy" - not well defined or sharp?

if you need more grainly images - try to use Sodium Carbonate 10g/l instead Borax in bath B. this also increased contrast too.

 

[albada]

An update:
Trond has tested his new ascorbate two-bath developer for two months, and posted results to the ascorbate-developers blog at this link:
http://ascorbate-developers.blogspot.com/2012/02/lomad-diafine-clone.html
He includes some high-contrast scenes which this developer tamed well.
He named it LOMAD -- Lazy Old Man's Ascorbic Developer -- so it should appeal to most of us.

Mark Overton

 

[ParkerSmithPhoto]

I made some test 16x20s from some 6x7 TMAX400 that had been processed in Diafine. Up close, you can just barely to see the grain, but it is nearly invisible. I'm really considering returning to Diafine for all my work.

 

[Relayer]

Any comments on the storage, shelf life and the capacity compare with Diafine?

1 year old bath A of Diafine-C working ok and have same pH as fresh solution!

It seems to be the accepted wisdom that in part full bottles hydroquinone based developer (Diafine) will oxidize more slowly than ascorbate (-C version).

in solution with Na2SO3 hydroquinone oxidize to hydroquinone monosulfonate:
C6H6O2 + Na2SO3 + O --> C6H5NaO5S + NaOH
as result we have extra NaOH and increased pH

 

[nworth]

I was made some experiment with Diafine formula and replace 6g of Hydroquinone in bath A to 10g of Sodium Ascorbate. so my formula of Diafine-C....

usage 3min in each bath. results is very good - really less grain
HP5+ @400, scan 2400dpi, left Diafine-C, right - Diafine
/QUOTE]

Significantly less grain, but also noticeably less sharpness. There are tradeoffs, but some fine tuning might improve things.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

nice car!is it a late model911?