• Welcome to Photrio!
    Registration is fast and free. Join today to unlock search, see fewer ads, and access all forum features.
    Click here to sign up

Does anyone know what Beseler FD-1 was?

juan

Member
Allowing Ads
Joined
May 7, 2003
Messages
2,709
Location
St. Simons I
Format
Multi Format
I'm in the process of scanning all of my old negatives. I'm back to 1974 when I was shooting Ilford FP-4 and developing it in Beseler FD-1 developer. According to my notes, the developer recommended shooting FP4 at 400. I did some tests and settled on 250, though I really had no idea what I was doing. I think I remember it coming as a liquid in a tube - perhaps two tubes.
I can't find any reference to this developer in any of my books, nor do I see it on line. Anyone know what it was?
juan
 

removed account4

Subscriber
Allowing Ads
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Messages
29,832
Format
Hybrid
uh oh juan, it might have been rebranded liquid gaf universal !
 

MDR

Member
Allowing Ads
Joined
Sep 1, 2006
Messages
1,402
Location
Austria
Format
Multi Format
Beseler Ultrafin FD-1 was marketed as very fine grain compensating developer. Maybe rebadged Tetenal Ultrafin ?
 
OP
OP

juan

Member
Allowing Ads
Joined
May 7, 2003
Messages
2,709
Location
St. Simons I
Format
Multi Format
The Ultrafin is a good guess, but the modern instructions don't say anything about a substantial film speed increase. I'm dubious of the claims, and was at the time, but the instructions certainly showed it. Could be that Ultrafin has changed in 40-years.
I'm also pretty sure there was an FD-2 sold. Maybe that was rebadged Ultrafin and the FD-1 was something else.
juan
 

MDR

Member
Allowing Ads
Joined
Sep 1, 2006
Messages
1,402
Location
Austria
Format
Multi Format
Just read in an old review that FD2 was very close to Neofin Red that plus high accutance makes me think that FD1 was Neofin Blau(Blue) or Ultrafin and FD-2 Neofin Rot (red). The one thing I am pretty sure off is that it was made by Tetenal.
 
OP
OP

juan

Member
Allowing Ads
Joined
May 7, 2003
Messages
2,709
Location
St. Simons I
Format
Multi Format
Researching further, Crawley's FX-1 and FX-2 describe the same characteristics as FD-1 and FD-2. The similarity of names is also interesting. I think that's probably it.
Juan
 

aoresteen

Member
Allowing Ads
Joined
Jun 8, 2004
Messages
677
Location
Newnan, GA,
Format
Multi Format
Just read in an old review that FD2 was very close to Neofin Red that plus high accutance makes me think that FD1 was Neofin Blau(Blue) or Ultrafin and FD-2 Neofin Rot (red). The one thing I am pretty sure off is that it was made by Tetenal.

That is my recollection as well.