Dokumol

[cbphoto]

Just got my first bottle of Dokumol and am about to mix up a gallon for use in my Nova slot processor. With Dektol or LPD, I can top off the level with stock to keep it replenish, basically just filling in what disappears by absorption into the paper. That has worked well so far. How well does the working solution of Dokumol keep? Can I mix up a second gallon of solution and keep it for topping off, or will it go bad quickly (as in less than two weeks)? Thanks.

 

[David Allen]

Dokumol is my sole print developer. From experience, I have found it to be a very hard working developer. HOWEVER, I only process in trays so have no first-hand knowledge of Nova processors.

I usually spend 8 hours in the darkroom with 5 hours being printing. Dokumol deals very easily with final 16 prints (size 16" x 12") including test strips and intermediary prints. Once, I ran out of time and fresh developer late on a Saturday night. I bottled the Dokumol and used it on the Sunday with 5g of Sodium Carbonate added and it worked well through the whole day's printing session.

Hopefully, someone here is already using the Dokumol/Nova combination and can give you more first-hand experience.

Bests,

David
www.dsallen.de

 

[cbphoto]

Thanks, David. The Nova isn't really any different from a tray, except that it is vertical. That makes it easy to replenish just by keeping the level constant. There is not a lot of documentation I could find on Dokumol, so I wasn't sure if replenishment was wise. I guess I'll find out the hard way.

I must say, having now printed with this for the last 8 hours or so, this is by far my favorite paper developer out of the three (vs. LPD and Dektol). Dead-neutral, silvery tones with that extra snap and super-deep blacks. I'll be stocking up on more.

 

[brian steinberger]

Would you classify this developer as cold tone? How's it compare to multigrade developer?

 

[cbphoto]

I've never used multigrade developer, but Dokumol is cold without looking bluish. To me that looks neutral, but my taste is a little biased toward very steely grays.

 

[MartinP]

I also use a Nova processor. Bear in mind that the recommended replenishment for black-and-white is 15ml per bath, per 10x8" equivalent -- this is far more than simply 'topping up the level'. If you use indicator stop-bath then you can perhaps rely on the colour-change, assuming that it occurs at a 'safe' level of pH, and so for that bath just keep it topped up.

The smaller the size of the processor, the quicker exhaustion effects might be seen and so twenty 10x8" prints in the smallest processor (1 Ltr per slot) will have proportionally more of an effect than the same prints in the 16x20" (3,5 Ltr per slot) and possibly the actual replenishment might need to occur halfway through the session, as well as at the beginning of the next one. I have just checked the instructions and Nova recommend that during a long printing session replenishment is actually carried out when the equivalent of 'eight to ten full-size prints' is produced -- hence 10x8" in the 10x8" processor, 12x16" in the 12x16" size etc.

 

[cbphoto]

I'm using the 16x20 Nova, and printing 12x16 (with some 5x7 test prints). I got through maybe 15 full size prints plus yesterday, and topped off the level twice. The final prints looked as strong as the earlier ones, so maybe it's ok. I'll keep an eye on things today as well.