Excess sulfite in print developer - effect?

[Mike Wilde]

I have yet had a chance to try this experiment, so I am inquiring as to who might have alternate suggestions.

My past preferred photochem supplier, Claire Vrana of JD Photochem has packed up shop. This got me thinking about how I might best use the material I have on hand before searching out new supply options. I have ordered quite sucessfully from Artcraft and The Formulary in the past, but some things do not go in the mail, or across the border to me here in Canada.

One of my 'use up's is a batch of 4 remaining cans of D-19 high contrast film developer, that each make 3.8L. These were not sourced from Claire, but from buying up someone else's darkroom contents. It is circa 1965, and from one can I mixed last year to adapt to reversal processing experiments , I know it still works just fine.

I am not likely to need 4 gallons of high contrast deevleoper any time soon, but I am running low on b&w paper developer.

I know that HC110 dilution A can (but is an expensive way) to develop prints. I know that you can develop regualr film in dektol print developer if you want high contrast and large grain.

So I though - what about a diluted high contrast film developer as a paper developer. It tirns out that D19 1;1 is almost the same as D72/Dektol 1:3, but with a bit more bromide per liter (should make it a warmer type developer; I have added 10% bromide to d72 in the past for just this effect). The other big difference is the sulfite.

There should be 15g/l in d72 1:3, but here with the posited d19 1:1 we would have 45g/l.

I know that sulfite is a preserver, so the stock solution should last fine for a while.

It's potential role as a mild accelerator as an alkaline would seem to be over ruled by the stronger carbonate found in print developers.

So it comes down to the silver solvent action - is there any harm in having a fine grianed print, apart from if I was mixing from scratch I would not spend as much money on sulfite.

 

[Photo Engineer]

Sulfite is a Silver Halide solvent. Depending on the Chloride content of your paper, it will have a varying effect.

On a pure Chloride emulsion you can lose lots of speed and gain contrast, but on a high Bromide paper there may be little or no effect.

PE

 

[Anon Ymous]

Let's see...

.................................D19...........................D72......
Metol.........................2g.............................9g........+7
S.Sulfite.(anh).............90g............................135......+45
Hydroquinone...............8g.............................36g......+28
S.Carbonate.(monoh)....52,5g.........................240g.....+187,5
KBr............................5g.............................6g........+1
Water.to.make.............1l..............................3l........

Of course, that will make 11,4l of stock D72 from any of the cans you have, but you might be able to make a more concentrated version and adjust dilution accordingly before use.

 

[Anscojohn]

The excess bromide in D-19 might cause print tones that are too warm. If I were doing this, and found the print tone too warm, I would probably try adding some benzotriazole to the working soup.

 

[Mike Wilde]

Well I did mix it up, and made a few adaptations.

I realised that the pre pack of D-19 in the can that made 3.8L of D19 has two bags. A small one held the metol, a bit of sulfite and the hydroquinone. The larger bag held the balance of the sulfite, the carbonate and the bromide.

I measured out 7.6g of metol and 30.4 g of hydroquinone separately and then added them to the solution after adding the pre packaged developers and dissolving them first.

Then in short order after I added the larger bag's contents to make sure the sulfite would protect the excess hydroquinone's activity.

Then once those ingredients were all dissolved, I weighed out and added 205g of sodium carbonate, mono. Actually it was Arm and Hammer washing soda, which I use for home brew developers all the time.

What I ended up after topping off to the final volume of 3.8l is a double the usual stock solution dilution of d-72, with a 1g/L surplus of bromide.

To store this I poured it off into a series of 500mL bottles. It is very slippery, so when it comes time to go to working stregth the stock storage bottle will be rinsed twice as I dilute, and then dilute into a graduate to allow efficient stirring before pouring into a tray.

I will be very happy of all of this works out, because I will have created a warm tone biased Dektol type developer, which is one that I normally use, and came up with 7.6L of stock for the cost of 7g of metol and 40g of hq. I consider arm and hammr almost free, since it comes home from the grocery store, and thus so flies under my wife's photo activity spending radar

If you find yourself tempted to use the washing soda for your carbonate, be warned it has a small perfume agent incorporated that will mostly float to the top and floc up, allowing it to be skimmed off before bottling. It is annoying, but not as annoying as paying Canada Post freight rates on photo grade carbonate.

Thanks for the benzotriazole tip, John. I actally do keep a 1% btz as I think of it in methyl hydrate for just such duties. It has been a few years since I mixed that stock, and since it is an organic antifoggant it is time to dig out that little bottle of fluffy stuff and persuade some to go into a fresh solution again.