First their paper developer was brown, now the film developer

gone · Apr 6, 2021

After discovering the Kodak Dektol I'd just mixed was brown, today I mixed up some D76 and it's purple! I finally found this on an old RFF post

"If you have Catalog #1058270 (Batch 2020/01/23 8438 & Batch 2019/10/09 8432), you may have noticed a discoloring of your product. Please know we’re aware of this and apologize for the inconvenience or confusion this may have caused for a product you’re well used to. Rest assured we want to get this taken care of for you. Please email us at ProPaperChem@KodakAlaris.com and our team will be back in touch to provide you with next steps on this specific product.*If you have the product in your care and have not yet opened it, we encourage you to reach out to us for next steps as well."

This is very frustrating, because that is indeed my batch. It should have been recalled. Both these developers were bought recently from two different photo suppliers.

grat · Apr 6, 2021

Purple? That's new. The "bad" D76 looked a bit like damp beach sand before mixing, instead of mostly white.

removed account4 · Apr 7, 2021

weirdness !
sounds like you might have to switch developers
sprint is always good, sold off their website
its like D76 and Dektol but easier to use ( 1:9 all the time )
developer doesn't block up highlights even if you process extra
their stop bath smells like vanilla
fixer lasts forever ...
and they ship to middle earth !
John
ps. plus they answer the phone + email and will answer your questions
they aren't like big-photo. but a mom+pop company
I've been using their stuff since 1980

Don_ih · Apr 7, 2021

jnantz said:
they aren't like big-photo. but a mom+pop company

Everyone would be better off if only Kodak realized they were no longer "big-photo".

Nodda Duma · Apr 7, 2021

Don Heisz said:
Everyone would be better off if only Kodak realized they were no longer "big-photo".

Not to mention losing the corporate knowledge which tells them when they switch suppliers that they better do a thorough job of HALT testing and know when it doesn’t suffice. An expensive lesson to have to relearn the hard way.

pentaxuser · Apr 7, 2021

The litany of chemical faults with Dektol, Xtol and now D76 has to be very worrying, doesn't it?. Hopefully all faults stem from the same chemical company that KA/SP has now abandoned or has now "fixed"

The problem is that once uncertainty about a range of products has set in then re-establishing consumers' faith can be very difficult

pentaxuser

Auer · Apr 7, 2021

jnantz said:
weirdness !
sounds like you might have to switch developers
sprint is always good, sold off their website
its like D76 and Dektol but easier to use ( 1:9 all the time )
developer doesn't block up highlights even if you process extra
their stop bath smells like vanilla
fixer lasts forever ...
and they ship to middle earth !
John
ps. plus they answer the phone + email and will answer your questions
they aren't like big-photo. but a mom+pop company
I've been using their stuff since 1980

What's the shelf life on the Sprint Standard Developer?
My local Mom & Pop photo shop carries it and I might try a bottle..

Edit:
Nevermind, found it.
Opened air free 6 months, 25% air 3 months.

gone · Apr 7, 2021

I corrected the post title. That's it for me w/ Kodak. Tri-X is a great film, but the way things are going, for how much longer? Photographers' Formulary sells TD-16, which is pretty similar to D76 in my experience, so that's a decent D76 replacement. The Dektol replacement I'm not sure about, but it's out there, someplace. And I might try HP5 in TD-16 stock solution and see how that looks, although those aren't the same films really. Maybe FP4 in stock TD-16.

Wayne · Apr 7, 2021

pentaxuser said:
The litany of chemical faults with Dektol, Xtol and now D76 has to be very worrying, doesn't it?. Hopefully all faults stem from the same chemical company that KA/SP has now abandoned or has now "fixed"

The problem is that once uncertainty about a range of products has set in then re-establishing consumers' faith can be very difficult

pentaxuser

At least their backing paper frame numbers are scarcely readable on some old folder cameras, and their films are the most expensive on the market, and questions remain about the durability of new HC-110. Oh wait, those aren't pluses.

These are troubling times for those of us who have used Kodak for decades and would like to continue using them. Well, I guess its been troubling times for about 20 years. There are things Kodak makes that I can't get anywhere else, so I sure wish they could get it together and become a better shadow of their former self.

ParkerSmithPhoto · Apr 7, 2021

I recently printed an edition for a well-known photographer and, due to some mistakes on my part, needed to print several more on a different day. LSS, I used Ilford MG developer for some of the prints and D-72 for the others and there is zero difference. I am moving more towards mixing all my own developers and only buying commercial stop and fix.

Wayne · Apr 7, 2021

Why buy commercial stop when citric acid is so cheap and easy?

Don_ih · Apr 7, 2021

momus said:
Dektol replacement I'm not sure about, but it's out there, someplace

Buy Sodium Sulfite, Metol, Hydroquinone, Sodium Carbonate, Borax, and Potassium Bromide. Make d76 or d72 with that - way cheaper than buying ready-made bags.

Don't use a digital scale, though. Buy a science lab balance.

Or just buy the ID11 and Multigrade Developer from Ilford. Ilford, Adox, and Foma aren't drop-shippers. Kodak practically is.

removedacct1 · Apr 7, 2021

Don Heisz said:
Buy Sodium Sulfite, Metol, Hydroquinone, Sodium Carbonate, Borax, and Potassium Bromide. Make d76 or d72 with that - way cheaper than buying ready-made bags.

Agreed. This is what I've been doing since December, after learning that - yet again - I had "Kodak" recently purchased products, of which three were on their recall list: Dektol, D-76 and Xtol. No more "Kodak" chemistry for me. I'm making my own developers from scratch and they are 100% reliable, unlike "Kodak". I no longer care if they fix these manufacturing problems. I've moved on.

Wallendo · Apr 7, 2021

momus said:
I corrected the post title. That's it for me w/ Kodak. Tri-X is a great film, but the way things are going, for how much longer? Photographers' Formulary sells TD-16, which is pretty similar to D76 in my experience, so that's a decent D76 replacement. The Dektol replacement I'm not sure about, but it's out there, someplace. And I might try HP5 in TD-16 stock solution and see how that looks, although those aren't the same films really. Maybe FP4 in stock TD-16.

TX400 is still manufactured by Eastman Kodak, a company that has absolutely no connection to the chemical business. Switching to HP5 plus won't change much. I personally have had more backing paper issues with Ilford than Kodak.
Kodak Alaris mismanaged the chemical issues by not supervising their suppliers and has now punted the chemical business off to a Chinese company.

Andrew Patteson · Apr 7, 2021

jnantz said:
weirdness !
sounds like you might have to switch developers
sprint is always good, sold off their website
its like D76 and Dektol but easier to use ( 1:9 all the time )
developer doesn't block up highlights even if you process extra
their stop bath smells like vanilla
fixer lasts forever ...
and they ship to middle earth !
John
ps. plus they answer the phone + email and will answer your questions
they aren't like big-photo. but a mom+pop company
I've been using their stuff since 1980

+1
I have used Sprint chemistry in my school lab for 14 years. It's very consistent in quality and I am a huge fan of mixing from liquid instead of from powder. And they are a friendly, down to earth small company. One time I called to place an order and the owner answered the phone.

gone · Apr 8, 2021

Here's an update.

I called Freestyle yesterday. They're very professional and know their business. Faith mentioned that some customers have complained about the new D76 color, but didn't know if it was still OK to use. She emailed me an address for Kodak and today they replied back. That was fast. They're going to replace the D76 (who knows if it will do the same thing?). Guess the Dektol I threw out won't be replaced.

If you dig around on the internet, you find that Kodak appears to have issued a recall on my batch (Batch 8270, 2020/01/23 8438 Exp 2023-1) but none of the supply houses I called had heard of it. The online seller in L.A. who sold me the D76 said they've been waiting for a new shipment from Kodak for 3 months. He wouldn't replace mine though, and insisted it wasn't a bad product, this was just the way it looked now. I have a feeling that Freestyle would have treated this differently.

takilmaboxer · Apr 8, 2021

Long past time for market forces to be enabled: buy somebody else's product or make your own. Forget Sino Promise!!!

gone · Apr 8, 2021

Yes, that's about the size of it. Those old packages and cans of D76 and Dektol that you see on the auction sites are probably still good, but yes, I do plan to switch to non Kodak film and paper developers.

removedacct1 · Apr 8, 2021

takilmaboxer said:
Long past time for market forces to be enabled: buy somebody else's product or make your own. Forget Sino Promise!!!

Agreed: D-76 is ridiculously easy to make from scratch (get thee to ArtCraft) and ultimately less expensive.

D-76
Ingredients/chemicals you need:

750ml of Water
2gm of Metol
100gm of Sodium Sulfite anhydrous
5gm of Hydroquinone
2gm of Borax
Cold water to make 1 liter of the solution

Same goes with paper developer. I use ID-78 now, which gives subtle brown tones, as opposed to current Dektol, which is itself brown, but gives neutral tones.

ID-78 Ilford Warm Tone Developer

Phenidone 0.5 g
Sodium Sulphite (anh) 50 g
Hydroquinone 12 g
Sodium Carbonate (anh) 62 g
Potassium Bromide 4.5 g
Water to 1 litre

To use: Dilute 1+ 3 for warmest tones. Can be used at 1+1 for higher contrast.

Wayne · Apr 8, 2021

If only Ektar and Portra could be made from scratch I'd be able to kick the Kodak habit completely

grat · Apr 8, 2021

... first they took your Kodachrome away.....

mshchem · Apr 8, 2021

Don Heisz said:
Everyone would be better off if only Kodak realized they were no longer "big-photo".

Just keep in mind. Eastman Kodak hasn't had anything whatsoever to do with any chemistry for years. That was severed when Alaris was formed. Unfortunately the vendor in the US that packaged/prepared the pre bankruptcy chemistry lost a lot of cash in the downfall.

mshchem · Apr 8, 2021

Wallendo said:
TX400 is still manufactured by Eastman Kodak, a company that has absolutely no connection to the chemical business. Switching to HP5 plus won't change much. I personally have had more backing paper issues with Ilford than Kodak.
Kodak Alaris mismanaged the chemical issues by not supervising their suppliers and has now punted the chemical business off to a Chinese company.

Well said. Back paper problem has been solved. I use everyone's film. I am not going to change my habits. Kodak sheet film is great but expensive. I will be avoiding Sino Promise for the near term at a minimum.

relistan · Apr 9, 2021

ADOX, Foma, Ilford. Support these guys instead. They want your business.

gone · Apr 9, 2021

The ancient can of D76 arrived today, so I mixed it up. Looks a little different than the "new" batch from 2021.

First their paper developer was brown, now the film developer

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