Has anyone used Ultrafine ECO Black, White, and Green Film Developer

[Col_001]

Very little. Maybe two or three rolls in total. I found that the auggested times were not working for me — my negatives were coming out too dense. Went back to HC-110 and forgot about it.

Thanks. Good to know. Think I'm leaning towards making a PC-TEA or PC-Glykol instead, or some variation, but seeing what's out there and possible first.

This was the first I've seen of it, after this thread was bumped. Looks like it's PC-TEA with benzotriazole added. That's going to be pretty grainy and as @Dusty Negative said, pretty viscous. Also the fact that's it's so brown makes me think it's not a very high quality TEA being used.

your PC-512Borax looks interesting. Didn't see benzotriazole on the MSDS, but from my little knowledge the dark colour doesn't inspire confidence.

 

[relistan]

Thanks. Good to know. Think I'm leaning towards making a PC-TEA or PC-Glykol instead, or some variation, but seeing what's out there and possible first.

your PC-512Borax looks interesting. Didn't see benzotriazole on the MSDS, but from my little knowledge the dark colour doesn't inspire confidence.

Thanks, yeah, if you are interested in this kind of developer, I think PC-512 Borax is a lot better than PC-Glycol (which I used a lot). It's finer-grained and times track XTOL reasonably well (it's a little shorter times), which helps in testing new films.

I don't know for sure that Black, White, and Green contains benzotriazole, but the developing times are longer than PC-TEA and it says it contains a restrainer. As long as it's less than 1% of the total solution and is not a carcinogen (it's not) I think it doesn't have to be on the MSDS. Benzo is the one that makes sense since it's most effective with phenidone and would be soluble in TEA.

 

[pentaxuser]

Just out of idle curiosity, is the developer still being made in Canada and sold by N American stockists? Certainly few here seem to have adopted it

Thanks

pentaxuser

 

[Dusty Negative]

A year

Just out of idle curiosity, is the developer still being made in Canada and sold by N American stockists? Certainly few here seem to have adopted it

Thanks

pentaxuser

As of a year ago, it was only available from Photo Warehouse. And, yes, it’s made in Canada.

 

[relistan]

Just out of idle curiosity, is the developer still being made in Canada and sold by N American stockists? Certainly few here seem to have adopted it

Thanks

pentaxuser

It still seems to be for sale. https://www.ultrafineonline.com/ulecoblwhand.html

 

[pentaxuser]

A year

As of a year ago, it was only available from Photo Warehouse. And, yes, it’s made in Canada.

Thanks A year ago can be a long time in the life of a new developer that sounds as if it hasn't lived up to the promises made for it, so can I take it that you cannot be certain it is still going?

pentaxuser

 

[MattKing]

It is sold under the manufacturer's name - Flic Film - in Canada.
https://www.beauphoto.com/product/flic-film-black-white-and-green-film-developer/

 

[pentaxuser]

Thanks all. So still made

pentaxuser

 

[KerrKid]

I’ve seen some positive reviews on this developer but wondered if anyone here is/was using it?

If so, what can you tell me about it and who did you buy it from?

Thanks!

 

[Sirius Glass]

XTOL is green friendly.

 

[gone]

Unless you're on a septic system, most developers and stop baths are OK to pour down a drain. I never use stop bath for film, but it's fixer that isn't OK to go there. Fixer can be reused over and over though. When the fix times get too long, it needs to be disposed of properly at a recycling or hazardous waste location.

Another way to do this is to toss the spent fixer into a bucket or bottle w/ some steel wool and let it sit until the silver leeches out, then toss the now-OK fixer down the drain. It's only hazardous if its liquid (unless you eat the steel wool). I googled black and white green developer, there's a lot of user info on it.

 

[KerrKid]

Yes, I've seen some of the user info on it, but wondered if anyone here had personal experience with it. I'll be developing Delta 400 and Kentmere 400 exposed at box speed.

On Flic Film's website they list a number of suppliers who don't seem to carry it, B&H being one of them. It's odd because they carry some of the other product line.

Thanks for the tips of disposing of chemicals.

 

[relistan]

Yes, I've seen some of the user info on it, but wondered if anyone here had personal experience with it. I'll be developing Delta 400 and Kentmere 400 exposed at box speed.

On Flic Film's website they list a number of suppliers who don't seem to carry it, B&H being one of them. It's odd because they carry some of the other product line.

Thanks for the tips of disposing of chemicals.

It's Gainer's PC-TEA with benzotriazole (fog reducer) added AFAICT, per my post earlier in the thread. You can look for shots on Flickr using PC-TEA for examples of what it looks like for various films.

 

[KerrKid]

OK. Thanks for the info. I'm going to start developing B&W film and just wanted the easiest, longest-lasting, and friendliest developer I could get. The Black White Green looked to fill the bill but I did notice on their dev chart that the dev times were quite long and my dev temps will probably be around 72 degrees Fahrenheit.

I will look up Gainer's PC-TEA. Thanks.

 

[KerrKid]

Gainer's PC-TEA....Does this have to be mixed from raw ingredients or can it be purchased already mixed? If so, where? Thanks.

 

[relistan]

OK. Thanks for the info. I'm going to start developing B&W film and just wanted the easiest, longest-lasting, and friendliest developer I could get. The Black White Green looked to fill the bill but I did notice on their dev chart that the dev times were quite long and my dev temps will probably be around 72 degrees Fahrenheit.

I will look up Gainer's PC-TEA. Thanks.

Hey, if you're just starting out, I'd suggest starting with one of the common, mainstream developers. You'll find it easier to get dev times, and people can help direct you around any issues you might encounter. As suggested above, Kodak XTOL or ADOX XT-3 (same thing) are quite eco friendly. If you want long-lasting and are ok with it not being super eco, HC-110 might be a good choice.

 

[KerrKid]

Hey, if you're just starting out, I'd suggest starting with one of the common, mainstream developers. You'll find it easier to get dev times, and people can help direct you around any issues you might encounter. As suggested above, Kodak XTOL or ADOX XT-3 (same thing) are quite eco friendly. If you want long-lasting and are ok with it not being super eco, HC-110 might be a good choice.

I think this is good advice. I need something easy to start with and that isn't difficult to find and use. Thanks.

 

[villagephotog]

Gainer's PC-TEA....Does this have to be mixed from raw ingredients or can it be purchased already mixed? If so, where? Thanks.

Well, that's what the Flic-Film Black, White, and Green film developer is intended to be -- i.e. a commercially available pre-mixed PC-TEA. And PC-TEA, in turn, was intended to be a long-lasting, liquid concentrate equivalent to XTOL.

The Flic Film developer is made in Canada, but is available from at least one U.S.-based retailer: Photo Warehouse, who calls it "Ultrafine Black, White, and Green" on their website. (Photos and the full description show that it's the Flic Film stuff.) I just ordered some from them, and they shipped it to me yesterday. Total with shipping was $34.90. You can find it here:

Ultrafine ECO Black, White, and Green Film Developer 250 ML by Flic Film - UltraFine B & W Photo Chemicals Liquid and Liquid Concentrates

A very ECO (environmentally) friendly developer that can safely be flushed down the drain or into your septic system without guilt or harm. The active developer is Vitamin C and the superadditive is Phenidone, long known as a low toxin developer. The developers are carried in an alkaline...

www.ultrafineonline.com

I haven't used this developer before, so can't give you any feedback on how it works. I do agree with others that if you're just starting out, you may want to begin with a very widely used developer known to give good results across a range of conditions.

When I first started developing film again (after a 30-year hiatus), I began with XTOL. It gave me very good results, but mixing it from powder, in 5 liter quantities, and then trying to keep it from degrading before I had a chance to use it (I don't develop that much film and certainly not on a regular cadence) became a little inconvenient. That's why I'm interested in trying this liquid from Flic Film; if it looks good, and doesn't degrade much over 12-24 months, it could be the right stuff for me.

 

[KerrKid]

I am leaning towards Xtol but would really appreciate your input on the BWG results when you get it.

 

[relistan]

Well, that's what the Flic-Film Black, White, and Green film developer is intended to be -- i.e. a commercially available pre-mixed PC-TEA. And PC-TEA, in turn, was intended to be a long-lasting, liquid concentrate equivalent to XTOL.

I like Gainer’s developers and I’m all for experimenting. But PC-TEA is not equivalent to XTOL. Not I in image quality, not in tonality, not in dev times. I used PC-Glycol (same developer, different alkali) a lot and eventually developed my own formula that has finer grain and smoother tonality, and times that nearly match XTOL. But it’s still not equivalent to XTOL. I have posted about it here before if you are interested.

 

[pentaxuser]

XTOL is green friendly.

Yes but where's the chart that always seems to be an accompaniment

pentaxuser

 

[Sirius Glass]

Yes but where's the chart that always seems to be an accompaniment

pentaxuser

I wonder how that keeps happening.

 

[Peter Schrager]

Well, that's what the Flic-Film Black, White, and Green film developer is intended to be -- i.e. a commercially available pre-mixed PC-TEA. And PC-TEA, in turn, was intended to be a long-lasting, liquid concentrate equivalent to XTOL.

The Flic Film developer is made in Canada, but is available from at least one U.S.-based retailer: Photo Warehouse, who calls it "Ultrafine Black, White, and Green" on their website. (Photos and the full description show that it's the Flic Film stuff.) I just ordered some from them, and they shipped it to me yesterday. Total with shipping was $34.90. You can find it here:

Ultrafine ECO Black, White, and Green Film Developer 250 ML by Flic Film - UltraFine B & W Photo Chemicals Liquid and Liquid Concentrates

A very ECO (environmentally) friendly developer that can safely be flushed down the drain or into your septic system without guilt or harm. The active developer is Vitamin C and the superadditive is Phenidone, long known as a low toxin developer. The developers are carried in an alkaline...

www.ultrafineonline.com

I haven't used this developer before, so can't give you any feedback on how it works. I do agree with others that if you're just starting out, you may want to begin with a very widely used developer known to give good results across a range of conditions.

When I first started developing film again (after a 30-year hiatus), I began with XTOL. It gave me very good results, but mixing it from powder, in 5 liter quantities, and then trying to keep it from
degrading before I had a chance to use it (I don't develop that much film and certainly not on a regular cadence) became a little inconvenient. That's why I'm interested in trying this liquid from Flic Film; if it looks good, and doesn't degrade much over 12-24 months, it could be the right stuff for me.

This has been discussed countless times
I store xtol in 1 liter glass bottles filled to the brim..it always works as in always
Just decant into smaller containers as you use it up
Willing to pay $35 for pc-tea I'll make for you for $25 anytime

 

[villagephotog]

This has been discussed countless times
I store xtol in 1 liter glass bottles filled to the brim..it always works as in always
Just decant into smaller containers as you use it up
Willing to pay $35 for pc-tea I'll make for you for $25 anytime

Yes, I've done the store in full bottles and decant into smaller containers routine with Xtol. The idea isn't new to me. I have no interest in belaboring it here, but that hasn't been ideal for me, and I'm looking for a solution that works better for my particular circumstances and preferences, as opposed to yours or anyone else's.

Maybe this BWG developer won't be that solution, but to me it's well worth spending 35 bucks to find out.

 

[relistan]

Maybe this BWG developer won't be that solution, but to me it's well worth spending 35 bucks to find out.

If nothing else you are supporting a company who is trying to or something new into the market. Let us know how it goes.