Ilford ID-11

Melinda Stanley · May 11, 2017

Hey all!

Getting back into film photography after many years away from it. I recently purchased a Mamiya RB67 and upon realizing the expense of processing at a lab, I decided to go the DIY route and process the film myself.

Have I mentioned it's been a looong time?

I've got all the standard chemicals but I've never used ID-11 (1L) before. Just a little confused on how to mix and then dilute the developer. After mixing the H2O & A/B packs into a liter, is this batch then diluted once again (1+1 or 1+4) when in the development process?

Lachlan Young · May 11, 2017

Melinda Stanley said:
Hey all!

Getting back into film photography after many years away from it. I recently purchased a Mamiya RB67 and upon realizing the expense of processing at a lab, I decided to go the DIY route and process the film myself.

Have I mentioned it's been a looong time?

I've got all the standard chemicals but I've never used ID-11 (1L) before. Just a little confused on how to mix and then dilute the developer. After mixing the H2O & A/B packs into a liter, is this batch then diluted once again (1+1 or 1+4) when in the development process?

You mix a 'stock solution' from the powder, then if using 1+1 or 1+3 as a 'working solution', you dilute it from the stock immediately before use.

http://www.ilfordphoto.com/Webfiles/2011427133131459.pdf - see left hand column, pg 2 in this document.

Wallendo · May 11, 2017

It can be used full strength or diluted. When I use it (or its cousin D-76), I usually dilute it 1+1 as it makes temperature control easier.

Ian Grant · May 11, 2017

ID-11 can be used full strength or 1+1, 1+2 or 1+3, the 1+2 dilution isn't in the data-sheet but is a better option compared to 1+3.

Ian

Pat Erson · May 11, 2017

Switch to D-76, it's similar to ID-11, only much cheaper.

Bob Carnie · May 11, 2017

Pat Erson said:
Switch to D-76, it's similar to ID-11, only much cheaper.

Not so easy in Canada.

I switched from D76 to ID11 and I use it full strength its a great developer..

R.Gould · May 11, 2017

id11/d76 are pretty much the same, I used to use it at stock, adding 10% extra to the developing tine to each film up to 10 films per litre as per the Ilford instructions, that is add 10% to the second film,20% to the third film up to 90% extra time, D76 is certainly cheaper, and you only have the one powder to mix rather than the two from id11, but to my eyes the results are the same, and for D76 I followed the Ilford instructions without any problems,
Richard

Agulliver · May 11, 2017

Cost depends on your geographic location. In the UK, ID-11 is usually the cheapest big brand developer there is. To go cheaper I'd need something by Foma or Adox...or a "generic" developer...and while I am sure they're fine...I get great results with ID-11 and love that there is data for just about any conceivable film in any format.

I use it as a stock solution...dissolve the powders, make up to 1 litre and that's how I use it. I tried faffing with dilutions 30 years ago and in the end found no advantages. I find I can easily get 13 135 films (36 exposures usually) out of a litre of stock solution if I increase developing time a little. I don't find I need 10% for each extra film, but probably need a total of 20% after the 10th film through to the 13th. I've found it really does become less effective after 15 so I have never again taken it beyond 13 films for 1 litre of stock solution.

R.Gould · May 11, 2017

Agulliver said:
Cost depends on your geographic location. In the UK, ID-11 is usually the cheapest big brand developer there is. To go cheaper I'd need something by Foma or Adox...or a "generic" developer...and while I am sure they're fine...I get great results with ID-11 and love that there is data for just about any conceivable film in any format.

I use it as a stock solution...dissolve the powders, make up to 1 litre and that's how I use it. I tried faffing with dilutions 30 years ago and in the end found no advantages. I find I can easily get 13 135 films (36 exposures usually) out of a litre of stock solution if I increase developing time a little. I don't find I need 10% for each extra film, but probably need a total of 20% after the 10th film through to the 13th. I've found it really does become less effective after 15 so I have never again taken it beyond 13 films for 1 litre of stock solution.

In the UK D76 is cheaper than id11, by a long way, that is why I used to use d76, last time I looked it was around half the price, although that was a while ago and things may have changed I will say that id11 was easier to mix than d76 the two powders mixed a lot easier I would use d76 but follow the the data for id11 and it worked a treat

klownshed · May 11, 2017

R.Gould said:
In the UK D76 is cheaper than id11, by a long way,

Where do you buy D76? I get ID-11 for about £6 for 1L. D76 from same supplier is about £7.

5L of ID-11 is about £12 whilst D-76 is over £10 for 3.8L.

IME D-76 costs more. Not a whole lot more, but a long way from a long way cheaper.

MattKing · May 11, 2017

Melinda Stanley said:
Hey all!

Getting back into film photography after many years away from it. I recently purchased a Mamiya RB67 and upon realizing the expense of processing at a lab, I decided to go the DIY route and process the film myself.

Have I mentioned it's been a looong time?

I've got all the standard chemicals but I've never used ID-11 (1L) before. Just a little confused on how to mix and then dilute the developer. After mixing the H2O & A/B packs into a liter, is this batch then diluted once again (1+1 or 1+4) when in the development process?

Welcome to APUG.
Is your location Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada?
If so, glad to see another Canadian on the "opposite" coast.

Agulliver · May 11, 2017

Yeah I can't get D76 cheaper than ID-11, though I used to back in the early 2000's. The are pretty much interchangeable though so which ever is cheaper or more available is probably the way to go. I can get ID-11 for £5 to £6 for the powder to make 1 litre.

R.Gould · May 11, 2017

klownshed said:
Where do you buy D76? I get ID-11 for about £6 for 1L. D76 from same supplier is about £7.

5L of ID-11 is about £12 whilst D-76 is over £10 for 3.8L.

IME D-76 costs more. Not a whole lot more, but a long way from a long way cheaper.

I said it was a while ago I haven't bought or used d76/id11 for a few years now, last I bought any was from AG photographic, I paid around £2 for 1 litre while id11 was around £5 for 1 litre, that is the only reason I bought D76, these days I pretty much stick to RO9/one shot, I prefer the look of my Fomapan negatives in it, I tried D76 as I had never used powder developers in over 50 years of developing films, tried it for a while but went back to my all time favorite Rodinal/ro9, so as I stated, things price wise could have changed

klownshed · May 11, 2017

R.Gould said:
I said it was a while ago I haven't bought or used d76/id11 for a few years now, last I bought any was from AG photographic, I paid around £2 for 1 litre while id11 was around £5 for 1 litre, that is the only reason I bought D76, these days I pretty much stick to RO9/one shot, I prefer the look of my Fomapan negatives in it, I tried D76 as I had never used powder developers in over 50 years of developing films, tried it for a while but went back to my all time favorite Rodinal/ro9, so as I stated, things price wise could have changed

Things have indeed changed! You can't get D-76 for £2 at AG anymore.

D-76 and ID-11 cost about the same at AG as the prices I mentioned above. D76 now costs more than ID-11.

jeffreyg · May 11, 2017

I have used ID-11 for many years both at the 1:1 dilution and full strength with consistent excellent results for Ilford Delta Pro 100, 400 and HP5 (2 1/4 and 4x5). I suggest getting the powder to make 5liters of stock solution. With the 1:1 dilution it is approx. $1/liter... (B&H $9.95 5liter powder). Also if you can get some pharmacy type glass 16oz amber bottles, fill to the top and use as needed. It stores well.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

flavio81 · May 11, 2017

Melinda Stanley said:
Hey all!

Getting back into film photography after many years away from it. I recently purchased a Mamiya RB67

Welcome to the RB67 users' cult!
Don't forget to read the user manual fully; it is necessary because the RB67 (in particular the pro-S and pro-SD) has many interlocks to prevent shutter trigger when the camera isn't really ready to produce a shot. If you are not acquainted with them then it becomes a headache.

flavio81 · May 11, 2017

Melinda Stanley said:
I've got all the standard chemicals but I've never used ID-11 (1L) before. Just a little confused on how to mix and then dilute the developer. After mixing the H2O & A/B packs into a liter, is this batch then diluted once again (1+1 or 1+4) when in the development process?

As per the replies before, you prepare 1L of "developer". This liter can be either used "straight" (pure) or "diluted" (i.e. 1+1).

When used "diluted" then you discard it after each development.

When used "pure" you can reuse it, as a previous poster indicated. (R.Gould)

brian_mk · May 16, 2017

I make up ID-11 from raw chemicals.
It's easy as long as you have scales that can measure the small amounts required.
The only problem is that it's not so easy to find a source of the raw chemicals these days.
Luckily I still have a stock from when Rayco (UK) were still in business.
The prices back then made it much cheaper than buying the Ilford packs.
You can buy the chemicals from Silverprint, but their prices are high.

ID-11 Formula:-
Warm Water: 750ml
Metol: 2g
Sodium Sulphite (dessicated): 100g
Hydroquinone: 5g
Sodium Tetraborate: 2g
Cold water to make up to 1L

tokam · May 16, 2017

A quick question about the storage life of scratch mixed developers. Would the above ID11 formula have similar storage life to the retail package?

Also, retail D76 normally should be mixed 24 hours prior to use as it can be a bit 'hot' when freshly made. Is this also a consideration when mixing ID11/D76 from scratch?

klownshed · May 16, 2017

tokam said:
A quick question about the storage life of scratch mixed developers. Would the above ID11 formula have similar storage life to the retail package?

Also, retail D76 normally should be mixed 24 hours prior to use as it can be a bit 'hot' when freshly made. Is this also a consideration when mixing ID11/D76 from scratch?

From the ID-11 data sheet.

You mix it at 40°C. You obviously need to cool it to 20°C to use it.

WORKING SOLUTION LIFE

PERCEPTOL, ID-11 and MICROPHEN stock solutions should last for up to:-

6 months in full capped containers
1 month in a half full tightly capped container.

Xmas · May 16, 2017

tokam said:
A quick question about the storage life of scratch mixed developers. Would the above ID11 formula have similar storage life to the retail package?

Also, retail D76 normally should be mixed 24 hours prior to use as it can be a bit 'hot' when freshly made. Is this also a consideration when mixing ID11/D76 from scratch?

A buffered version will be more stable, the packaged version will be buffered.
I'd mix day before for caution I only use PQ versions got bad skin already.
http://www.lostlabours.co.uk/photography/formulae/developers/devD76_variants.htm

RalphLambrecht · May 16, 2017

Wallendo said:
It can be used full strength or diluted. When I use it (or its cousin D-76), I usually dilute it 1+1 as it makes temperature control easier.

Agreed.Ido the same for the same reason.

tokam · May 16, 2017

Klownshed, I have used retail ID-11 and D76 many times over the years.

When I said 'hot' I meant very active when first mixed up. Advice is to leave it a day before use.

Xmas says that the packaged version is buffered. Presumably to prolong storage life.

So my question still stands. What's the storage life of the scratch mix formula of ID11 given above? The economy gained by mixing from scratch is diminished if the shelf life of the developer is only a few days.

Edit: Unless, of course you process films in batches and scratch mix ID-11/D-76 for each batch of films, process as one-shot and discard. Fresh mix of developer for each batch.

Anon Ymous · May 16, 2017

tokam said:
... Xmas says that the packaged version is buffered. Presumably to prolong storage life.

No, this helps keep pH stable throughout it's life, meaning more stable performance. D76d is a well buffered variant that Xmas alluded to when pointing to the D76 variants page. It is said that what is sold today as D76 is closer to D76d, than the original D76 formula.

tokam said:
So my question still stands. What's the storage life of the scratch mix formula of ID11 given above? The economy gained by mixing from scratch is diminished if the shelf life of the developer is only a few days.

The storage lives of scratch mixed and commercial D76/ID11 are the same.

Melinda Stanley · May 20, 2017

MattKing said:
Welcome to APUG.
Is your location Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada?
If so, glad to see another Canadian on the "opposite" coast.

Hey! Yep! Halifax, NS! *waves*

Ilford ID-11

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