Microdol-X Noob

So today I was browsing the thrift stores in the greater Los Angeles area for some neato camera stuff. (Those Kodak Retinas are worthless relics of a bygone era, you know...) I think I did pretty well today, as I got a Bogen/Manfrotto 3001 for $10! I also picked up for free a bunch of old Kodak chemistry: a gallon of Dektol and several small packets of Microdol-X. Just to see what Microdol looked like mixed, I followed the directions on the packet and diluted one whole packet in 16oz of water and mixed them together. now comes the question: What dilution have I got now? stock? (I have never used any powder devs, much less Microdol, but hey, it was free!)

More important though, I'm used to devs that are almost clear (F76+ is what my school uses, and that stuff is colorless), but the Microdol was REALLY dark, almost like C41 blix. Is this normal, or am I just wasting my time?

sidearm613 said:

BIG Snip,

I'm used to devs that are almost clear (F76+ is what my school uses, and that stuff is colorless), but the Microdol was REALLY dark, almost like C41 blix. Is this normal, or am I just wasting my time?

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Hi,

It is most definitely dead. It should be clear or very slightly straw colored. The clearer the better.

The dark brown color is caused by the oxidation of the developing agent.

Mike

Thanks a lot Mike. Off to thrown that stuff in the toilet

sidearm613 said:

So today I was browsing the thrift stores in the greater Los Angeles area for some neato camera stuff. (Those Kodak Retinas are worthless relics of a bygone era, you know...) I think I did pretty well today, as I got a Bogen/Manfrotto 3001 for $10! I also picked up for free a bunch of old Kodak chemistry: a gallon of Dektol and several small packets of Microdol-X. Just to see what Microdol looked like mixed, I followed the directions on the packet and diluted one whole packet in 16oz of water and mixed them together. now comes the question: What dilution have I got now? stock? (I have never used any powder devs, much less Microdol, but hey, it was free!)

More important though, I'm used to devs that are almost clear (F76+ is what my school uses, and that stuff is colorless), but the Microdol was REALLY dark, almost like C41 blix. Is this normal, or am I just wasting my time?

Click to expand...

What you have is what is called stock solution, some developers can be used as stock and then reused, some can be used a stock and then replenished, they can also be diluted to working strength and used one shot. It doesn't matter in this case because it's dead anyway. Sometimes when it's not stored well the packets can get damaged slightly and air gets in. Most MQ/PQ developers are either clear or very very pale yellow like straw colour. The only developers that may work when dark coloured are the p-Aminophenol Hydrochloride based developers of which the most popular is Rodinal.

The best test for a developer is the same as the test for fixer, the clip test.

Developer: With the lights ON, put a small piece of film (like the tongue of 35mm film) in a small dish of the developer, it should turn black like the end of a processed roll of film where it was light struck when the film was loaded. If it does not turn completely black within 5 minutes or so then the developer is dead. Note some developers from concentrate need to be mixed with water to work properly, so mix to working strength. Toss out the dish developer along with the piece of film, you don't need to fix it.

Fixer: take another small piece of undeveloped film, put a drop of fixer on it, wait 30 seconds then put into a small dish of working strength fixer, time how long it takes for the spot where the drop was to disappear, this is your clear time. With fresh rapid fixer this should be less then 2 minutes, you then double to triple this for your fixing time. Fresh Hypo will take longer, should be under 5 minutes though. If you do this with fresh fixer, then repeat every few rolls you will find the times get longer, when the clear time has doubled, toss the fixer and make fresh.

Thanks for the response, Paul. Thanks also for giving me the scientific name of Rodinal. I like that stuff! very sharp, very grainy, works nicely with Plus-X. I tossed the dead stuff, tried out the other packets, found one that actually seemed ok (it was straw colored), so now I'm going to do your clip test.

Out of curiosity, what is an MQ/PQ developer?

sidearm613 said:

Thanks for the response, Paul. Thanks also for giving me the scientific name of Rodinal. I like that stuff! very sharp, very grainy, works nicely with Plus-X. I tossed the dead stuff, tried out the other packets, found one that actually seemed ok (it was straw colored), so now I'm going to do your clip test.

Out of curiosity, what is an MQ/PQ developer?

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As for the chemical p-Aminophenol Hydrochloride it isn't the scientific name for Rodinal, but rather the reducing or developing agent used in Rodinal.

All developers use one or more reducing agents and other chemicals to make what we call a developer for example Rodinal also includes Water, Potassium Metabisulfite and Sodium Hydroxide along with the p-Aminophenol Hydrochloride.

An MQ developer uses Metol and Hydroquinone as the developing agents, a PQ developer uses Phenidone and Hydroquinone. Some people find that Metol causes skin irritation, the folks at Ilford found that Phenidone does not do this and incorporated it into several of their paper developers. I don't know if Kodak ever used it though.

I believe X-Tol uses phenidone.
You can use MX as a stock solution to give very fine grain or dilute 1+3 to give sharper images.

With the grain in film becoming smaller over the years, the "need" for a fine-grain dev like MX has decreased, but it's still a good, useful dev.

jim appleyard said:

I believe X-Tol uses phenidone.
You can use MX as a stock solution to give very fine grain or dilute 1+3 to give sharper images.

With the grain in film becoming smaller over the years, the "need" for a fine-grain dev like MX has decreased, but it's still a good, useful dev.

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Well, I mixed up 16 oz of stock solution, and I have an exposed roll of Fomapan 400 to process in it. Foma is pretty grainy stuff, so I got a fine grain developer at the perfect time. Question: it says on the Kodak corporate site that MX gives a slight brown stain on the negs. I don't expect a pyro stain or anything, but does it stain or tint the neg at all?

sidearm613 said:

Well, I mixed up 16 oz of stock solution, and I have an exposed roll of Fomapan 400 to process in it. Foma is pretty grainy stuff, so I got a fine grain developer at the perfect time. Question: it says on the Kodak corporate site that MX gives a slight brown stain on the negs. I don't expect a pyro stain or anything, but does it stain or tint the neg at all?

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Hmm. I never noticed any slight staining using 1:3 Microdol X with either Plus X or Panatomic X. Perhaps they mean when used at 1:1.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

I have noticed a slight brown stain to some films. I can't remember which films they are or which dilution caused it, but it's not a heavy stain and it won't cause problems when printing.

When you open a packet of Microdol-X, there should not be any black granular particles in it. If these are seen it most likely isn't worth mixing! I have found quite a few of the paper/foil packets have spoiled this way. I have also used the much older cans of powder and haven't found any of those that have gone bad as yet. Evidently Kodak went from a good shipping method to a lousy one, at least for a product that has set on the shelf for years.

The developer itself, if good, is the best developer I've ever used.

Paul

I have noticed the stain, if you can call it that. The substrate itself doesn't stain, but the dark areas of the negative will appear tinted when examined, but not when projected through the enlarger. I believe some have stated that its a virtual tint caused by the grains of silver.

Paul

David, once you obtain a good packet of Microdol-X from a Los Angeles retailer like Freestyle Camera on Sunset Boulevard which is approximately 3 doors west of Normandie in Hollywood (where I buy it as well as other darkroom chemicals and paper as well as film), dilute it 1+3, raise the developer/water mixture's temperature to 74-75 degrees as well as your stop bath and fixer, and process your films (up to ISO 400) in it for 18 minutes and you will achieve wonderful results, just like I have been getting for decades!

Terry