Mixing 510-Pyro

[Alan9940]

I've tried and failed twice to mix 100ml of this developer; I can't seem to get all the powders to go into solution no matter what I do. The ascorbic acid seems to be my biggest issue, though I don't really know if the pyro and/or phenidone are issues, too, because the ascorbic acid is not fully dissolved when I add the remaining chemicals. I've heated the TEA to about 80C, stirred and re-heated the ascorbic acid / TEA mix for upwards of 45 mins, and still can't get it fully dissolved. FWIW, I'm using ascorbic acid I bought from my local health food store. Is that part of the problem? Should I buy ascorbic acid from one of our photo chemical suppliers like Photo Formulary or ArtCraft?

I watched a short YouTube video by Jay where he simply tosses all three chemicals into the TEA together, turns on the stirrer, and returns when it's done! I read on something Jay wrote that it takes him 5 mins to mix 100ml of 510-Pyro! What am I doing wrong? Since I can use a hotplate / stirrer for other photo formulas I mix, I ordered one this morning thinking that, perhaps, maintaining a constant temp will aid in the mixing.

Anyway, any tips or tricks for successfully mixing 510-Pyro would be greatly appreciated.

 

[removedacct3]

I do not have the answer to your question, but I do think that with the aid of the heated stirrer you will see a dramatic improvement.

 

[Alan Johnson]

Just checking you have ascorbic acid and not sodium ascorbate which is also sold as vitamin C.

 

[Alan9940]

Just checking you have ascorbic acid and not sodium ascorbate which is also sold as vitamin C.

I do have both because I use sodium ascorbate for FX-55 and a couple of other things. But, I am definitely using ascorbic acid; checked the label 3x to be sure! Thanks for asking, though, because I've switched those two before.

 

[koraks]

I've heated the TEA to about 80C, stirred and re-heated the ascorbic acid / TEA mix for upwards of 45 mins

Last time I mixed 510 it took about half a day before I got most of the solids to dissolve. Be patient, you'll get there. Don't be surprised if it takes a few days to clear completely.

 

[john_s]

I found that it took some days. I don't like heating chems much in case they deteriorate. I had the bottle in the boot (trunk) of the car for some short trips and it dissolved after a few days.
However, I found to to deliver extremely poor shadow detail: it was the only time in my life that I've had unexpected results, and I've mixed a lot of developers.