So much to comment upon! First, I agree that D-76/ID-11 is a good general-purpose developer. There are lots of other possibilities that would work as well (HC-110, Rodinal, XTOL, FX-39, and so on), but it's best to just pick one (preferably something fairly common, so you can get help if you run into problems) and stick with it for a while. Once you learn enough about your standard films (sticking to just two or three to start with will help you learn a lot faster), you can begin experimenting with other films
or with other developers to see what they do. Trying to experiment with everything at once will leave you with no good idea of what's going on. Plus which it'll get frustrating -- you'll discover that some rolls are underdeveloped and others are overdeveloped, ruining shots that might have been very good.
antielectrons said:
how do I get the stock solution back up to working temperature when stored?
Working temperature for B&W is typically in the 20-24 degrees C (68-75 degrees F) range, so temperature control needs are pretty modest. As Andy K said, a water bath should do the trick pretty quickly.
antielectrons said:
I presume that the powder stuff will have to be added to water to create a stock first, other than that they are both then diluted to working strength/temperature....?
Correct. Some developers
can be used at stock strength, but most are diluted, even when they can be used at stock strength. Most can be used at different dilutions to subtly alter their working characteristics.
antielectrons said:
Hi, I had a look at the price of DDX... seems to be 29 a litre over here in Spain compared to 2.70 for D76, or 4 for ID11. How come the big difference in price? I like the sound of DDX, but the price?
Developers do vary a lot in price. Be sure to consider dilution, though. Here in the US, B&H sells DD-X for $12.95 for 1 liter, which B&H says should be diluted 1+4. Assuming 250ml per roll, that works out to 20 rolls, or $0.65/roll. By comparison, 1 liter of ID-11 from B&H costs $4.79, but a more typical dilution for ID-11 is 1+1, so that liter will only process 8 rolls, for a cost of $0.60/roll. Thus, what looks like a huge price difference is actually pretty small. Given the prices you report, the difference for you would be bigger, but still not quite as big as you might initially think.
antielectrons said:
At 500ml a shot in my Paterons developing tank I think I will need to get the larger size however.
500ml sounds like a lot of fluid for a single roll -- or are you quoting a two-roll capacity? My stainless steel tank requires about 250ml per roll. I've also got a plastic AP tank that takes 325ml for a single roll or something like 550ml for two rolls. When developing one roll in a two-roll tank, you don't need to fill the tank all the way, although you should use a clip or an empty reel to ensure that the reel you use for film stays at the bottom of the tank.
if I buy a 5L packs of ID11 say, does it contain 5x1L packs or will I need to mix the entire 5L at once? What is the shelf life of stock solution?
I'm not familiar with ID-11 specifically (although I have bought and used D-76), but I expect you'd get a single packet to make 5 liters. (Actually, I think I heard that ID-11 ships in two packets that you mix together, but it's the same end result -- you mix it all together at once.) D-76/ID-11 typically lasts six months or so if properly stored. I've seen reports of it lasting at least twice as long as that, but to be safe, I'd count on six months. Be sure you store it in tightly sealed bottles, preferably made of glass, filled to the top. Split your 5 liters across several bottles, such as ten 500ml bottles, to minimize exposure to air. Some people use bottles sized for the precise amount they use when developing film, such as 125ml when using a 1+1 dilution and a 250ml developing tank. This practice ensures that there's never a significant amount of air in the bottle with the developer.