Old film developers - does anyone know these?

[HeliH]

Hi everyone! I'm quite new here (was here a year ago, but then forgot my password etc... ) and my first question is about old film developers. I wonder if anyone know any of these three:
Johnson Pactum M.Q. Developer, Johnson of Hendon
Geavert (Agfa?) Gevafin developer
Promicol, M&G May&Baker

I have a chance to develope films with those but doesn't have a clue of developing times or mixing ratios...

Can you help?

Forgot to say, I use mainly Kodak Trix 400, Ilford PanF, FP4, HP5 and Delta 3200.

- Heli

 

[raucousimages]

I don't have info on your developers but last year I found an old (1950s-60s) stock pile of developers and was not able to find info on any of them. Most I discarded because I only had one or two cans of each. The developers I had a large quantity of I tested. My reasoning was that if I had only a small amount I would use it up in testing leaving me little or none after the test. Most of them had gone bad but I was able to come up with enough Agfa Hyfinol to make about 80 gallons so it was worth testing.

I started all of my tests mixing as directed if I had a volume the can was supposed to make. Most cans were meant for one gallon. I then tested the dev for 7 min. @68f. Checked results and made an educated guess on the next test, usually mix 1:1 and retest or if under developed go to 10 to 14 min on the next test. Basically use the data for D-76. For my test film I used some outdated Ektapan 4X5 I was given

If you have a large amount then go for it. If not I don't think it is worth the trouble to try a developer you cant find again.

 

[raucousimages]

P.S. Cool to see a finn. My wife's mother is from Kotka.

 

[jim appleyard]

I *think* Promicol is still made and available in the UK? If memory serves, one or more APUGers uses it. Perhaps they'll chime in. You could always do a search here for Promicol.

 

[john_s]

I have a scan of a table in the 1969 Modern Photo Almanac showing developing times for Promicrol, for the films available then. Would you like a copy?

 

[Gatsby1923]

Hi everyone! I'm quite new here (was here a year ago, but then forgot my password etc... ) and my first question is about old film developers. I wonder if anyone know any of these three:
Johnson Pactum M.Q. Developer, Johnson of Hendon
Geavert (Agfa?) Gevafin developer
Promicol, M&G May&Baker

I have a chance to develope films with those but doesn't have a clue of developing times or mixing ratios...

Can you help?

Forgot to say, I use mainly Kodak Trix 400, Ilford PanF, FP4, HP5 and Delta 3200.

- Heli

Heli, with films such as Tri-X, PanF etc, I'd start off with a development time around 10 minutes. Now as for Dilutions I would be totaly lost. One of these formulas MAY be of use to you for some mixing data.

http://www.digitaltruth.com/data.html

And enjoy some of that great Finnish Vodka for me.

Dave M.

 

[Jim Jones]

The Massive Dev Chart has data on Promicol.

 

[DBP]

My 1962 Photographer's Handbook lists Promicrol, but none of the others. So they were not in common use in the US by then.

 

[Ian Grant]

From memory I think Johnsons Pactum was a powdered MQ developer sold in Tablet Form. It was also sold as Developer 468, in powder form. I do have data on the development times and dilutions.

Promicrol was sold for years by May & Baker, which became Champion, then their unique developing agent used in the formula went out of production, it was used outside the photo industry in large quantities, it wasn't ecomomic to pmanufacture just for Promicrol.

An entirely re-formulated liquid developer was introduced in the last 5 or so years with the Promicrol name but seems to have disappeared from the market.

Ian

 

[HeliH]

I have a scan of a table in the 1969 Modern Photo Almanac showing developing times for Promicrol, for the films available then. Would you like a copy?

Oh yes, I would really love to get a copy! Thanks!

Ian, my MQ developer is powder in orange "paper". If you'd like to give me a copy of your developing times and dilutions, I would really appreciate!

And a big thank you for everyone for your helping words!

 

[Mick Fagan]

Heli, I have some M&B Promicrol packets which are late sixties to early seventies. These were made in the Australian division of May & Baker about 3 kilometres from my old home. I lived next door to one of the factory hands and he was always getting promicrol 600CC kits which we purchased for a very good price.

I looked up my records and found the last time that I developed FP4 using promicrol and these were the times.

I exposed the FP4 which has a box speed of 125 ASA at 50 ASA.

I developed the film in full strength solution for 18 minutes.

This was in the late seventies. I only have a few packets left and pulled one out to have a look again to write this.

I would assume that if the metal alfoil type bags haven't let air inside, they would be alright.

The modern films of the last 10 years really don't benefit too much from super fine grain developers, but it would be a lot of fun to fiddle with what you have.

I believe that the developing agent in the M&B Promicrol is hydroxethyl-o-aminophenol. Perhaps some of the chemists may like to comment on this.

Mick.

 

[HeliH]

Thanks Mick, I will try FP4 with your advices!

 

[Gerald Koch]

What is now being sold as Promicrol is not the May & Baker formula since one of the two developing agents required, N-(beta-hydroxyethyl)-o-aminophenol sulfate, is no longer being manufactured by anyone.

 

[Gerald Koch]

What is now being sold as Promicrol is not the May & Baker formula since one of the two developing agents required, N-(beta-hydroxyethyl)-o-aminophenol sulfate, is no longer obtainable.

 

[Neil Miller]

Hello Heli!

From the 1951 British Journal of Photography Almanac:

"Promicrol: ultra fine grain developer, gives fineness of grain hardly distinguishable from that obtained by using p-phenylene diamine; gives max emulsion speed; short dev time under 15 minutes. supplied in tins to make 600cc (21 oz)." It was produced by May & Baker of Dagenham, Essex, UK. I worked there for a short time in the 1970s.


From the 1954 BJP almanac:

"Promicrol: ...used for correctly exposed negatives it attains full emulsion speed ...[it has] a pronounced property of emphasising shadow detail without adversely affecting other tones. at 68F (20C) and a gamma of 0.7, times range from 10 mins for Ilford HP3, 7 mins for Pan F, and 15 mins for Kodak Tri-X."

The 1952 BJP says that the "pactums" are well-known, and they appear to have been small handy paper-packets of chemicals:

"The well-known pactums include MQ and amidol developers, sepia, blue and green toners, reducer and copper intensifier."

M-Q was metol-quinone (aka hydroquinone). It appears to have been a 'universal' type of dev for plates, films and papers. for normal negative development it was diluted 1:5 (MQ:water) and the film was processed at 70F for 10 mins, or diluted 1:10 for 17.5 minutes.

Regards,
Neil.