Pyrocat HD as paper developer?

[Willie Jan]

Just wondering,

does anyone use pyrocat HD as paper developer?

 

[Ian Grant]

One major problem with any Pyrocatechin developer is oxidation, this shows increased base stain/fog which isn't a problem with negatives but degrades the highlights with prints.

In a print tray the Pyrocatechin will suffer from oxidation far faster than in a developing tank, so the developer has a very short life and needs to be changed every 2 or 3 prints.

Have a look at Ilford IT-8 toner. It uses a dichromate bleach followed by a Pyrocatechin re-developer. Wonderful olive black tones.

IT-8 Ilford Pyrocatechin Toner
For Olive Black tomes.
Stock A
Potassium Bichromate 50gms
Water to 1 litre

Stock B
Hydrochloric Acid (conc) 100ml
Water to 1 litre
Expose and process your print as normal and wash well.
Make up bleach from: 2 parts A and 10 parts B with 40 parts water, bleach the print then wash until all the yellow from the bichromate has been removed from the highlights then redevelop in the following Developer.

Developer
Pyrocatechin 1.75gms
Sodium Carbonate (anhyd) 5gms
Water to 1 litre

Temperature is not critical, it should take 1½ to 2 mins at 20°C, this developer will oxide very quickly and should be discarded when it turns a bluish green.

Ian

 

[jim appleyard]

This is not exactly what you're looking for, but related:

http://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/PyroPlus/pyroplus.html

 

[Willie Jan]

Why i am asking this is that i am searching if it is possible to get more details in the highlights(clouds) with a different developer. Standard i use am6006 amaloco, a friend tried eukobrom and found out that after 5 minutes there is still coming more detail in the highlights where my default developer stops working.

(Eukobrom is not for sale where i live..)

That is where i started to ask myself it a pyro developer would give better results...
But i forgot the oxidation..

 

[dancqu]

In a print tray the Pyrocatechin will suffer from
oxidation far faster than in a developing tank, so
the developer has a very short life and needs to
be changed every 2 or 3 prints. Ian

Perhaps it would be amenable to use as a very dilute
one-shot with somewhat extended development. Dan

 

[gainer]

The Pyrocat developers all have the necessary ingredients to develop paper. When used on film as Sandy King proposed, they are highly diluted, high pH , low sulfite solutions. If you consider what you might do to make, say, Dektol usable on film, you could dilute it or lower its pH or both. The other way round, then, you could increase the concentration of the A solution, add some sulfite to the working solution, and see what happens.
Pyrocatechin and hydroquinone are like twins with different-colored hair. It is not pyrocatechin that uniquely makes Pyrocat a tanning, staining developer. Hydroquinone would do so as well, but with a different color of stain. The stain color of pyrocatechin is particularly desirable for negatives intended for printing by certain "alternative" methods. Sulfite is the great stain remover in pyrogallol or pyrocatecchin developers, so little is used. In fact, the Pyrocat series in glycol have none.
Now if the stain is the prize to be gained, the short developer life is the penalty. Otherwise, I don't see how the use of pyrocatechin will benefit. Pyrogallol can stand considerably more sulfite and still produce some stain, but most of us don't want our hands in pyro developers.

 

[pgomena]

A note on the Ilford developer recipe given above: Good laboratory practice requires adding concentrated acid to water, not water to acid. It would be better to add the acid to 750 ml water then top it up to the required amount with more water. Water added to concentrated acid can flash to a boil and spatter the acid.

Peter Gomena

 

[gainer]

Concentrated HCl is in the neighborhood of 30% IIRC. The general rule is a good one, even so.

 

[RowanBloemhof]

Willie, with regards to the Eukobrom. A few weeks ago i purchased some at foto cinehouse in Amersfoort. I know for a fact that they have an affiliated store in Zaltbommel which should be some 30mins driving from your home. You got a good chance they stock the same materials as they do in A'foort. http://www.fotocinehouse.nl/?contact. Can't hurt to give them a call. Perhaps they would be even willing to send you a bottle.

Rowan

 

[Willie Jan]

Rowan,

I use for some years the adox adotol konstant developer (powder)
Oxidation is very low and developer times constant. Other developers have an oxidation issue when the bottle is half empty. You need to fill it to the top.

 

[RowanBloemhof]

Willie, I have to admit im feeling very silly right now. Somehow this topic showed under recent threads. It was only just now that i noticed it being from 2008=D

However il keep in mind about the developer you mentioned. Altough so far i have had no complaints about the keeping quality of eukobrom. The past few weeks quite a few prints passed trough the current 1liter of working solution and im not seeing any signs of degredation yet.

Edit: Oh and nice, i just noticed the aforementioned developer is only 3 euro for 2 liters. Not bad!