You can reach Sandy through one of the groups.io platforms he participates in (he set up and still co-administers the carbon printing groups.io) and I'm sure he can be contacted through a personal website as well.
Could the order of adding chemistry make a difference in the longevity?
Sandy King also has a formula for a two-bath/divided Pyrocat developer. I'm travelling now and don't have my darkroom notes with me, but I'm sure you could find it here after a search. It works quite well and may not have the longevity (in theory) that a glycol dev would have, but at least you could keep track of how many rolls you've run thru it (in the neighborhood of 10) before mixing new.
Jim as far as i know. it's the same formula Part A & Part B....you just develop the film in A and then B...instead of mixing them together. The divided pyrocat also uses more developer than the usual, because you're using it at 10:10:100 instead of 1:1:100.
Jim as far as i know. it's the same formula Part A & Part B....you just develop the film in A and then B...instead of mixing them together. The divided pyrocat also uses more developer than the usual, because you're using it at 10:10:100 instead of 1:1:100.
Alan,
I remember when I first considered trying Pyrocat-HD, after reading all about it here, that IanC made it real clear that the sodium metabisulfite had to be "fresh". Actually, what made me try the HDC version was that I had no fresh sodium metabisulfite on hand when I needed to mix a new batch of HD. I don't know if bad sodium metabisulfite caused chuckroast's sudden death, but I suppose it's possible.
i've read this too, but: how can i determine how "fresh" is my metabisulfite? We just need quite a tiny amount of it (10gr/liter, which is around 10gr per 330 rolls or 1300 4x5 sheets), do we need to buy it fresh for every batch? That's quite a hassle...
I am in the midst of using my first batch of Pyrocat-HDC and, has been noted here and elsewhere, it seems to work pretty much identically to HD. Since HDC uses fewer components and thereby avoids the use of metabisulfite entirely, it's likely to be my goto in the future.
Those are the reasons I went with the HDC version over the HD and MC versions I had been using. Plus, I think I read that that is what Sandy King is now using.
As to tykos question about finding the freshest metabisulfite? Where I'm at, I go to the busiest brewing and wine making supply store in my city. Their turnover is pretty darn fast and the sodium metabisulfite is sold in small sealed pouches. I don't know what they use for wine making in Italy, but you should be able to find a source of pretty fresh metabisulfite. Italy has been producing wine for a few years now, I think.
As soon as I use up my regular HD, I'll go to the HDC version. Fewer chemicals is appealing to me.
i've read this too, but: how can i determine how "fresh" is my metabisulfite? We just need quite a tiny amount of it (10gr/liter, which is around 10gr per 330 rolls or 1300 4x5 sheets), do we need to buy it fresh for every batch? That's quite a hassle...
I'm curious to see what you think of HDC Andy. My first batch seemed just a little more potent than HD, but that could have been an error on my part. "I should note that mine is the glycol variant." Since then, I have settled in nicely with it.
I'll be mixing up the glycol variant as well. Happy New Year!
I'm currently trying to resolve why my Pyrocat HD in PG suddenly stopped working about 2 weeks ago. I have developed three rolls of Rollei IR 120, and 2 10x8 sheets Foma 200 all of which came out completely blank. It was if I had developed unexposed film. Since then have put through 5 short test rolls of 35mm Foma 100: with new batch of HD PG one came out blank; one roll done in HDC PG came out normally; one in new batch of HD in water came out normally; the two other rolls, one in Rodinal 1:50, and fresh Perceptol stock came out blank. Developed in Jobo processor, chemicals made up with distilled water, no cross contamination, lens and camera shutters all tested ok.
Then I stand developed 8 sheets of Foma 100 in HDC PG, and all came out normally.
This happened once before, and I just accepted it was operator error, now I don't think so. The chemicals were all fresh from the local supplier, my scales read to 0.01 gm, and I use a heated magnetic stirrer. All the Part A chemicals were added in order and dissolved quickly and completely. Part B took a long time to go into solution, and not quite completely.
In the process of developing some sheets of Foma 100 5x4 in the Jobo in HDC PG, and then will do another run with HD in water. It will be interesting to see the results.
Peter.
I'm currently trying to resolve why my Pyrocat HD in PG suddenly stopped working about 2 weeks ago. I have developed three rolls of Rollei IR 120, and 2 10x8 sheets Foma 200 all of which came out completely blank. It was if I had developed unexposed film. Since then have put through 5 short test rolls of 35mm Foma 100: with new batch of HD PG one came out blank; one roll done in HDC PG came out normally; one in new batch of HD in water came out normally; the two other rolls, one in Rodinal 1:50, and fresh Perceptol stock came out blank. Developed in Jobo processor, chemicals made up with distilled water, no cross contamination, lens and camera shutters all tested ok.
Then I stand developed 8 sheets of Foma 100 in HDC PG, and all came out normally.
This happened once before, and I just accepted it was operator error, now I don't think so. The chemicals were all fresh from the local supplier, my scales read to 0.01 gm, and I use a heated magnetic stirrer. All the Part A chemicals were added in order and dissolved quickly and completely. Part B took a long time to go into solution, and not quite completely.
In the process of developing some sheets of Foma 100 5x4 in the Jobo in HDC PG, and then will do another run with HD in water. It will be interesting to see the results.
Peter.
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