RA4 Developer

ADOX have started marketing a RA4 developer (usual dev time and temperature) in UK Sold in two bottle kits to make 2.5l a time. One kit enough to fill a 12x16 Nova processor with 500cc left over for replenishment. the 2.5L kits *dev and Blix) retail for about $18 give or take the exchange rate. I have made a few 10x8 prints and it seems to be OK with good saturation on both Fuji and Kodak RA4 paper.

It is easy to mix with a single bottle of developer to make 2.5l and the same to make 2.5l of fixer. The only question is the actual replenishment rate so I have kept to the Kodak rate 100cc of either for 800 sq ins of developer. It seems to be about right.

UPDATE

I forgot to add when I first tried printing there were significant colour balance changes with Adox compared to Kodak. Normally with Fuji paper I used something around 55y45m. with Adox it was 90y60m. With Kodak paper it was usually around 45y40m, with Adox 75y60m. No great shakes there then, but it sort of took me by surprise. With the filtration changes, the end result was the same, a decent colour print.

Good Job Adox!

Hold on!

What I typed above may not be 100% correct. I went to print again yesterday and the developer had very definitely 'gone off'. There was barely an image visible on the paper and what there was, had a very heavy yellow cast that could not be dialed out. This only affected the area where the image was and not the rebates. Bear in mind the comment I made about having to dial out the yellow when I first used it, I wonder if the developer was on the way out then and printing a few just pushed it 'over the edge'.

I have sent an E mail to the supplier who reopens for business today after Christmas so hopefully I should get an answer soon.

As far as I remember Adox just bottle RA4 chemistry, they don't really produce it. Unfourtenately it is not the first time I heard about very discreet perfomance of this chemistry.

BMbikerider said:

I went to print again yesterday and the developer had very definitely 'gone off'.

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How old was it? I've been using the Adox RA4 kit for a few years with good success but I tend to do a couple of days of intensive printing and then dump everything (I only get into the darkroom once or twice per year).

Could this be Tetenal Monoline? Great idea to package that for consumers! Would be even better if dev and fix were sold separately.

It is less concentrated than the Tetenal stuff, however. Tetenal is 1+9 dilution, Adox 1+4.

I recently started using Tetenal Monoline developer. It is a glycol based syrup and mine was somewhat coloured, already. The resulting diluted replenisher was quite clear. After using it up and diluting more it had some colour to it. Apparently the opened conecentrate did suffer some oxidation. I diuluted the remainder because I assume it will keep better. The concentrate may well have been ok for another year, who knows.

My 'tank' solution in the slot is dark coloured. Against the light it looks transparent black with either a greenish or blueish hue. It has been working fine for a month, now. Volume is 1.8L and I sent a bit over one Litre of replenisher through it, so far.

perkeleellinen said:

How old was it? I've been using the Adox RA4 kit for a few years with good success but I tend to do a couple of days of intensive printing and then dump everything (I only get into the darkroom once or twice per year).

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It was mixed (diluted) on Monday last week and 3 or 4 prints made in my Nova then on Monday I went to make more and that is when all the chems were rubbish. I am not very impressed by the concoction and will go back to Kodak as soon as the supplier replies to my E mail. I have used Kodak Ektacolour for 30 years and it has never let me down. It is incredibly long lasting and have left it unused in the NOVA for up to a month and it was as good as it was the previous time.

lantau said:

Could this be Tetenal Monoline? Great idea to package that for consumers! Would be even better if dev and fix were sold separately.

It is less concentrated than the Tetenal stuff, however. Tetenal is 1+9 dilution, Adox 1+4.

I recently started using Tetenal Monoline developer. It is a glycol based syrup and mine was somewhat coloured, already. The resulting diluted replenisher was quite clear. After using it up and diluting more it had some colour to it. Apparently the opened conecentrate did suffer some oxidation. I diuluted the remainder because I assume it will keep better. The concentrate may well have been ok for another year, who knows.

My 'tank' solution in the slot is dark coloured. Against the light it looks transparent black with either a greenish or blueish hue. It has been working fine for a month, now. Volume is 1.8L and I sent a bit over one Litre of replenisher through it, so far.

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Mine was not a syrup it was a dark brownish liquid. I am used to RA4 developers being a pale yellow or off white colour when they are fresh. (Kodak or Tetenal) It was the quite extreme change in filtration that first made me think it was 'different' 40 extra units of yellow is way over the top as well. The second session was so bad that changing the yellow filtration yet again did not make any difference. If the tank had been contaminated I would have expected all over colour change but the rebates were still pure white.
Since I finished my last lot of Kodak RA4 developer the tank had been emptied and washed out with running water for several minutes, filled with plain water heated up and left for a few hours then poured away before refilling with the Adox developer. I just don't know, plain and simple.

BMbikerider said:

go back to Kodak as soon as the supplier replies to my E mail.

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I wonder if it might be worth an email direct to Adox or alert them of this thread. I'm a long-time Kodak user as well, I moved to the Adox kit because as our son has got older I've found it hard to get into the darkroom very frequently.

perkeleellinen said:

I wonder if it might be worth an email direct to Adox or alert them of this thread. I'm a long-time Kodak user as well, I moved to the Adox kit because as our son has got older I've found it hard to get into the darkroom very frequently.

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I have already done so a few days before Christmas about the replenishment rate and they have not yet replied. I even wrote it in German to make it easier for them to understand.

Under English consumer law if there is a problem with a product then they, the seller are the first port of call to query what has gone wrong. They then have to work out with the manufacturer what they want to do.

Whatever happens I have found a supplier of the RA4 developer and bleach kits at £25 less than where I used to buy them so won't be going back to ADOX whatever happens.