simple paper developers ?

[removed account4]

can anyone tell me if there are any simple paper developers, like 2 simple ingredients ( a la D23 for film )
ive run low on my standbys and I don't want to deal with mail order or going to my local store to buy something
if I can make something simple here.

I've looked through the recipe / resources section and everything is so like lots of ingredients... any suggestions ?

 

[Patrick Robert James]

Ansco 120 is Metol only, but you still need Carbonate, sulfite and a restrainer. The problem too with simple is they are slow. You might have a developing time of 5 minutes. You can get around that by mixing it up real strong. I've done that with Ansco 120. Just use the stock and times get back to normal.

Metol 12.3g
Sodium Sulfite 36g
Sodium Carbonate 36g
KBr 1.8g

Standard dilution is 1:2 but I just use it stock.

Perhaps the simplest thing would be to just figure out a teaspoon version of a developer. Paper develops of course don't have to be that accurate. Something with Ascorbic Acid and Metol should be easy. E72 is a decent one that is supposed to use Phenidone but you can use Metol instead.

Metol 3g
Sodium Sulfite 45g
Ascorbic Acid 19g
Sod. Carbonate 90g
KBr 1.9g

Dilute 1:1 to 1:4. I use it practically full strength.


Frankly an eenie meenie miny moe developer would probably work fine too. Just throw a half teaspoon of whatever developing agent you have with a couple to three teaspoons of sulfite and a couple to three teaspoons of Carbonate. Toss in a bit of KBr and Bob's your uncle... If it isn't fast enough throw in some more carbonate. Good enough is good enough sometimes.

 

[Saganich]

Well, Metol, sodium sulfite, sodium carbonate at 1:10:30 ratio should get you something. The Ansco 120 is good and if you're not worried about fog I think you can eliminate the kBr.

 

[koraks]

I don't want to deal with mail order or going to my local store to buy something
if I can make something simple here.

List what you've got sitting around the house.

everything is so like lots of ingredients

'Lots' is a bit of a subjective term. Most paper developers I use are 3-4 components. I wouldn't call that 'lots' and I don't consider it a burden, since it's all bog-standard stuff that's easy to work with.

 

[removed account4]

you guys are great, thanks for the suggestions

 

[MattKing]

Caffenol brewed really strong?
I would suggest X-Tol, but I know John won't go for that!
Good luck with your quest.

 

[removed account4]

List what you've got sitting around the house.


'Lots' is a bit of a subjective term. Most paper developers I use are 3-4 components. I wouldn't call that 'lots' and I don't consider it a burden, since it's all bog-standard stuff that's easy to work with.

lets see
I have metol, sodium sulfite ammonia, sodium carbonate, Vit c, HQ, coffee, tea, Kbr, shallots ( I think ), tomatoes, rosemary, and garlic ...
im getting low on Kbr, have a little bit of grayish black glycin.

my comment about the lots, is like most things having to do with photography people make simple things really complex .. not sure if the complex things are better .. they're just more of a PITA to deal with. like the caffenol crew, they made a very simple recipe made with teaspoons and table spoons more complex with gram scales and additional ingredients, is it better ? not sure .. maybe? or maybe people want it to be better because they spent so much more effort in making it. LOL, so it better be better gosh darn it!

Caffenol brewed really strong?
I would suggest X-Tol, but I know John won't go for that!
Good luck with your quest.

HA! nooooo. I use Sumatranol C as my Vit c developer, but thanks for the suggestion

 

[koraks]

Metol, HQ, sulfite and carbonate will make a perfectly acceptable print developer. If you want to spoon instead of measure it, I'd suggest a tablespoon of HQ, half a teaspoon of metol, a tablespoon of sulfite and a tablespoon of carbonate. Probably not perfect or the most efficient solution, but it'll work fine.

 

[mshchem]

Hydroquinone, Metol, sodium sulfite, KBr, maybe a couple other things. You have a "universal kit" that will last forever. All anyone really needs is D52, D72 and D76 to cover everything.

I love Ilford Bromophen, 5L of stock solution costs me less than 20 USD to make, I split that into 4 1 L bottles and 4 250mL bottles. Kept full, the stock keeps indefinitely (glass or PET) . To make working solution I take a 250mL bottle add 750mL to make working solution that works easily for 20 to 30 prints. Even working solution keeps well in a full bottle.

 

[pentaxuser]

jnantz, this thread got me searching and I found two videos which meet your requirement of two ingredients. Well really its three but one is so normal for you that it is hardly any more of an ingredient that air is. It's, you've guessed it, coffee!

So it is coffee, vitamin C and washing soda and that's it. What is produced is a kind of a light brown toned print that is a little like sepia but isn't in the sense that the look is probably unique to coffee. I thought this "look" has promise. A kind of an "old days" look that a toner called "antique dye" from Fotospeed produces but the coffee print is probably mote subtle

Are there any drawbacks? Yes there are but in both videos this is discussed. However the Ribsy video make it clearer

Anyway have a look at both if you are interested: They are :

and:

Enjoy

pentaxuser

 

[koraks]

What is produced is a kind of a light brown toned print

Yeah, great, if that's what you're looking for. But kind of crappy if that's the only choice you got, especially for prints.
Btw, I'm pretty sure jnantz thought of caffenol for prints, given the fact that he seems to develop all of his film in caffenol + a dash of whatever print developer he has on hand (preferably ansco 130 if memory serves).

 

[removed account4]

Yeah, great, if that's what you're looking for. But kind of crappy if that's the only choice you got, especially for prints.
Btw, I'm pretty sure jnantz thought of caffenol for prints, given the fact that he seems to develop all of his film in caffenol + a dash of whatever print developer he has on hand (preferably ansco 130 if memory serves).

exactamundo !
I also process prints in the same developer . showed some of them in the caffenol cookbook
I usually jump start the process in regular print developer otherwise you are waiting around forever. ...

 

[pentaxuser]

Fine, jnantz. I haven''t seen or even knew about your book. All I went on was your first sentence:
can anyone tell me if there are any simple paper developers, like 2 simple ingredients

It was not an attempt to insult your knowledge of caffenol or its uses

pentaxuser

 

[juan]

Gainer said PC-TEA made a pretty good paper developer.

 

[removed account4]

It was not an attempt to insult your knowledge of caffenol or its uses

No worries. I wasn’t offended ..

 

[pentaxuser]

No worries. I wasn’t offended ..

Yes I thought I had nearly managed to meet your requirement of only 2 ingredients but it's the old story of trying to work out what the customer/user/thread starter actually wants before offering help.

These days I find I have to think more carefully before replying to most threads. Time I replied to less threads, I think

pentaxuser

 

[removed account4]

Yes I thought I had nearly managed to meet your requirement of only 2 ingredients but it's the old story of trying to work out what the customer/user/thread starter actually wants before offering help.

These days I find I have to think more carefully before replying to most threads. Time I replied to less threads, I think

pentaxuser

naah I wouldn’t worry about it. If I wasn’t already a Java fiend would have been a useful choice ... but I've been drinking coffee since I was a tike and my film has since IDK 2006 AND I'm in it deep enough that I've been roasting my own green sumatran robusta beans to make caffenol ( much better than instant unless its "el gringo" found in a French super market ) for myself and to sell to others for about 12-13 years, if you want some. let me know

 

[Murray Kelly]

Rosemary makes a very strong film developer. Why not paper? A list and samples of polyphenols.
https://www.35mmc.com/18/08/2020/po...es-a-world-full-of-options-by-daniel-keating/

 

[removed account4]

Rosemary makes a very strong film developer. Why not paper? A list and samples of polyphenols.
https://www.35mmc.com/18/08/2020/po...es-a-world-full-of-options-by-daniel-keating/

thanks Murray ! might just have to do this .
luckily there is a shop near me that sells rosemary spice for 1$ a cylinder so I might just stock up

 

[Murray Kelly]

J, it grows like a weed in the backyard. Great with roast leg of lamb. Yum
AS for sulfite, Gainer always said 10g of ascorbate was equal to 80 of sulfite. Another possble substitute ingredient?!
Using spoons and one-shot maybe you could forget the Fenton reaction?

 

[Raghu Kuvempunagar]

@jnantz: this pine needle-soda paper developer could be of interest to you:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1438777439673554/?multi_permalinks=3633887673495842

 

[removed account4]

J, it grows like a weed in the backyard. Great with roast leg of lamb. Yum
AS for sulfite, Gainer always said 10g of ascorbate was equal to 80 of sulfite. Another possble substitute ingredient?!
Using spoons and one-shot maybe you could forget the Fenton reaction?

excellent !
thanks . (between rosemary and my vanilla scented stop bath im gonna be starved )

@jnantz: this pine needle-soda paper developer could be of interest to you:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1438777439673554/?multi_permalinks=3633887673495842

shucks im not on FB .. says its private

 

[Raghu Kuvempunagar]

shucks im not on FB .. says its private

"Recipe:
1. Boil a small bunch of pine needles in 8 ounces of tap water for a few minutes, then allow to cool.
2. Add 4 teaspoons of arm and hammer washing soda.
3. Add 1/2 teaspoons of iodized salt. (optional) The salt was added to slow down the development time.
4. Chilled to 20c/68f degrees. Works at room temperature at an faster development time.
5. Tray develop under a safe light."

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Hydroquinone, Metol, sodium sulfite, KBr, maybe a couple other things. You have a "universal kit" that will last forever. All anyone really needs is D72 and D76 to cover almost everything.

I love Ilford Bromophen, 5L of stock solution costs me less than 20 USD to make, I split that into 4 1 L bottles and 4 250mL bottles. Kept full, the stock keeps indefinitely (glass or PET) . To make working solution I take a 250mL bottle add 750mL to make working solution that works easily for 20 to 30 prints. Even working solution keeps well in a full bottle.

certainly worked for me the last 25 years!

 

[removed account4]

"Recipe:
1. Boil a small bunch of pine needles in 8 ounces of tap water for a few minutes, then allow to cool.
2. Add 4 teaspoons of arm and hammer washing soda.
3. Add 1/2 teaspoons of iodized salt. (optional) The salt was added to slow down the development time.
4. Chilled to 20c/68f degrees. Works at room temperature at an faster development time.
5. Tray develop under a safe light."

fantastic!!
thanks . we have lots of pine needles here