Technidol - any formula available?

[John Bartley]

I guess the title says it all - I've searched both the web in general and the Kodak website to no avail.

cheers and thank you

 

[jim appleyard]

You probably won't find one, but if you have a copy of Anchell's "Darkroom Cookbook", there are other low-contrast dev formulas in there.

Some folks are doing TechPan (if this is what you're after) in Rodinal at very high dilutions, something like 1+100 or 1+200. A search here may tell more.

 

[colrehogan]

Photographer's Formulary has something that is supposed to be similar to Technidol.

 

[John Bartley]

Thank you for the replies folks - I was kind of afraid that it might not be available as a recipe. I was able to find the MSDS for it, so now I need to research just what the contents list means.

cheers and thank you again

 

[Gerald Koch]

Search the web for the following developers: Burton, Collins, Delagi, HFD-301, H&W Control, Perfection XR-1, POTA, SD-2415, T/O XDR-4, TDLC-3.

Developers for Tech Pan or microfilm use either very dilute solutions or a Phenidone only based developer.

 

[Tom Hoskinson]

I agree with Gerald and I've personally had the best results With Techpan developed in Perfection XR1. Looks to me like H&W Conrol should work well also. I've been intending to cook some up and try it out.

 

[Tom Hoskinson]

John, according to Kodak's MSDS technidol is a phenidone/hydroquinone (i.e. PQ)developer that uses DIETHYLENE GLYCOL as the solvent. H&W Control is also a PQ developer. A public domain H&W recipe is available on the internet:

H&W Solution A:
Water 50 ml*
Sodium sulfite 1 g
Hydroquinone 0.16 g
Sodium carbonate 4.6 g
Phenidone 1.1 g
H&W Solution B
Water 50 ml*
Sodium sulfite 8 g
Add Solution A to Solution B, then add water to make 132 ml of concentrate.
Phenidone dissolves with difficulty. Use water at approximately 55° (approximately 130°F). Mix the chemicals in the order shown, and be sure each is completely dissolved before adding the next.
This is a concentrate. To use, add water to make to 2.1 litres of working solution. Process at normal development temperatures with intermittent agitation for 14 to 18 minutes.*

Use with Bluefire Police, Agfa and Fuji microfilms, and Kodak Technical Pan. Gives unacceptably flat images on ordinary films.*

Shelf life is approximately six months in a full, tightly capped glass or PET bottle, less than one week in a partly full bottle. Refrigeration prolongs shelf life.

I've formulated a TEA (Triethanolamine version of H&W Control which I will be trying out) I'll post my recipe and the results.

 

[John Bartley]

Thank you Gerald and Tom. I did the search for XR1 and the contents "seem" to be a close match (this coming from a non-chemist = me ) for the contents listed in the Kodak Technidol msds as Tom has already said. . This may seem a bit silly, but seeing as I have 60 ($cheap) rolls of this stuff, I'm going to dilute some D23 and try it - nothing to lose eh? If it doesn't work, I'll mix the XR1 and do the next roll in it.

cheers

 

[df cardwell]

Thank you Gerald and Tom. I did the search for XR1 and the contents "seem" to be a close match (this coming from a non-chemist = me ) for the contents listed in the Kodak Technidol msds as Tom has already said. . This may seem a bit silly, but seeing as I have 60 ($cheap) rolls of this stuff, I'm going to dilute some D23 and try it - nothing to lose eh? If it doesn't work, I'll mix the XR1 and do the next roll in it.

cheers

You can get good results with FX-39. Here is a curve from Foto Import ( that is pretty much what I've obtained ) Reducing the agitation from 5 seconds twice per minute, and extending the development time, lowers the gamma above .9, but as it is, it's quite a nice answer for that finicky film.

.

 

[dancqu]

I'm going to dilute some D23 and try it -

I've put a few rolls of 120 through a 1 gram metol
1% sulfite by volume brew. At the time the volume
was 375ml. Were I to repeat those trials I would
use 500ml. I now use a two reel Kindermann for
a roll. On a liter basis the formula is 2 grams
metol and 10 grams sulfite. Consider it a
low sulfite D23.

I liked the results with Tech. Pan. I did not
continue with the trials. Tech. Pan went to
$7 plus a roll and I quit buying. Dan

 

[Alan Johnson]

I hope to find a microfilm developer to mix as the commercial ones giving good speed are quite expensive.
The H&W control formula posted above seems rather concentrated. I wonder if it would be OK to dissolve the phenidone in isopropyl alcohol and make the concentrate less concentrated.

 

[Tom Hoskinson]

I hope to find a microfilm developer to mix as the commercial ones giving good speed are quite expensive.
The H&W control formula posted above seems rather concentrated. I wonder if it would be OK to dissolve the phenidone in isopropyl alcohol and make the concentrate less concentrated.

Yes Alan, you can dissolve the phenidone in isopropyl alcohol or in one of the glycols. I find that stock solutions of phenidone dissolved in propylene gycol keep for a very long time (years).