UFG Replenisher

[MrBrowning]

I know its discontinued but does anyone have a mthod of replenishment for UFG that doesnt include the replenisher ( that was discontinuedsome time ago)?

 

[Gerald C Koch]

Self replenishment works for some developers. Kodak has mentioned it for Xtol and HC-110. However the amount of fresh developer for each roll processed is usually quite a bit more than if a dedicated replenisher were used. The problem is in keeping bromide concentration to a workable level and maintaining the correct pH. Dedicated replenishers are formulated to treat these two problems. In the case of UFG you may have to figure out the correct amount of fresh developer to use. If this post is unsuccessful then I would recommend a brief search of the web to see if anyone else has tried this method.

 

[Christiaan Phleger]

You can go check my past posts but I think I postulated on using a 1 gal UFG can with 3/4 the water as a starting point.

 

[MrBrowning]

You can go check my past posts but I think I postulated on using a 1 gal UFG can with 3/4 the water as a starting point.

You did. I forgot I had asked the same question back in 2014. When I skimmed my old threads I must have overlooked it. Thank you.

 

[Gerald C Koch]

There is a way to use a developer without replenishment. It was a fairly common method some years ago. That is to use the developer normally for the first few rolls and then begin to increase development times as each successive roll is developed. Typically this increase might be 5 to 10% additional time for each roll. As an example only, if the development time is say 12m then after the first 2 to 4 rolls increase the time to 12 x 1.1 = 13.2 m, then 13.2 x 1.1 = 14.5m, then 14.5 x 1.1 = 16.0m, ... Obviously if you have a large volume of developer the increase might be only 5% per roll and you can process more initial rolls before you start correcting the times. The system works just as well as replenishment does. This is the system that Agfa used for their Atomal developer.

 

[Christiaan Phleger]

Yes I used to use Illford Microphen in this manner worked quite well. I'm still working thru a gallon mixed of UFG replenisher (almost rondinal like in longevity) and I'll test it when I get to the end of it with this method. UFG seems to get a bit better as it ages/seasons so conceivably this method could work very well.
I suggest any new users of UFG use it stock solution (perhaps cutting 5-10% for the first 4 rolls to cut the contrast) then saving and adding 10-15% per 4 rolls for perhaps at least 5-7 batches of 4 rolls. Knowing the continually surprising strength and longevity of UFG I'd say it would be good for 10-12 batches before it fully exhausts.