A week or so ago, I reported that I'd added some metabisulfite to my usual 3-ingredient (Phenidone, Vitamin C, Carbonate) developer, and had gotten some nice negs with the added bonus of getting all the pink out of Delta 400.
Further tweaks have been:
Mixing the Phenidone and Ascorbic Acid together with Glycol in a concentrate a la Pat Gainer's PC-Glycol (100g AA and 2.5g Phen). I add the metabisulfite (1/4 tsp.--1.3g per liter) and the 1 tsp.--6g carbonate directly to the water, then add 20ml per liter of the concentrate (1+50).
With Delta 400 and HP5+, my times are about 7:30 at 70F.
I shot some test rolls and am very pleased with results. Very, very fine grain and high accutance. Grain so fine that I can just barely see it with my grain focuser at an 11X14 blowup of a 4X5 HP5 neg, and even finer (too fine to really see clearly) with a 6X7 Delta 400 neg. Long tonal scale with good shadow detail and unblocked highlights at half the manufacturer-recommended ISO.
Also similar results for ACROS.
The pH is about 9.5.
I'm pleased.
Larry
Further tweaks have been:
Mixing the Phenidone and Ascorbic Acid together with Glycol in a concentrate a la Pat Gainer's PC-Glycol (100g AA and 2.5g Phen). I add the metabisulfite (1/4 tsp.--1.3g per liter) and the 1 tsp.--6g carbonate directly to the water, then add 20ml per liter of the concentrate (1+50).
With Delta 400 and HP5+, my times are about 7:30 at 70F.
I shot some test rolls and am very pleased with results. Very, very fine grain and high accutance. Grain so fine that I can just barely see it with my grain focuser at an 11X14 blowup of a 4X5 HP5 neg, and even finer (too fine to really see clearly) with a 6X7 Delta 400 neg. Long tonal scale with good shadow detail and unblocked highlights at half the manufacturer-recommended ISO.
Also similar results for ACROS.
The pH is about 9.5.
I'm pleased.
Larry