Where Kodak D-23 go?

amellice · Nov 6, 2014

Hi everyone, I recently was reading Gregory Heisler 50 Portraits book and in one of them he said he used the Kodak D-23 and it's a good developer if you want to get details in shadows/highlights, so I got interested and started to search for this developer trying to buy it and try it out, and then i found that Kodak stopped producing it. The question is why? and is there another developer that replaced it and can give similar results?

Thanks

baachitraka · Nov 6, 2014

please tell me what other developers that don't give you shadow details when you adequately expose shadows and develop to retain details in high-lights.

jspillane · Nov 6, 2014

I believe it was simply replaced by D-76. Lots of people self mix D-23 though, as it is very easy to make from scratch.

Here is some info: http://www.kenleegallery.com/html/tech/D-23.php

(Can't speak from experience on this, I am sure wiser and more experienced minds will speak up).

baachitraka · Nov 6, 2014

Its formula is,
Metol - 7.5g
Sodium Sulfite - 100g in a liter of water.

Add a pinch of Sodium Sulfite before adding metol in the water at 52 deg C.

pdeeh · Nov 6, 2014

@ammelice - you just need to buy the chemicals and make it yourself, it's just about the simplest developer there is:
7.5g Metol
100g Sodium sulfite
1000ml water

Search this site for "D23 formula" for details on how best to mix it.
As you're in the USA the chemicals will be easy and inexpensive to buy.

amellice · Nov 6, 2014

thank you all guys

Gerald C Koch · Nov 6, 2014

I can't ever remember that D-23 was marketed commercially. Anyone ever see an ad for it?

JW PHOTO · Nov 6, 2014

Gerald C Koch said:
I can't ever remember that D-23 was marketed commercially. Anyone ever see an ad for it?

I'm only 64 Jerry and I too, have never seen an ad for it. I make my own with a pinch(32g) of pickling salt added and it works perfect for me.

Roger Cole · Nov 6, 2014

It's so easy to make there's little need to buy it pre-mixed, but if you want to do so Photographer's Formulary sells it.

Xmas · Nov 6, 2014

Roger Cole said:
It's so easy to make there's little need to buy it pre-mixed, but if you want to do so Photographer's Formulary sells it.

as well as Pota etc.

Slixtiesix · Nov 7, 2014

From what I know Perceptol or Microdol X are descendants of D23. You can use these in 1:3 dilution to tame contrast.

Xmas · Nov 7, 2014

Slixtiesix said:
From what I know Perceptol or Microdol X are descendants of D23. You can use these in 1:3 dilution to tame contrast.

No they are solvent developers which reduce speed.
D23 and other low alkaline metol only developers are low contrast box speed similar grain to D76.
Some people used a post borax bath for different effects.

Ian Grant · Nov 7, 2014

D23 was never commercially produced by Kodak Ltd in the UK and D76 pre-dated it by 13 years. Kodak's (there was a url link here which no longer exists) was close in fact the only major difference is D23 has no borax.

D23 and D25 came from the research into finer grained developers that lead to DK20/Kodatol. It's not listed as commercially available in any Kodak data books I have from the 1940's US or UK. The fact that Ken Lee shows a can on his website would indicate that there was some limited production, Ansel Adams did consultancy work for Kodak and mayb well have trialled new developers.

Ian

Xmas · Nov 7, 2014

http://www.lostlabours.co.uk/photography/formulae/developers/devD76_variants.htm

for variants

baachitraka · Nov 7, 2014

There is a small picture in,

http://www.kenleegallery.com/html/tech/D-23.php

says Kodak D-23 Developer.

Ian Grant · Nov 7, 2014

baachitraka said:
There is a small picture in,

http://www.kenleegallery.com/html/tech/D-23.php

says Kodak D-23 Developer.

The link has already been posted earlier in the thread

D23 was first published in a research paper in 1941 however Eastman Kodak & Kodak Ltd introduced Kodatol (DK20) in 1940. The research that lead to Microdol which is essentially D23 with 25g Sodium Chloride was part was part of the same project, as is D25 which is D23 with 15g Sodium Metabisulphte.

DK20 gives finer grain but there were issues with Dichroic fogging when Kodak improved their film emulsions so they fell back on Microdol and later Microdol-X.

Ian

baachitraka · Nov 7, 2014

I meant there is a picture of tin can which says Kodak D-23 Developer and wonder whether that was a commercial product or something else.

Ian Grant · Nov 7, 2014

baachitraka said:
I meant there is a picture of tin can which says Kodak D-23 Developer and wonder whether that was a commercial product or something else.

I have US Kodak Reference Manuals from 1940, 43 and slightly later, as well as 1941 & 44 Kodak Ltd UK Formulae books, as well as A Kodak Research Lab Formulary and none list D23 as being Commercially available, I did say in an earlier post in this thread that it may have been packaged for trial & testing.

Ian

baachitraka · Nov 7, 2014

Sorry!!! I did not read that.

Nevertheless, it is a good developer but then it is hard to see the difference when compared with D-76 et al.

Where Kodak D-23 go?

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