Why mix your own developer

cliveh · Jun 27, 2012

Picking up on a post from Photo Jim about D76, why would you want to mix your own developer when there are plenty excellent ready formula ready made like D76, Rodinal, and Xtol etc.?

Kirk Keyes · Jun 27, 2012

It's fun, it's educational, and it can save money in the long run.

cliveh · Jun 27, 2012

Kirk Keyes said:
It's fun, it's educational, and it can save money in the long run.

I can understand the fun and perhaps educational, but not to save money.

Ian Grant · Jun 27, 2012

Because it's quick, saves money, I can make up developers not commercially available, as well as toners, fixers, HCA etc.

Ian

removed account4 · Jun 27, 2012

cliveh said:
Picking up on a post from Photo Jim about D76, why would you want to mix your own developer when there are plenty excellent ready formula ready made like D76, Rodinal, and Xtol etc.?

hi clive

i don't use any of the ready made formulas for prints or film ..
pretty much the only print developer i have used for nearly 12 years has been ansco 130
it comes as a kit that i have to mix myself ... and i buy about 6 gallons which lasts me about a year.
i use ansco 130 for film as well dilute a bit, and have for about 12 years as well ....
about 6 years ago whiteymorange, here on apug, got me hooked on caffenol-c, and THAT doesn't come ready made either ...
my formula for that is a bit more haphazard ... i used to use instant coffee but started to use whole beans that i either roast or leave green
brew into coffee, and then mix in random amounts of sodium carbonate and vit c and a 1/2 jigger of ansco 130 just for fun ...

if either 130 or caffenol 130 ( or sumatronal 130 ) were ready-made i'd use them in a heartbeat ! but they aren't ...
ansco130 or one of its variants used to be available ready-made, it was GAF universal, and it came in a big red can
but that was 30-40 years ago ... if gaf universal was still available, i'd use that ...

i mix them, not so much because i like to mix them, but because it is what i am using, and what i am used to using ...

cliveh · Jun 27, 2012

jnanian said:
hi clive

i don't use any of the ready made formulas for prints or film ..
pretty much the only print developer i have used for nearly 12 years has been ansco 130
it comes as a kit that i have to mix myself ... and i buy about 6 gallons which lasts me about a year.
i use ansco 130 for film as well dilute a bit, and have for about 12 years as well ....
about 6 years ago whiteymorange, here on apug, got me hooked on caffenol-c, and THAT doesn't come ready made either ...
my formula for that is a bit more haphazard ... i used to use instant coffee but started to use whole beans that i either roast or leave green
brew into coffee, and then mix in random amounts of sodium carbonate and vit c and a 1/2 jigger of ansco 130 just for fun ...

if either 130 or caffenol 130 ( or sumatronal 130 ) were ready-made i'd use them in a heartbeat ! but they aren't ...
ansco130 or one of its variants used to be available ready-made, it was GAF universal, and it came in a big red can
but that was 30-40 years ago ... if gaf universal was still available, i'd use that ...

i mix them, not so much because i like to mix them, but because it is what i am using, and what i am used to using ...

John, but why? Is it just a fun thing, or do you feel any ready mix wont give you the results you want?

mwdake · Jun 27, 2012

Because it is fun.
And, I can mix the amounts I need.
I mix up just 100ml of Pyrocat HD or 1 liter of Thornton's Two Bath and I find I can those amounts without having to worry about it going off before it all gone.

fotoroberto · Jun 27, 2012

Why not! That way you can also tweak commercial formulas, adapt developer to suit your taste and so on. Not to mention benefits for large format film users. They need to adapt developing of each negative to the way they exposed them. It is harder and maybe inconvenient for regular leica and MF shooter, but it is how it is done, the right way.
One more thing, who knows what to expect of foto chem and materials market in the future, better to be on your own...

cliveh · Jun 27, 2012

fotoroberto said:
Why not! That way you can also tweak commercial formulas, adapt developer to suit your taste and so on. Not to mention benefits for large format film users. They need to adapt developing of each negative to the way they exposed them. It is harder and maybe inconvenient for regular leica and MF shooter, but it is how it is done, the right way.
One more thing, who knows what to expect of foto chem and materials market in the future, better to be on your own...

To make an analogy, isn't that like trying to make your own malt whisky?

Ian Grant · Jun 27, 2012

cliveh said:
To make an analogy, isn't that like trying to make your own malt whisky?

Not a good analogy as Malt whisky is harder to make and needs a ver high level of skill and knowledge, we are talking relatively simple easy chemistry.

Ian

cliveh · Jun 27, 2012

Ian Grant said:
Not a good analogy as Malt whisky is harder to make and needs a ver high level of skill and knowledge, we are talking relatively simple easy chemistry.

Ian

But are you?

Ian Grant · Jun 27, 2012

cliveh said:
But are you?

Yes.

eclarke · Jun 27, 2012

Why not just send your film to Walmart? I want better control so I mix my own..

Gerald C Koch · Jun 27, 2012

cliveh said:
I can understand the fun and perhaps educational, but not to save money.

You can save money if you know where to buy your chemicals.

tony lockerbie · Jun 27, 2012

It's like the chemistry sets that we had as children, just never grew up that's all. I did try to make brandy but my still exploded so I stick to just mixing chems.

removed account4 · Jun 27, 2012

cliveh said:
John, but why? Is it just a fun thing, or do you feel any ready mix wont give you the results you want?

hi clive

for me the store bought ready made chemicals don't give me the results i want.
to be honest, i don't think it is fun to mix up ansco 130, it takes time .. but once mixed
the stock solution is good for about a year, even longer... and the caffenol/sumatranol
i don't mix all the time either, i use it for 4-6 months, remove 1L then make another L,
to replace it.
i never mix anything from scratch each time i process film or make prints ...

i can see how some people enjoy making these things from scratch ...
for years i made my own dough + sauce + pizza, and once in a while i make my own pasta ..
its about the same level of difficulty as mixing photo chemistry from scratch ...

YMMV
john

tkamiya · Jun 27, 2012

I'm about to start doing this.

My motivation is not really to save money - although it's going to be quite economical in the long run. I can make small batch at a time for say 2 months worth. Doing this with read-made developer requires buying those 1 liter packs which are quite costly. Perfect for small time operation like mine. Also, there are a lot of common components various chemicals. It doesn't require as many chems as one might initially think.

Ultimately, it's an individual decision. You aren't going to get consensus over this.

yeknom02 · Jun 27, 2012

I could be mistaken, but I calculated the costs of mixing up my own D-72 (similar to Dektol print developer) and found it would be a few dollars per liter (of stock solution) more expensive than just buying the 1-gallon packet of Dektol. I wonder how many chemical formulae you really save money by mixing at home.

bblhed · Jun 27, 2012

As close as I come to mixing my own is adding water to D-76, I wish that I could mix my own for so many reasons, but the main thing that holds me back is the ability to get chemicals in reasonable size packs.

As for saving money, if you know how to mix your own you can also adjust your own to get a result you want without a ton of work in some other part of the process. And as you know T=$.

Ian Grant · Jun 27, 2012

yeknom02 said:
I could be mistaken, but I calculated the costs of mixing up my own D-72 (similar to Dektol print developer) and found it would be a few dollars per liter (of stock solution) more expensive than just buying the 1-gallon packet of Dektol. I wonder how many chemical formulae you really save money by mixing at home.

Raw hemicals come down in price when you buy larger quantities, actually by very significant amouints. I've bought photo-chemicals in sizes from a few grams to a few metric tonnes. The price differential is startling.

Ian

trojancast · Jun 27, 2012

I'm not sure it's about saving money. More to it than that.

Mark Fisher · Jun 27, 2012

I mix my own toners and alt process stuff, but I am quite happy with Eco-Pro for prints and Rodinal for paper and film. Mixing up stuff you don't use often makes sense simply because you can mix small quantities up fresh or at least keep solutions separate to maximize shelf life. I do that with Clerc's Gold Toner and thiocarbimide. There are lots of good commercial products out there especially for film and print developers, stop, fixer, selenium toner etc. Unless they don't do what you want or it isn't available otherwise, I wouldn't bother mixing up your own. If you enjoy the idea of mixing up your own, it certainly isn't all that difficult. It is really hard to save money doing it......if you saw my stock of raw chemicals that only have a little used, you'd know what I mean!

Kav · Jun 27, 2012

I mix my own because I tend to travel alot and develop film on the road. Powder packs easier then liquids. And is much easier to take/ship overseas.

dpurdy · Jun 27, 2012

It isn't fun, it is just the best way. Especially if you do a lot of darkroom work. You not only save a lot of money but you can mix things that aren't available premixed.
I use shell loading scales for paper developer and a nicer set of scales for film and platinum.
You can, as I do, buy sodium sulfite from swimming pool supply places as well as sodium carbonate (soda Ash) in 50 or 60 pound bags for a fraction of what you pay for that stuff in a photo supply store. Mix your own hypo clear as well.
For printing I always have absolutely fresh developer and as I did today when I only needed to print 3 RC prints, I can mix a very small amount of developer at a time.
You can also mix your own formulas or augment published formulas. I have set variations I make depending on the paper I use.
Mixing isn't difficult, but if you are a once a month printer, it isn't necessary either. It is part of mastering your craft, but only if you have the time for it.
Dennis

John Austin · Jun 28, 2012

I feel that making your own dev' etc only makes sense if you use large quantities, or need odd things like two bath film or print developers

I make all my own because of large throughput and the cheapness of bulk buying, also I use DrBeer's print dev'

However, if you want to make your own dev' because you like playing chemistry sets, then making meth-amphetamine is more involved and vastly more profitable than photography, which is why we drive an old Ford ute and not a new BMW

Why mix your own developer

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