Wondering about FG-7

[Anscojohn]

Hi All,
Past discussions about Edwal FG-7 with and without sulfite led me to think that perhaps I should stockpile some. Who knows, I may wish to go back to it.
I see that Freestyle still lists it. I am wondering if I should order up a couple of quarts and stick it away in case FG-7 disappears from the market. In ye oldene dayz in which I was using FG-7, Edwal extolled the virtues of storing the concentrate in glass and it came in glass bottles. What about shelf life nowadays?
Also, the warnings sheet lists a chemical "p-benzadone, or some such stuff, which I never saw listed before. Has FG-7 changed, or has that chemical always been there, but was not on a caveat list at the time?
TIA for your advice and counsel.

 

[Mahler_one]

John: Another option might be to learn the chemical formulae, and with an inexpensive digital balance as an aide, mix your own Edwal FG-7. I note that many APUGERS mix their own solutions, and evidently such an approach is relatively easy.

Just a suggestion.

Ed

 

[Anscojohn]

Hi Ed.
Yes. That's always an option as I mix just about everything I use from scratch. For me, that would obviate one of the reasons for stock piling, though; i.e. just convenience. I have everything listed in the hazardous ingredients charts except the p-Bensoquinone, whatever the heck that is.
If the stuff is going off the market, perhaps the formula will no longer be proprietary. But in the meantime, i wonder if I should buy some from Freestyle, decant it into glass, and stick it away.

 

[gainer]

P-benzoquinone is oxidized hydroquinone, which is probably the form one would find by analysis. Maybe that is what you're looking for.

The glass bottles were nice. I still have one. It is calibrated in ounces as well as ml.

 

[Anscojohn]

P-benzoquinone is oxidized hydroquinone, which is probably the form one would find by analysis. Maybe that is what you're looking for.

The glass bottles were nice. I still have one. It is calibrated in ounces as well as ml.

*******
Oxidized hydroquinone, eh? What do you think that would be doing in a soup which is listed as containing hydroquinone as well? The hazard chart lists sodium sulfite, muriatic acid, p-Bensoquinone, sodium hydroxide, and hydroquinone.
I guess I'll just KISS and order a cuplla jugs of FG-7 and tuck it away until needed.

 

[jim appleyard]

I'm suprised it's still made. It has to be the best unkown dev out there. It seems that no one uses it.

I doubt you'll be able to find the formula as I'm sure Edwal has kept it a secret.

There are reports (Anchell?) of it not lasting too long on shelves, but I cannot verify this.

 

[Anscojohn]

I'm suprised it's still made. It has to be the best unkown dev out there. It seems that no one uses it.

I doubt you'll be able to find the formula as I'm sure Edwal has kept it a secret.

There are reports (Anchell?) of it not lasting too long on shelves, but I cannot verify this.

*****
At one time I used it exclusively. In fact, a favorite photo--a "grab shot" that looks like a portrait--of a neighborhood kitty cat was done on FP-4 souped in sulfited FG-7. A framed print is on the wall leading to my darkroom even as i write.
In my old note book, I also still have the little folders that came with each (glass) bottle of concentrate, with film "groups," developer dilutions, times and temps. FG-7 was (is) veerrrry flexible. For struggling flat-broke grad students like myself, one could even re-use a batch of diluted developer for additional rolls of film if done the same day. As you say, "best unknown dev out there."

 

[T Hoskinson]

*******
Oxidized hydroquinone, eh? What do you think that would be doing in a soup which is listed as containing hydroquinone as well? The hazard chart lists sodium sulfite, muriatic acid, p-Bensoquinone, sodium hydroxide, and hydroquinone.
I guess I'll just KISS and order a cuplla jugs of FG-7 and tuck it away until needed.

muriatic acid and sodium hydroxide

NaOH + HCl --> NaCl + H2O

That's one way to get sodium chloride into your developer....

 

[Anscojohn]

muriatic acid and sodium hydroxide

NaOH + HCl --> NaCl + H2O

That's one way to get sodium chloride into your developer....

Thanks, Tom. I am beginning to think Edwal FG7 is a rather complex developer. Good thing it's simple to use, then!

 

[Larry Bullis]

I'm suprised it's still made. It has to be the best unkown dev out there. It seems that no one uses it.

I doubt you'll be able to find the formula as I'm sure Edwal has kept it a secret.

There are reports (Anchell?) of it not lasting too long on shelves, but I cannot verify this.

I did a comparison test using a recently opened bottle and another that is something like ten years old, which had been opened long ago and a very small amount used, then closed and forgotten. There was a big difference in the slope of the curve, but not the shape. I was surprised that it wasn't much more different, but I'm not going to try to resurrect the old bottle; instead, I've ordered a new one.

I'm using it, with fp4 and I like it a lot. It was one of my mainstays some 30 years ago, and somehow I drifted away from it. At one time, until maybe the mid 1960's, it was very well known and fairly popular.

Someone(s) in prior posts seem(s) to think that it is not going to be continued to be sold, but does anyone have any concrete evidence? I had not heard of that.

I do not know of a published formula. Other formulas from Edmund Lowe are available, though. I am also using Edwal 12, which is quite different especially in the way it handles highlights, but in its general overall look can be quite similar. It might be possible to come close were one to pare the glycin in 12 to a minimum. A major difference is that E12 is superb for expansions but not very good for contractions (it was designed that way). FG7 is great for contractions as well as expansions.

 

[Richard Jepsen]

John,

I have experience with FG-7 minus the sulfite. I found FG-7 1:15 sagged midtones but was sharper than D-76. I replaced it with Rodinal as it had longer shelf life and that special look. With the exception of Rodinal and HC-110, you run the risk of a liquid developer going flat if stored over 12 months. XTOL 1:3 and D-76 1:3 provides the FG-7 equivalent sharpness and compensation. The powder XTOL and D-76 have longer shelf life when unmixed. Mixed XTOL can last 9 months or more if stored carefully.

I standardized on XTOL/D-76 and Rodinal. The two provide tonal flexibilty and keep well.