Which PYRO?

[Bill_1856]

Which PYRO film developer is "easiest" to mix and use? (Presume that it has to come from The Formulary.)

[Peter De Smidt]

Liquid Pyrocat?

[Andrew O'Neill]

Pyrocat-HD. Can you not mix up your stock solutions from scratch? And if you can, then also try Obsidian Aqua, which is even easier than pyrocat to mix up stock solutions.

[EOTS]

Hi,

I've imported the liquid version of Pyrocat HD from the Photographer's Formulary and I like the results.
There is a Glykol version, which prolongs the lifetime of the solutions.
(to AFAIK at least about 3 years)

Also if you're buying from PF, a certain amount goes to Sandy King,
the inventor of Pyrocat, which I find a nice thing.
BTW he also takes part in this forum!

Best regards,
Martin

[Regular Rod]

Which PYRO film developer is "easiest" to mix and use? (Presume that it has to come from The Formulary.)

Surely they are all fairly easy to mix? 510-PYRO has to be made at 65 deg. C but that is okay using a Pyrex beaker or jug to heat the TEA in.

OBSIDIAN AQUA can be made up at ordinary room temperatures, everything dissolves readily in this formula.

RR

[Kimberly Anderson]

I'm mixing my PMK from raw chems. Seems pretty simple if you have the right recipe and a good chem scale (and a respirator or outside location to deal with the Pyrogallic Acid).

[sanking]

"Also if you're buying from PF, a certain amount goes to Sandy King,
the inventor of Pyrocat, which I find a nice thing."

Hi Martin,

Just for clarification, I do not currently receive any remuneration from PF, or from anyone else, for the Pyrocat formulas. I like the folks at PF and am happy to see others supporting them, but any comments I make about developers is without financial conflict.

For some historical background on Pyro developers have a look an article I wrote quite some years ago, originally published at www.unnblinkingeye.com. http://www.sandykingphotography.com/resources/technical-writing/pyro-staining-developers

From my perspective it is relatively easy to mix the stock solutions of all of the major Pyro developers. The more important issue is that people mix the working solutions correctly, and follow good agitation procedures. There are mixing instructions for all of the Pyrocat variants at the Pyrocat web site.

Sandy

[EOTS]

Hi Sandy,

sorry, must have been misinformed.
Thanks for clarifying.

Well, and thanks for sharing the recipe with the world!

Martin

[sanking]

Hi Martin,

The Pyrocat formula has always been free. PF paid me royalties for a few years for the glycol based versions of Pyrocat, both -MC and -HD. I may have mentioned that at some time, on some forum, so your memory is good.

BTW, Lotus view Camera in your country was one of the first companies, after PF, to distribute Pyrocat kits. Lotus is based in Austria, right?

Sandy



Hi Sandy,

sorry, must have been misinformed.
Thanks for clarifying.

Well, and thanks for sharing the recipe with the world!

Martin

[EOTS]

BTW, Lotus view Camera in your country was one of the first companies, after PF, to distribute Pyrocat kits. Lotus is based in Austria, right?


Hi Sandy,

yes, Lotus View Camera is even in Upper Austria, the same federated country (within Austria) I'm living in.
However I've tried to contact them via Email in 2011 in a different matter (Cooke lens prices),
but nobody replied at the time ...

But thanks for reminding me, the next time running out of Pyrocat,
I'll try contacting them again, this time perhaps also via phone.

Best regards,
Martin

[climbabout]

I would also recommend pyrocat hd in glycol from Photographers Formulary. I mix it from the A & B concentrate just prior to developing - could not be easier. I have been using this for several years now.
Tim

[David Michael Bigeleisen]

I cannot compare pyro formulae for ease of use. I've only used PMK. It's fairly easy to use and gives very nice results. You have to use rubber gloves to protect yourself, which I find a bit of a nuisance, but I have gotten used to it.

If you want a good developer which is very easy to use, try X-tol. Different from pyro, but still good.

David