Kodak D23 Question

[IanBarber]

To make up 1 Litre you use 7.5 of Metol and 100g of Sodium Sulfite which I understand can last around six months.

Rather make a full Litre, can you just make say 500ml with 1/2 the amount of chemicals. I appreciate the shelf life might be reduced.

Ian

[Renato Tonelli]

Yes.
It’s exactly what I do when I won’t be needing a liter of D-23.

[Ulophot]

I have not had problems with shelf life so far with D-23, which is all I have been using for the past several years. You may wish to invest in some 8- and 4-oz amber glass bottles. Oxidation will age the developer faster than time. By keeping stock that you are not using in completely full smaller bottles, you'll be able to maintain activity longer. Your initial search may turn up lots of 16 bottles and up (way up!), but keep at it; try searching for 4-pack or 6-pack, etc.

[Jim Noel]

I keep D-23 at all times. If kept at a constant temperature, used undiluted, it keeps for a year or more. I use it for those special negatives which won't respond as I like for one reason of another, especially those made of flat subjects in flat light.

[IanBarber]

Yes.
It’s exactly what I do when I won’t be needing a liter of D-23.

Great news, thank you


I keep D-23 at all times. If kept at a constant temperature, used undiluted, it keeps for a year or more. I use it for those special negatives which won't respond as I like for one reason of another, especially those made of flat subjects in flat light.

This was going to be my next question.

Do you see much difference between say diluted at 1+1 or Stock or even 1+3 ?
What makes you turn to D23 for subjects made in flat light.

Ian

[Ulophot]

My two cents:

I use it 1:1 and am happy with the times and contrast range available. I haven't had time to start testing and comparing straight to 1:1. I might get to it for shorter push development times.

1:3 can be used for taming excessive illuminance ranges, and it can produce beautiful high-value separation and rendition, but, in my experience, at the cost the lower values, which sink disproportionately. For this reason, I use David Kachel's SLIMT technique for any development less than N-1, in all formats. This is a simple technique using a extremely highly diluted ferricyanide bleach bath for a few minutes prior to development, followed by (usually) normal (N) development. The bleach tames the high values while affecting the low values very little, and the Normal development helps to maintain mid-tone separation. Details are here:

https://www.freestylephoto.biz/016500-Formulary-David-Kachel-s-SLIMT-Bleach-Kit-2-x-500ml.

See the Downloads tab. You can buy the kit or order the two chemicals from Photographers' Formulary, B&H, or other suppliers.

[Michael R]

D-23 was originally formulated to work very similarly to D-76.

It can be mixed in whatever quantity, as long as the proportions are kept the same.

As for dilution, the usual generalities of a solvent developer tend to apply - that is, slight increases in both sharpness and graininess as dilution increases. With most general purpose films the characteristic curve should remain essentially the same if the development time for the diluted developer is adjusted so that contrast matches that produced by the undiluted developer.