Spoon measure needed, please

[Ulophot]

I've been making D23 with spoons for years. I'm thinking of trying divided D23 but I need a teaspoon measure for the Borax for solution B. I have spent 20 minutes searching this site (via Google) and others and can't find the divided part in spoon measure.

I have a digital kitchen scale that registers in grams, but I am leery of its accuracy at such tiny amounts. 10 grams per liter is Adams's last formula, and that's only about 1/3 of an ounce. Since I use a Stearman 4x5 tank which takes 16 oz./.4xx L, a spoon measure for 5 grams would be handy but not essential.

[jnantz]

hi
I've never seen Adam's formula and I have to admit I haven't used DD23 but it's always been on my bucket list of things to try / use, I've had the chemicals for years but I have to much coffee in my garage so I have to wait. I always went by Joe Lipka's article on the unblinking eye that the measure for the Kodalk is 10%. ... if that's the same measure you are using it seems there are just over 25 tablespoons in 16 oz so 1/10th of that would be 2 1/2 tablespoons or 2 tablespoons and 1 1/2 teaspoons :). YMMV of course im not sure if a smidgen over or under will make or break your negatives, or if you are using "regulation" teaspoon / tablespoons or what your methodology of scoop is. I know that an "Italian tablespoon" when I made pasta is a giant heaping tablespoon there is back of knife, scrape off excess / exit measure .. good luck !

https://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/DD-23/dd-23.html
https://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?3834-Divided-D23-The-Perfect-Film-Developer

[paulbarden]

I use this recipe (https://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/DD-23/dd-23.html) for Divided D-23, which uses 2g of Borax per liter of water for Part B.

I just measured out 2 grams of Borax, and it is exactly 1/2 teaspoon in volume.

If you're going to use the Adams version which requires 10 grams of Borax, then it would be easy to measure out 2.5 teaspoons of Borax. I've never used the Adams formula, since I find the 2g/liter works just fine.

[John Layton]

Thinking it not likely that all photo chemicals are "spoon-measure friendly"...it would still be great to have book of "spoon measure" photo chemistry recipes.

[koraks]

This is for your amusement: https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/teaspoon-formulas-and-stickies.194573/

I suspect the borax measurement isn't very critical.

[nolindan]

Spoon <-> gram conversions for various chemicals are available in the back of Troop.

The conversion depends on the form of the chemical - crystal size, distribution, level of hydration. For some I have had to make my own equivalencies.

With B&W photo formulas, if the quantities are withing 10% or so that seems to be all that matters. There may be exceptions but I haven't found them. YMMV and all that; as everyone (?) here is doing this for fun it doesn't matter if measurements are made to the nearest pinch or the nearest picogram.

[paulbarden]

This is for your amusement: https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/teaspoon-formulas-and-stickies.194573/

I suspect the borax measurement isn't very critical.

I'm sure that is true. You could likely pick any measurement between 2 and 10 grams and the results won't be dramatically different.

[Michael R]

For what it's worth, the amount of borax in the second bath for typical A (metol-sulfite) + B (alkali) developers is not critical. Some years ago I tested this and found virtually no sensitometric difference from 5-20g (the test range).

Incidentally Adams used metaborate which is more alkaline than borax. I included metaborate in my tests at various concentrations and there was still basically no difference. I had to go to carbonate to see any meaningful difference.

With this type of developer, the important thing is that solution B allow for development to proceed fast enough so that substantially all of the absorbed developing solution from bath A works to completion/exhaustion. Contrast is determined by the development time in bath A.


I've been making D23 with spoons for years. I'm thinking of trying divided D23 but I need a teaspoon measure for the Borax for solution B. I have spent 20 minutes searching this site (via Google) and others and can't find the divided part in spoon measure.

I have a digital kitchen scale that registers in grams, but I am leery of its accuracy at such tiny amounts. 10 grams per liter is Adams's last formula, and that's only about 1/3 of an ounce. Since I use a Stearman 4x5 tank which takes 16 oz./.4xx L, a spoon measure for 5 grams would be handy but not essential.

[Doremus Scudder]

According to the Darkroom Cookbook, 1 tsp. of Borax (sodium tetraborate) is 3.8 grams. Since the exact amount isn't that critical, you can just use that and go.

However, if you want to be more precise, establish your own baseline. I weigh a tsp of each chemical I use in spoon recipes when I get it. There are often small variances from batch-to-batch caused by the different powder/crystal size, etc.

There's a weight-to-spoon conversion chart for most commonly-used photo chemicals in the back of the Darkroom Cookbook, but it has some errors in it as well, so it's good to weigh things yourself once.

Best,

Doremus

[mdarnton]

I'm sure that is true. You could likely pick any measurement between 2 and 10 grams and the results won't be dramatically different.

This. The whole point of split development is to exhaust the part A that carries over. When that's done, from that point it's all over.

[GoodOldNorm]

http://www.pictorialplanet.com/advanced_photography/D23.html

[Tin Can]

I have 4 Digi scales

All cheap, from China I bet

The little one weighs tiny powder and your breath if you are not careful

Middle is food sized

3rd is Postal to 90lbs

last my body scale

I have checked them all and use tare cups with poison

I dislike ALL powder and dust

Factory liquids are safer

[Ulophot]

Thanks to all; this has been very informative from various angles, respecting both amount and criticality of measure. Michael R's testing results are good to know. This is one of the things I love about this forum at its best.

Those who use Metol will know that it has an unusual, compressible texture, a bit like a variety of moist but very light snow, the small crystals of which stick together, which makes levelling-off the top of the spoon with a straight edge a bit more delicate than with, say, sodium sulfite, even though I keep a silicate packet in the Metol jar. But, it's a bit like measuring flour for baking bread or agitating film in the developer -- within certain parameters, consistency is the main factor.

Thanks again.