Zone VI chemicals are gone - Calumet confirms

[William McEwen]

I e-mailed Calumet about the sudden absence of Zone VI chemicals from its Web site. Here is the response:

The chemistry line has been discontinued- the company that manufactured the formula for us went bankrupt and closed up shop. Attempts have been made to source another, but it's economics- the cost to produce would be high, as would be the final price. That would erode demand even more.

Steve Smith
Internet Sales Representative - United States

[jeroldharter]

At least I have a good stash. But eventually I will have to change developers. William, do you have a replacement in mind?

[William McEwen]

Jerold, I am going with Dektol. It's similar to Zone VI, however if memory serves, the Dektol prints don't require quite as much exposure.

That's the easy part.

I'm going to miss Zone VI Hypo! Just pour the contents into a gallon of water, stir it up, and it's ready. No measuring the powder.

[J D Clark]

Argh! Just when I got it dialed in with the Zone VI print developer and the new Adox MCC 110 paper. I was just thinking that I needed to order some more...

John Clark
www.johndclark.com

[Doremus Scudder]

Not to panic!

Zone VI chemicals were never top-secret, exotic formulas. As far as I can ascertain, the Zone VI print developer (which I still have a stash of somewhere...) is nothing more that a standard PQ print developer (probably Bromophen, which would be a logical substitute John). Dektol, D-72 and other MQ formulas will act similarly.

The Zone VI fixer was, I believe, the Kodak odorless F-6 formula. It contains a hardener that is really not necessary. Rapid fixers such as Kodak Rapid Fix (without the hardener), Ilford Rapid Fix or Hypam, etc. are more than an adequate replacement and more convenient in my estimation.

Plain Hypo is available in bulk from TheChemistryStore.com, Photographers' Formulary, Artcraft and others. There are also a number of wetting agents on the market to replace the Zone VI product. I guess we'll have to weigh out two pounds per gallon instead of just pouring in the contents of the bag, but all is not lost :-)

There is really nothing that is going lost; you'll just have to change suppliers/brands. I imagine that Harmon (who was likely the supplier for some of the Zone VI chemicals through Ilford by my guess), or whoever white-branded their chemicals for Zone VI and then Calumet has decided to withdraw that service.

Best,

Doremus Scudder

[William McEwen]

OK, anyone want to recommend a good scale?

[RichardRitter]

I buy Hypo 22 pounds at a time and have a scoop about the size of the Zone VI Hypo bag quantity and just take a scoop and add it to a gallon of water. You can also use a measuring cup.

[rdenney]

I'm going to miss Zone VI Hypo! Just pour the contents into a gallon of water, stir it up, and it's ready. No measuring the powder.

There is always Kodafix. When I built my last darkroom, I vowed never to mix powders again, and in addition to HC-110 for film and what is now Multigrade for paper, I used Kodafix. Seemed to work fine. It is a hardening fixer, if that's what you prefer.

Rick "who doesn't miss darkroom work" Denney

[David de Gruyl]

I used sprint (all liquids). Paper developer works. I have no idea what it is. Fixer is a rapid type, and you can add or not add hardener as you like. I am very un-picky about print developers, just throwing this out there for "good and cheap".

[Robert Hughes]

"good and cheap".
When I was a kid growing up in New Jersey, they said you could develop film in the Rahway River that flowed through my town. Heaven help you if you fell in from a boat though - you'd probably dissolve before you drowned! :D

[David de Gruyl]

When I was a kid growing up in New Jersey, they said you could develop film in the Rahway River that flowed through my town. Heaven help you if you fell in from a boat though - you'd probably dissolve before you drowned! :D

It is cleaner now... At least that is what they say.

[J D Clark]

Not to panic!

Zone VI chemicals were never top-secret, exotic formulas. As far as I can ascertain, the Zone VI print developer (which I still have a stash of somewhere...) is nothing more that a standard PQ print developer (probably Bromophen, which would be a logical substitute John). Dektol, D-72 and other MQ formulas will act similarly.


I'm not *too* concerned, there are alternatives. What I lament is the ten years of experience with that particular developer. I like to think that experience with the materials used has value. Maybe I won't notice much difference going to something else, but then again, maybe it'll take some time before I recognize the difference...

John Clark
www.johndclark.com