Id11

[NoBob]

I'm going to prepare some ID11 (1L) for developing some sheets of HP5+ tomorrow.

As I've got more than six sheets (the MOD54 in the 1L Paterson tank only holds six sheets) to develop, I'm thinking of making a 1+1 dilution so I can load up the tank twice.

Is this the way to make a 1+1 solution?

Pour the Part A powder in about 600ml of deionised water. Use stirrer to mix.

Add Part B powder and top up with deionised water to make 1 litre of stock solution.

Pour off 500ml of the stock solution into a separate container. Top up each of the two containers with 500ml of deionised water to make a total of 2L of 1+1.

Or do I just use the stock solution twice, and increase the development time the second time?

[Mick Fagan]

You are correct.

You make up one litre of stock developer solution from the packet. This will store well in a tightly stoppered glass bottle or similar. I myself use old glass jars that originally held jam, juice or any other product. To get rid of excess air I use glass marbles placed into the container to bring the level right up to the top then put the lid/stopper on/in.

When you are ready to develop, you mix your 1+1 developing solution with equal parts stock solution and water.

One litre of stock solution will make 2 litres of working solution at 1+1.

You do have the option of using the stock solution twice and increasing the development time. I have done that, but for more decades than I care to remember, I have been using developer in a one shot developing situation and a dilution of 1+1 for best results.

If your stock solution has sat around for a while, one or two months, you may wish to filter it before using it, sometimes it is possible for little things to either be there, or grow there, especially if you haven't used super clean water or normal tap water and your stock solution has been subjected to daylight. I just use a simple coffee filter from the supermarket and a funnel. Takes about 5 minutes for 500ml to go through the filter, then dilute the stock solution and you are off.

You may also entertain the thought of doing a 1+3 dilution, but I would leave that for a later time after you have some developing sessions under your belt.

Best of luck and let us know how you went.

Mick.

[NoBob]

Thanks Mick,

Where do you get the marbles from?

I haven't seen any since I was at school.

[Jac@stafford.net]

This will store well in a tightly stoppered glass bottle or similar. I myself use old glass jars that originally held jam, juice or any other product.

Mick wrote 'glass'. Don't shortcut by using an ordinary plastic bottle. Some plastics let oxygen pass through to spoil the chemistry.

Marbles? If there is a Dollar Store you can buy them for about two-pennies each.

[NoBob]

Ok about the glass, understood, thanks.

Anyone know where to buy marbles outside the U.S.?

[Mick Fagan]

Ok about the glass, understood, thanks.

Anyone know where to buy marbles outside the U.S.?

As we have no idea in which part of the world you reside in, asking for help is a bit of an ask, glass is heavy if you are going to use a postal system to deliver.

In Australia there are many places, including online, like here:

http://www.koch.com.au/buy/glass-mar...am-jar/35022cl

I however picked mine up from garage sales, and in one memorable encounter at a primary school fete, I picked up (literally), a small bucket of marbles of all sizes and denominations for a few dollars; one of my better darkroom purchases.

Mick.

[Ian Gordon Bilson]

Marbles are a heavy,clumsy method , in my humble opinion. A spray of butane gas works as well to displace air.
PET bottles (carbonated drinks) have low permeability, but glass is always the best.
And,if ID-11 is anything like D-76, (and most people agree ), you should let the stock mature for a few days.
In my bitter experience, it will disappoint if used straight after mixing.

[Mick Fagan]

Marbles are a heavy,clumsy method , in my humble opinion. A spray of butane gas works as well to displace air.
PET bottles (carbonated drinks) have low permeability, but glass is always the best.
And,if ID-11 is anything like D-76, (and most people agree ), you should let the stock mature for a few days.
In my bitter experience, it will disappoint if used straight after mixing.

I do agree that you can use a spray to do effectively the same thing, but my current darkroom is about 28 years old, that was the last time I picked up some extra marbles. Sometimes low tech, while it can be, as you say, clumsy, it is rather cheap and always there.

I also agree with your suggestion to let the mixed stock solution mature, about 24 hours is enough they suggest. That said, I have been using D76/ID11 for decades and mostly I already have enough solution at hand to develop whatever I need to develop. Sometimes though, I either run short or there is a group developing session happening. When that happens, I just mix the required amount of fresh developer, then we develop.

To be honest, I really think you would need to use instruments to note the real difference between mature stock solution developer, and really freshly mixed developer. I have used stock solution developer that was so fresh, I had to mix it with cooled water from a refrigerator to get the temperature down. Alternatively you would have to be constantly putting films through and be developing daily to note a change by eye, if in fact it could be noticeable by eye with a loupe on a light box checking your negatives.

I do agree you could notice this, as I have noticed in the past when we would look at our E6 films (slide film) coming out of our processor and think something is possibly not on song. But that was when we (I and a handful of darkroom boffins in a big pro lab) were processing the equivalent of 50 rolls of E6 an hour all day and well into the evening.

Mick.