amazing all in one process?

[linhofbiker]

When I started with LF (4x5) I didn't have a darkroom in my small apartment, so preferred to load holders with E6 film. Now I have a 5x7 and want to develop/contact print as simply as possible. Back in the late 70's or early 80's I recall mention of a US Govt need for a developer/fixer combination for simplifying B/W processing of film. Someone had come up with a product for this purpose. Does anyone know if this went anywhere?. My workshop in Florida goes from about freezing to a very humid 80's+, so I need something that will work at a lot of temperatures. I am not looking for the perfect negative, just one that will contact print nicely.

[Bob Salomon]

I used monobath processing in the early 60s in college.

https://www.google.com/search?q=one%...nt=firefox-b-1

[linhofbiker]

I used monobath processing in the early 60s in college.

https://www.google.com/search?q=one%...nt=firefox-b-1

Thanks Bob, monobath is the term I had forgotten. The link was very informative, thanks again.

Now if they only made a monobath for E6 I would be in heaven!

[mdarnton]

the 60s product was Unibath. I tried a quart of it. About all you could say was that it worked. The concept is to combine a fast developer with a slow fixer, and then let them race each other to the finish line. Not a way towards the highest quality. I seem to remember that a couple of steps of E4 could be skipped with risk, but me, I always got into the zen of 56 minutes, or whatever it was, of solitary tank shaking and warm hands. :-)

[Bob Salomon]

the 60s product was Unibath. I tried a quart of it. About all you could say was that it worked. The concept is to combine a fast developer with a slow fixer, and then let them race each other to the finish line. Not a way towards the highest quality. I seem to remember that a couple of steps of E4 could be skipped with risk, but me, I always got into the zen of 56 minutes, or whatever it was, of solitary tank shaking and warm hands. :-)

You sure that wasn’t a brand name? Monobath seemed to be used by several companies as a process. Back in the early 60s I used an Agfa Rodinox 35mm daylight tank with a monobath to develop film in my room at the fraternity house when the photo lab was closed to meet the next day’s paper deadline.

Only problem was having to do one roll at a time and remember not to rewind the leader into the film cassette!

[mdarnton]

Yes, Unibath was a branded product name. As far as I know it was the only commercially available product of its kind at the time. Monobath was the concept, not the product. If I squeezed my brain a little harder I would remember the company who made Unibath. Ughhhhhhhhh. . . .skisssssh... There: https://www.photomemorabilia.co.uk/J...s/Unibath.html

[jnantz]

When I started with LF (4x5) I didn't have a darkroom in my small apartment, so preferred to load holders with E6 film. Now I have a 5x7 and want to develop/contact print as simply as possible. Back in the late 70's or early 80's I recall mention of a US Govt need for a developer/fixer combination for simplifying B/W processing of film. Someone had come up with a product for this purpose. Does anyone know if this went anywhere?. My workshop in Florida goes from about freezing to a very humid 80's+, so I need something that will work at a lot of temperatures. I am not looking for the perfect negative, just one that will contact print nicely.

hi linhofbiker

years ago i corresponded with the chemist who did
alot of work with photo lab index.
he and i were talking about monobaths and
how great they were and he suggested that because films
are made of different things now ( lots of polyvinyl fillers )
monobaths do not work as well as they used to ...
not sure if it is tru or not, so if
you decide to grab a copy of the darkroom cookbook
( or any other manual with recipes in it ... ) and
go gung-ho on monobaths and eventually are disappointed ..
you didn't do anything wrong on your end ...
good luck !
john

[Bob Salomon]

Yes, Unibath was a branded product name. As far as I know it was the only commercially available product of its kind at the time. Monobath was the concept, not the product. If I squeezed my brain a little harder I would remember the company who made Unibath. Ughhhhhhhhh. . . .skisssssh... There: https://www.photomemorabilia.co.uk/J...s/Unibath.html

That’s great, it was also a store brand and not what I used in the early 60s.

[LabRat]

Grant Haist had a book "The Monobath Manual" or something like that from the 60's...

I have a copy in my (still packed) photo libary... I think I remember the general message in it was there were tradeoffs... But ok results could be had...

Mostly it was somewhat a normal developer with a % of hypo in it, but as Michael said, there was a race as the hypo was clearing the film from the get-go, so was there enough to develop to achieve full Dmax density???

Worth a look, though...

Steve K

[interneg]

By all accounts, the monobath experts (by necessity really) were those who worked on the various instant photo products - but they had the advantage of being able to adjust formulations to suit specific emulsions - if you stuck to one emulsion & worked hard at optimisation, it could probably be made to work well, but it'll take more effort to get a good formula than developing by regular methods in a few trays...