Quote Originally Posted by koraks View Post
Yeah, that's very odd. I've never seen metol in solution go that color. It goes a pale straw yellow with time in a neutral to slightly acid solution, or brown in an alkaline solution.
Your potassium bromide looks weird too; mine also has some discolorations, but that's because of minor contamination with developer compounds which oxidize and give a brown coloration to it. The potassium bromide itself should not change color. Hence, I suspect yours is quite severely contaminated with something that oxidizes.

I don't know what's going on there, to be honest. If you mix a small amount of developer this way (accepting that it turns weird colors), does it actually develop paper at all?
When I use darkened solution it works somehow (dark brown tones, lith-like look mostly), but since there are several active developers I'm not sure which works. I believe I have to get as much information as I can before posting here. And make some photographs for you to see.

The test I've made so far:
* Tried Glycin only formula. (Substituted Potassium Carbonate with Sodium Carbonate) Glycin only mix. SS: 50g, SC: 48g, G: 8g. - Dilution clean, but doesn't work, paper doesn't darken.
* When some HQ solution added to the above the solution becomes colored at once so as the paper. Presumably HQ works as super-additive, but for some reason changes it's color. The color is dark-purple.
* HQ only solution first has light-yellow color but to the next day becomes bright-red.

I will repeat test with metol only solution and make a photo.

As for the potassium bromide the seller made an excuse like it usually becomes darker when present on the light. Though I've kept it in the dark mostly. I'll use your suggestion to place it another bag. Anyway, PB is cheap, but metol is the most important component.