D-76; Mixing Small Batch?

[martiansea]

Thanks for the suggestions everybody. It confirms my suspicions that I could go either way with this. I'm encouraged by Jim's experiences of mixing small batches, so I will at least try it once to see how it works out for me. As has been said, D-76 is cheap, which is why feel an urge to play around with it and see if something might come from a happy accident.

Has anyone ever tried making a concentrate? I wonder if maybe that would keep longer. Truthfully, part of the reason I don't want to mix a whole gallon is because I don't want to store a gallon physically. I like working with concentrates; HC-110, Rodinal, Pyro, etc...

I had read Kenneth Lee's article about D-23 just recently. It's certainly on my list of developers to try. I've been taking photos my whole life, but only been processing my own film for a little over 4 years, and I'm still in the "try everything possible and find my favorite" stage. I've found a few favorites, but looking through the dozens of recipes available out there, I feel like I won't be satisfied until I've tried nearly all.

[martiansea]

I really wanted to like Rodinal but the results with my Ilford films suck. I do use it with X-ray film still though.

This has been my experience too! Way too much sharp ugly grain with many films I tried it with, but with X-ray film, it is somehow magically perfect with no perceptible grain and beautiful sharpness.

[Michael R]

D-23 was formulated to be very similar to D-76, and they are very close.

Here is another very simple option for you - use Ilford ID-11, which is D-76, and still comes in 1l quantities so you don’t have to mix a gallon, which I agree is a pain in the ass.

Thanks for the suggestions everybody. It confirms my suspicions that I could go either way with this. I'm encouraged by Jim's experiences of mixing small batches, so I will at least try it once to see how it works out for me. As has been said, D-76 is cheap, which is why feel an urge to play around with it and see if something might come from a happy accident.

Has anyone ever tried making a concentrate? I wonder if maybe that would keep longer. Truthfully, part of the reason I don't want to mix a whole gallon is because I don't want to store a gallon physically. I like working with concentrates; HC-110, Rodinal, Pyro, etc...

I had read Kenneth Lee's article about D-23 just recently. It's certainly on my list of developers to try. I've been taking photos my whole life, but only been processing my own film for a little over 4 years, and I'm still in the "try everything possible and find my favorite" stage. I've found a few favorites, but looking through the dozens of recipes available out there, I feel like I won't be satisfied until I've tried nearly all.

[Ben Calwell]

Having trouble understanding why D23 is economical to use if one discards it after each use. I mix up a liter of it and then reuse it several times, saving it in a brown bottle. If you mix a liter fresh every time, you’ll burn through the powdered chemicals pretty quick.

[Jim Noel]

D-23 was formulated to be very similar to D-76, and they are very close.

Here is another very simple option for you - use Ilford ID-11, which is D-76, and still comes in 1l quantities so you don’t have to mix a gallon, which I agree is a pain in the ass.

D-23 is a much older formula than D-76.
I am also a user of D-23 when the occasion calls for it. I mix it from raw chemicals and dispose of it only after using it for up to a year or so. The reused chemistry has qualities which most users don't know about. there is nothing equal to D-23 which has developed several hundred sqin of film when developing negatives of flat subjects in flat light.
Sometimes it pays to be in this business for 80+ years and the knowledge that comes with that experience.

[Michael R]

Hi Jim,

It’s actually the other way around. D-76 was the late 1920s, while D-23 was mid 1940s.

D-23 is a much older formula than D-76.
I am also a user of D-23 when the occasion calls for it. I mix it from raw chemicals and dispose of it only after using it for up to a year or so. The reused chemistry has qualities which most users don't know about. there is nothing equal to D-23 which has developed several hundred sqin of film when developing negatives of flat subjects in flat light.
Sometimes it pays to be in this business for 80+ years and the knowledge that comes with that experience.

[h2oman]

I started out using D-76, and successfully mixed half a packet at a time. I then changed to DDX, but often wouldn't use up for some time and ended up throwing away occasionally. I recently switched to D-23 (using the recipe at Ken Lee's page), and am happy with that.

[neil poulsen]

Mix up the gallon, store in 1L bottles filled to the top with no room for air. The full bottles of stock will last a very long time, while only one bottle is open and aging.

What JP said.

Mixing it in smaller quantities assumes that the various chemicals have been mixed homogeneously. That's OK when the different chemicals are liquid and are in solution. (Like HC110.) It's not OK when they're powders.

When working in a darkroom, one of the best allies one can have is consistency. Don't throw it away trying to make smaller quantities.

Especially with D76, there are recipes available where one can mix their own powder D76. A second option would be to make multiple batches of fractional recipes, and then put each in a pill bottle or something and store them on a shelf. These fractional recipes would be available when needed to make fractional batches.

[LabRat]

I had asked many years ago a knowledgeable industry professional if I could divide a packaged developer, and he said NO... Even after componding the basic chems, they were mixed together on something called "shaker tables" that distributed the finer powders with the heavier crystals to make consistent batches of packaged formulas... (Many years later I saw shaker tables in use while doing a pro job in a cooking spice company that was a room full of pool table sized machines with a large flat top that vibrated loudly and filled the air with red chili dust you shouldn't breath or be in the room while operating...)

During shipment, the chems re-settle and change the proportions in the package... Probably enough to slightly change the mix for doing critical work, but would work for other uses... Some very fine development agents could be affected, like phenidone, which is a fine light powder in very small proportions...

If you are not making your own D-76 or other developers from scratch, you are crazy... Four inexpensive ingredients, a scale & mixing stuff, and it's fresh and consistent every time... And VERY cheap!!!

Steve K

[Ironage]

1 second the mix your own developer opinion. Formulas for D-76 are mixed for 1 liter batches.