Quote Originally Posted by Dugan View Post
I have standardized on Rodinal.
Liquid, one-shot, keeps forever. Versatile via dilution.
I don't obsess over grain...I'd rather have sharp grain than mushy grain. I don't have room for a large assortment of chemicals.
Uh, I think we're talking about paper developers here...

Anyway, I second the motion of mixing your own (although Bromophen is really nice - just more expensive).

However, I like to keep things simple. No magnetic stirrers needed, and no weighing things out except for making the stock solution of benzotriazole for ID-62 below. Spoon recipes are fine and perfectly accurate enough for print developers.

Here are my spoon recipes for D-72 (Dektol, for all intents and purposes) and ID-62 (Bromophen clone):

D-72
(to make 1 liter of working solution)

Water -------------------- 120°F
a pinch of sodium sulfite (Metol dissolves better if you add a bit of sulfite first - a pinch is all you need)
Metol --------------------- 1/3 tsp (you won't find a measuring spoon this size, but just estimate, it's not critical)
Sodium Sulfite ------------- 2 tsp
Hydroquinone -------------- 1/2 Tbsp short (i.e., just a bit less than 1/2 Tbsp - again, it's not critical)
Sodium carbonate (mono) -- 1 1/2 Tbsp
Potassium bromide --------- 1/8 tsp
Water to make ------------- 1 liter

(Triple the above recipe to make a 1-liter stock solution that you dilute 1+2)

ID-62
(to make 2 liters of working solution - Note: it's easier to make this in a larger quantity due to the small amount of phenidone needed. Alternately, you can simply double the recipe below and have a 1-liter stock solution that you then dilute 1+3 for a working solution; that's what I do mostly.)
Water --------------------- 120°F (or higher)
Sodium sulfite -------------- 1 Tbsp + 1/4 tsp
Hydroquinone -------------- 2 1/8 tsp
Sodium carbonate (mono) -- 2 Tbsp
Phenidone ----------------- 1/8 tsp
Potassium bromide --------- rounded 1/8 tsp
Benzotriazole -------------- 16 ml of a 1% solution (which you make up beforehand - 100g/liter - keeps forever)

You could leave out the benzotriazole and up the potassium bromide to 1/4 tsp and get similar, if maybe a bit warmer, results.

ID-62 is my current favorite. If you really need to buy pre-packaged, there are lots of Dektol clones out there as well as good PQ developers like Bromophen.

Hope this helps,

Doremus