Pyrocat HD FAilure - AGAIN!!!

[Andre Noble]

O.K. this is like the fourth or fifth time. Used Photographer's Formulary Premixed Bottle. Was opened immediately and placed in clean grolsch type bottle on Feb 10, 2006. This same Pyrocat HD solution worked well on some negatives even 3 days ago. I haven't used it much or at all since February, BTW.

However, developed some film today in same and imaged/frame numbers very faint. Tried second roll, same.

I was careful not to contaminate A with B.

Developer is suppose to last six months in patially full bottles.

When I poured it out after failure, i noticed it had oxidized (very light brown).

I'm about to give up on it. Where do I go from here? When it works, it's wonderful.

[Kerey]

Weird. Just what you wanted to hear, huh? I've never used the premixed version, but I did have some problems with the dry ingredient kit a while back (see apug post). Considering that it was working just fine at some point, my from-the-hip guess would be pipette contamination (perhaps residual fixer, countertop compound, etc. in/on the tip?) or temperature spike since its last use. Perhaps the bottle was shaken excessively at some point? Others hopefully may offer better explanations, but I don't blame you for frustration after this many failures. Good luck tracking it down.

[Jay DeFehr]

Hypercat is simpler, more effective, more economical, and immune to the problems you're having. You might consider giving it a try.

Jay

[Andre Noble]

I need a pyro alternative that's as good as pyrocat and will work in a Jobo without excessive aerial fog. I may try Pyrocat HD one more time, this mixed with glycol instaed of water.

For hand inversion, I'll go with Wimberly WD2D+ Pyro.

[Amund BLix Aaeng]

I got dry chemicals from Artscraftchemicals for Pyrocat HD last year, and the solutions have been working perfectly for almost a year. Yesterday(with barely anything left in 1liter bottles) the working solution turned green so I decided I did not take the chance using it. But I got 11 months out of it, pretty good IMO.

[Jay DeFehr]

Andre',

you might try 510-Pyro. It's a single solution pyrogallol developer that works as well for rotary processing as it does for tank or tray development. It also gives full film speed, and very fine grain.

Jay

[clay harmon]

FWIW, I have never had a pyrocat HD failure in 6 years of use. I mix my own from the constituent chemicals, take care in measurement of the working solution, and discard the A solution if it has been longer than four months since mixing it up.

It is cheap and easy to use. I have heard reports from others of this mysterious developer 'death', but I have never experienced it myself. In one case I know of, we were able to track down the failure to omitting the B solution accidentally - IOW, the user put in 'A' twice.

There are many fine developers out there, and if this one just doesn't fit your way of working, then investigation of alternatives is probably a good idea. But that has not been necessary for me.

[Erik Gould]

I've been using the pre-mixed stuff from PF for the last two years or more. I haven't had any failures. I don't transfer it to other bottles. I shake up the "B" bottle like it says and mix it with tap water. I use it in the Jobos and in small tanks for 35mm on up to 8x10. I ran about 600 sheets of 8x10 last year with no trouble, except a couple of times that were Jobo related, but the developer never has failed. Maybe Sandy King can offer some advice, stuff like that can really kill your confidence in your process. Good luck.

[sanking]

I've been using the pre-mixed stuff from PF for the last two years or more. I haven't had any failures. I don't transfer it to other bottles. I shake up the "B" bottle like it says and mix it with tap water. I use it in the Jobos and in small tanks for 35mm on up to 8x10. I ran about 600 sheets of 8x10 last year with no trouble, except a couple of times that were Jobo related, but the developer never has failed. Maybe Sandy King can offer some advice, stuff like that can really kill your confidence in your process. Good luck.

Nope, I have no suggestions. Every developer is subject to operator error, and I am convinved that in this case the problem is not the developer but the way it is being used. What the error is I can not say since I am not able to monitor Andre's darkroom. However, the fact that a very large number of persons (thousands I believe) have been able to use this developer without any problem makes me believe that the user is making some kind of serious mistake in either mixing the working solution or in storing the solutions.

I would have to agree with what Clay wrote. There are many good developers out there and if for some reason you can not make this one work I would recommend that you move on to another one.

However, just to state the obvious. Pyrocat-HD is provided in Stock A and Stock B solutions. The stock solutions are stored separately until the developing sessions, at which time we mix the working solution by adding one part of A + one part of B to 100 parts of water, or some other dilution, say two parts of A + two parts of B to 100 parts of water. We take care to not contaminate A with B, and we take special care to make sure that when mixing the working solution we add both A and B, cause if you do this you will get almost no developing action.


Sandy

[Steve Hamley]

Are you using truly as a 1 shot? For a while, if I wanted 500 ml per 8x10 neg, I'd put a liter in a tray and do one after the other. That didn't work well on the second one. Sandy helped me diagnose and fix that problem. No thin negs since.

BTW, it is easier than you think to get two of one solution and none of the other. Y'all be careful now, hear?

Steve