XTOL Mishap

Freakscene said:
Except with a yellow package.
Click to expand...
It already has yellow on the label! Eventually, the clear liquid turns a similar color, but we're not going to talk about that. 🙊

LegacyPro L110 Liquid Film Developer - 1 Pint (Makes 2 Gallons)

LegacyPro L110 Liquid Film Developer - 1 Pint (Makes 2 Gallons) - LegacyPro chemicals are brand name black and white chemicals with the same or similar formulations as Kodak chemicals. They produce the same high quality results at a great…
www.freestylephoto.com www.freestylephoto.com
 
Freakscene said:
Of course everyone who is interested knows. It is not insider info at all. Kodak have stated that they found a new subcontractor, Photo Systems Inc and it has been public announcements. They already make Freestyle’s clone developers. You can visit them in Dexter, Michigan.

There will be no original D76, Kodak label or not. For D-76 you can always make that yourself if you want the ‘legendary’ formula.



The new Kodak products will be the same as the Freestyle ones. Except with a yellow package. Including watery HC-110.
Click to expand...
I got the info 2 months ago. Very exciting, IMO.
 
Freakscene said:
Of course everyone who is interested knows. It is not insider info at all. Kodak have stated that they found a new subcontractor, Photo Systems Inc and it has been public announcements. They already make Freestyle’s clone developers. You can visit them in Dexter, Michigan.

There will be no original D76, Kodak label or not. For D-76 you can always make that yourself if you want the ‘legendary’ formula.



The new Kodak products will be the same as the Freestyle ones. Except with a yellow package. Including watery HC-110.
Click to expand...

All Color chems coming back as well.
 
Last edited:
And while we’re getting all retro and talking about film chemistry, the original D-76 formula has a basic problem - the classic formula is more alkaline immediately after you mix it and ideally you should mix it, let it ‘settle’ for 24 hours, then use it. Kodak’s more recent versions are buffered to prevent this, and the nicest version you can make yourself is buffered D-76:

Water (52°C) 750mL
Metol 2g
Sodium sulfite (dry) 100g
Hydroquinone 5g
Borax 8g
Boric acid 8g
Water (room temp) to make 1L

Add the chemicals in this order and stir until dissolved before adding the next. Let it come back to temperature before using.

This is essentially infinitely scalable, and I also used to sometimes make it in 50L batches. Borax-boric acid buffers are great, and the pH increases with dilution so buffered D-76 1+1 and 1+3 work really well.

There were several photo chemistry sites back in the day. Whenever I posted a formula if what I posted was even vaguely like anything one particular site owner had on his site, he would send me the most awesomely abusive messages, usually claiming I ‘stole’ from him. I generally responded by sending him scans of the original Kodak documents, or my work SOPs where they were not confidential, or direct him to an online scan of The Darkroom Cookbook. I wonder if I’ll hear from him now? But maybe he’s gone to the big darkroom in the sky.
 
Last edited:
Freakscene said:
Microdol doesn’t seem to be on the list, although Microdol-X does seem to be (Kodak names were always confusing), but there is also already a Freestyle Legacy Pro MIC-X. I also miss Selectol and Selectol Soft. They don’t seem to be on the list either.
Click to expand...
Good news indeed. I always liked Microdol-X.

Jim B.
 
Freakscene said:
And while we’re getting all retro and talking about film chemistry, the original D-76 formula has a basic problem - the classic formula is more alkaline immediately after you mix it and ideally you should mix it, let it ‘settle’ for 24 hours, then use it. Kodak’s more recent versions are buffered to prevent this, and the nicest version you can make yourself is buffered D-76:

Water (52°C) 750mL
Metol 2g
Sodium sulfite (dry) 100g
Hydroquinone 5g
Borax 8g
Boric acid 8g
Water (room temp) to make 1L

Add the chemicals in this order and stir until dissolved before adding the next. Let it come back to temperature before using.

This is essentially infinitely scalable, and I also used to sometimes make it in 50L batches. Borax-boric acid buffers are great, and the pH increases with dilution so buffered D-76 1+1 and 1+3 work really well.

There were several photo chemistry sites back in the day. Whenever I posted a formula if what I posted was even vaguely like anything one particular site owner had on his site, he would send me the most awesomely abusive messages, usually claiming I ‘stole’ from him. I generally responded by sending him scans of the original Kodak documents, or my work SOPs where they were not confidential, or direct him to an online scan of The Darkroom Cookbook. I wonder if I’ll hear from him now? But maybe he’s gone to the big darkroom in the sky.
Click to expand...
The older Morgan and Lester Leica Manuals also had sections on making dark room chemicals. "Open Source Literature".
 
yanchep_mike said:
When it started (thread) it was XTOL against the rest of the world. What happened?
Click to expand...
I think the problems with XTOL and contamination, sudden death syndrome, were presented. This was contrasted with other developers, strengths and weaknesses.
Also made clear: You can mix your own. That way, if you screw up developing- no one to blame but yourself.

We are lucky to have subject matter experts on this forum, such as @Freakscene , that are willing to share their knowledge in this field.
 
I picked up a new pack of Xtol a couple weeks back. Says “Made in USA” on it. I was surprised that production has (seemingly) already transferred back.

Happy to report that I’ve never experienced sudden death (in life or with Xtol…knock on wood). It’s my favorite developer for a variety of reasons, but it’s also ok if others have other preferences.

Hope that OP figures out what went wrong. It sucks pulling blank rolls out of the developing tank. We’ve all been there.
 
Nah, that's Diafine. No temp issues, doesn't care what ISO you used, scans really freaking well, it was good then, but is excellent now for that reason. If you scan and have any kind of variable light, Diafine is your friend. I drop a roll of HP4 into my F4, set it to ISO800 and just shoot. I _will_ get good images.

D76 is great, don't get me wrong. I'll always have a jug handy. It's the ultimate baseline.

But when you need something that pushes your life a little bit beyond that innocence of D76, I'll argue Diafine is the best thing that exists and tell you to go ask WeeGee why 😈
 
I think the thing that amazes me the most is that while a lot of commercial developers are gone, there's still new variants popping up.

For instance, I've been tempted to try Zone Imaging's 510 Pyro for a while - I've heard a lot of very good things about it (and Pyro developers in general).
 
Sonnar Brian said:
Having a choice in Developers and Film is like having a choice in lenses. Each gives a different look, and ends up being personal style.

My favorites are gone forever.
Click to expand...
As I said earlier, I stopped buying from Kodak when Plus-X was cancelled. Yeah, Tri-X allegedly exists but that was never my film. Plus-X, EI-400, Diafine and a good scanner? Hybrid heaven.

"The day the music died."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top