kodak polydal ( portrait and commerical) developer - ever used it?

[jnanian]

hi

i recently came across a few cans of polydal developer when moving my darkroom to

another location ... any idea what this stuff is like? i develop by inspection, so i don't

need development times or anything like that ...

 

thanks!

- john

[wayne_firth3]

Polydol was a general purpose tank developer used in a lot of studios because of it's long keeping properties with replenishment. The stuff would last almost forever. I used it in a nitrogen burst tank line. I haven't used it for 30 years so I forget all of the details.

 

From an old photo lab index:

 

"Polydol developer is free from the high peak of activity charcteristic of most developers when they are freshly mixed."

 

Just for reference: Tri-X in tray @ 68 deg. is 6 min. with continuous agitation.

 

Short answer is probably that it will work just fine.

 

 

My concern would be that you might have a 3.5 gallon mix and you should not try to mix a partial batch. All or nothing. If you open the can and the powder is brown, then I would toss the developer and use the can for pencil holder.

[kelly_flanigan1]

My pro neighbor in the early 1960's used Polydol; he bought it as a premixed liquid; it came also in 1 and 4 quart brown bottles........

[jnanian]

thanks wayne and kelly!

 

i bought a few small cans of the stuff at a deep discount maybe 6 years ago and never

used it. i re-discovered it when i moved my darkroom ... and just wanted to have an

idea what sort of developer it was ... i have been processing with ansco 13o for

about 2-2.5 years now, and if i can find an empty brown jug, maybe i'll mix up a can

of this stuff :) ... that is if it isnt' brown ( THANKS wayne!)

 

thanks for the developing times, at least i'll know when to turn my green light on!

 

- john