D-76 2:1?

[michael_sacco]

Hi,

I'm a new photo teacher in j.h. and I have a collegue who insists you

can use d-76 2:1 to develop tri-x or t-max 400 and get good results.

To my knowledge this isn't a good idea. He of course wants to stretch

our D-76 supply.

 

thanks,

mike S.

[jimvanson]

Mike�I think you mean 1:2 or 1+2, one part D76 to 2 parts water. If so I've never heard of anyone using anything but stock or 1:1 (1+1). Of coarse you can stretch your D76 developer out if you keep reusing a stock solution over increasing the time with each use <b>but</B> if you do you're a braver, more trustful soul then I.<p>I really believe that whatever developer you use should be used one shot only!<p>And if economy is of primary concern you could buy a 500ml bottle of Rodinal. Used at 1+100 an $11 bottle should be good for about 166 rolls...

[lex_jenkins]

While D-76 *can* be used at 1:1, 1:2 or even 1:3 that's pretty uncommon for school labs. Generally school and community labs prefer to recycle and replenish D-76 for greatest economy. At least, that's how it was when I was in school. We got fussed at for diluting the lab's D-76 for one-shot use.

 

Since students were assigned the chore of maintaining and replenishing the soup it wasn't always done correctly and I learned to distrust the lab's film developer. I bought my own bottle of HC-110 and hid it in my locker for one-shot use. I usually got better negs than my peers, not because HC-110 is a better developer (it's just different, not better), but because mine was always a sure bet.

 

There are other problems involved with diluting D-76/ID-11 more than 1:1. For one thing, it's important to use more total solution to make up for the risk of developer exhaustion. Over the long haul this casts doubt on the economy of diluting more than 1:1.

 

Personally, if I were teaching I'd go ahead with the old method of replenishing D-76 and assign students to the task. It'll probably be the last time they'll ever be exposed to such an arcane practice. They can brag about it to their grandkids.

[patrick_ingram]

I've used D-76 1:3. Results were ok. At our little club we have people use D-76 one-shot 1:1. Frankly, with the stuff I see going on I wouldn't trust anything but an exit-only policy for the dev supply ("Oops, I just dumped a litre of stop in the dev... better not tell anyone"). And these are university students!

[robert_davis2]

You don't really gain anymore developer by diluting it. Like others have mentioned if you dilute you use it one shot. If you don't you re-use. You'll find plenty of discussion on diluting developer and what it gains you. Basically you're changing the developers chemical make up. What you won't really gain is more developer.

[joe_symchyshyn]

If the goal is to provide an inexpensive developer that will give good results, D76 and D76 replenisher would be a good way to go.

 

It will be easy to teach, and a cost efficient system to run.

[garry1]

From:

"Darkroom";Lustrum Press;1977;pg 151( W.Eugene Smith discussing his Minamata work) -

Tri-x; asa 400; D-76, 68 degrees; 2 parts water and 1 part developer;

12 to 13 1/2 minutes.

 

Library diving again.

[chrissy_hespen]

I've always used d-76 for my film (35 mm and 120 only, I use HC-110 for my 4x5's) We were taught to dilute it, then I realized the only reason we were taught that, was because it was better "economically". After a while I didn't care and just used it straight, took up less time. I've always thought that I've gotten good results w/ D-76, even when I diluted it, but what do I know? I might start using Rodinal this year, I need a change....

 

 

 

As for what Patrick stated about the mixing of chemicals on accident and not telling anyone, I share the responsibility of changing and mixing the chemicals in our lab, and I noticed many times that the students that do such a thing, are the ones that lack regard, I also noticed those are the students who take photography because they claim it will be an easy A (I've actually heard this). So sad...

[jorge_oliveira2]

I see a practical advantage in using dilluted devs - it's much easier to control temperature, since one may add colder or hotter water as needed.

[michael_chini]

D76 is a different developer at 1:2 than it is straight. For me, it depends upon the film. I really don't use D76 anymore but when I did, I liked the look of it straight with Tri-X rated at about 200-250. It is supposed to have better tonality diluted which I'm not so sure I saw but it definitely got a bit sharper when diluted. I never replenished, I just reused the D76 for a while and then remixed some more. The stuff will process a great many rolls of film before it gets weak. If you want to save money, you can also use D23, just metol and sulfite. Buy the chemicals in bulk and mix as much as you want.

[photojim]

Indeed it is different diluted. Straight up it's a solvent developer, giving you finer grain at the expense of sharpness and acutance. At 1:1 it's slightly solvent with greater sharpness than undiluted. At 1:3 it's entirely an acutance developer; the solvent action can't work in that low a concentration of sodium sulfite. Three, three, three developers in one.

[eduardo_benavidez1]

I succesfully used D-76 2:1 (two parts of D-76 to one part of water) for developing Tri-X for nighttime photography, as adviced by the great belgian master Gilbert Fastenaekens. see at http://www.daummuseum.org/collection/artwork.cfm?ArtworkID=191

and other sites showing his excellent, misterious, deep works.

 

For night shots Fastenaekens develope Tri-X as stated, 15 minutes, 19 (not 20 nor 21) degrees C. One VERY slow inversion tank each 60 seconds. About Fastenaekens´s technical procedures check some old issue of Camera & Darkroom magazine perhaps from about 1994. Eduardo.

[ivanskavinsky]

I've always used it 1+3 for Tri-x. It has greater acutance than stock and has a slight

compensating effect. All my work is photojournalism and reportage, I use it to give

me a reliable (slightly flat) neg from many different conditions. I also run a college

darkroom where we use it in stock dilution in deep tanks with a replenishing routine.

[ann_mester]

In case anyone's still reading this thread: I usually use D:76 1:1 one shot for MF. Just got a new grafix and have a daylight tank that takes 36 oz to develop 6 4X5 negs. I did the first 6 in 1:1 for 11 min, but then ran out of developer, so I souped my next batch 1:2 fo4 16 minutes (just a guess). I haven't printed yet but the negatives look great. If they print easily I may use this formulation from now on---I'm feeling a bit guilty, ecologically speaking, throwing developer down the drain all the time.