Photographic Chemical Formulas

Film developers formulas, paper developers, fixers, alternative

processes and other technical information.

For some formulas, such as Kodak D-76, time/temperature data is readily available from Kodak. Where possible I
have included a range of times. Other formulas will have to have times determined for your working methods.
When in doubt follow Gordon Hutchings maxim, Its always 12 minutes."

When a flm developing-time range is given it is for flms rated by the manufacturer between ISO 100 and ISO 320,
unless otherwise stated. To choose a starting time, use this rough rule of thumb: For flms rated between ISO 100
and ISO 320, use a time in the middle of the range. For flms rated from ISO 12 to ISO 80, decrease the development
time from the midpoint by 25%. For flms rated higher than ISO 320, increase the time from the mid- point by 25%.

EXAMPLE:

Suppose a developing formula recommends using between 10 and 14 minutes. With an ISO 125 flm, start by
developing a test roll for 12 minutes. With an ISO 50 flm, develop for 25% less, or 9 minutes. With an ISO 400 flm,
increase by 25% to 15 minutes. Tis is a rough rule, and you may fnd that it is too much or too litle. Tat is why an
initial test roll or two is recommended.

If you routinely overexpose flm by rating it at a lower EI (e.g., Tri-X rated at EI 250 instead of the manufacturers
recommended ISO 400), try developing it at the time indicated for the new EI. In the example just given, that would
mean developing Tri-X at 12 minutes, as you would for any flm rated between ISO 100 and ISO 320. With most
developers a variation of one minute on either side of full development will not seriously afect the results.

Testing

Take some flm, walk down the street, and expose it to a range of subjects. Try to include textured whites (painted
white buildings) and some deep shadows. Keep careful notes. In the darkroom, cut the test roll into two, three, or
four equal strips. Develop each strip for a diferent time. Give at least a 10% increase or decrease in time from your
best guess starting time. Round the time of to the nearest 30 seconds. When in doubt about what time to start with,
do what I do start with 9 minutes for slow flms, 12 minutes for medium speed flms, and 15 minutes for fast flms.
Tese times will probably be too much or too litle which is why is important to use a test roll.

Reciprocity Failure
Reciprocity failure occurs during exposures exceeding one second. Essentially what this means is that the emulsion,
having been designed for high-speed exposures, fails to respond in its usual proportions to the amount of light it is
exposed to. Every emulsion responds diferently to long exposures so it is recommended that you get specifc data
from the manufacturer. In general the following times can be used as benchmarks:

Colour Negative

1 sec: + 1 stop

10 secs: + 2 stops

100 secs: + 2.5 stops

Colour Transparency

1 sec: + 0.5 stop

10 secs: + 1.5 stops

100 secs: + 2.5 stops

B/W

1 sec: expose for 2 secs, under develop by 10%

10 secs: expose for 1 min, under develop by 20%

100 secs: expose for 20 mins, under develop by 30%

Colour emulsions will experience uncorrectible colour shifs as reciprocity fails at diferent rates in the various
colour layers. With colour flm it is therefore beter to adjust the aperture, rather than increase the exposure time, to
minimize the efects of colour imbalance. With B/W flm densities build up proportionately during development, so
the exposure is usually altered by shuter speed with a corresponding cut in developing time.

Te Ilford PQ variants of ID-11 (D76)

Most of the MQ variations of D76 are published widely, but less is known about the PQ variants of Ilford's
equivalent developer ID-11
Although J.D. Kendall of Ilford discovered and patented Phenidone (1-Phenyl-3-Pyrazolidone) in 1941 it was 11
years before the frst packaged products containing it went on sale.

Many of these frst developers were simply Phenidone based versions of MQ developers, typical examples are ID-20
PQ and ID-36 PQ, and research into other possible developer combinations & formulae continued.
In 1954 Ilford published the frst formulae in Te British Journal of Photography stating "As Phenidone is now
generally available in bulk packets ranging from -oz. to 4-lb., it is felt that the publication of a number of formulae
in which this new developing agent is used in combination with hydroquinone will be useful to those workers who
wish to compound their own developers".

Film Developers

Fine grain developer for plates and flms (1954)

Sodium sulphite (anhydrous) 100 gm.

Hydroquinone 5 gm.
Borax 2 gm.
Boric acid 1 gm.
Potassium bromide 1 gm.
Phenidone 0.2 gm
Water to make 1 litre

Development time: 7-11 minutes at 68 F.

Apparently identical to Kodak D-76, by the way.

D-23
Distilled Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . 750 ml
Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.5 g
Sodium Sulfte (Anhydrous) . . . . . . . . . . 100 g
Cold Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 ltr

An economical, slow-working low-contrast developer for use when a low density range is desired.

DK-25R Replenisher for D-23

Distilled Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . 750 ml
Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 g
Sodium Sulfte (Anhydrous) . . . . . . . . . . 100 g
Kodalk (Sodium metaborate) . . . . . . . . . . 20 g
Cold Water to make 1 ltr

Add this replenisher to the D-23 stock solution at the rate of 23 millilitres per roll developed

D-76H
Distilled Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . 750 ml
Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 g
Sodium Sulfte (Anhydrous) . . . . . . . . . . 100 g
Borax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 g
Cold Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 ltr

Said to provide the same development times and efects as D-76, but without the variability that comes with aging.

Germain Fine Grain Formula

Distilled Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . 700 ml
Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 g
Sodium Sulfte (Anhydrous) . . . . . . . . . 70 g
Paraphenylene Diamine (base) . . . . . . . 7 g
Glycin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 g
Cold Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Use full strength. Replenish with stock. Works best afer it has had 5 or 6 rolls run through and has ripened and
stabilized. Develop 9 to 15 minutes at 75 F. Keeps almost indefnitely.

Agfa 17
Distilled Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . 750 ml
Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 g
Sodium Sulfte (Anhydrous) . . . . . . . . . . 80 g
Hydroquinone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 g
Borax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 g
Potassium Bromide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.5 g
Cold Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 ltr

Fine grain borax formula.

PMK Pyro Formula

Stock Solution A
Distilled Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . 400 ml
Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 g
Sodium Bisulfte* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 g
Pyrogallol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 g
EDTA (optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 g
Cold water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500 ml

Stock Solution B
Distilled water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 700 ml
Sodium Metaborate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1000 ml

Make a working solution by mixing 1 part A with 2 parts B with 100 parts water. To make 1 liter of working
solution add 10 ml of A and 20 ml of B to 1000 ml of distilled water. Tis high-acutance developer produces superior
gradation for fne art work.

Rollo Pyro
Stock Solution A
Distilled water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400 ml
Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.5 g
Sodium Bisulfte*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 g
Pyrogallol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 g
Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 g
EDTA - Na4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500 ml

Stock Solution B
Distilled water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 950 ml
Sodium Metaborate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 g

Make a working solution by mixing 2 parts A with 8 parts B with 100 parts water. Tis pyro solution is specially
designed as a substitute for PMK and provides even development with tube processors running at 25 rpm.
Developing times range from 5 to 7 minutes.

Pyrocatechin Compensating Formula

Stock Solution A
Distilled Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . 100 ml
Sodium Sulfte (anhydrous) . . . . . . . . . . 1.25 g
Pyrocatechin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 g

Stock Solution B
Sodium Hydroxide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 g
Cold Distilled Water to make . . . . . . . . . . 100 ml

Mix 40 milliliters of A and 100 millilitres of B with 1000 millilitres of distilled water to make a working solution.
Tis highly compensating formula causes a speed loss of at least a full stop, but allows the flm to capture
approximately a 14-stop range.

Pyrocat-HD
Stock Solution A
Distilled Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . . 75 ml
Sodium Metabisulfte. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 g
Pyrocatechin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 g
Phenidone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.2 g
Potassium Bromide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 ml

Stock Solution B
Distilled Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 ml
Potassium Carbonate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 g
Distilled water to make - - - - - - - - - - - - - 100 ml

To make a standard working solution, mix 1 part A with 1 part B with 100 ml water. Pyrocat-HD is not subject to
problems with uneven development, so agitation can be reduced to once per minute or less. 2.5 grams of Metol may
be substituted for the Phenidone.

Hypo Clearing Agent

Water (125 F) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Sodium Sulfte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 g
Sodium bisulfte*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Dilute 1:9 for use.

AGFA Rodinal - Original Version

General purpose flm developer

Solution A

Water, 125F/52C 750 ml

p-Aminophenol Hydrochloride 100g
Potassium Metabisulfte 300g
Cold water to make 1000ml

Solution B

Cold Water 300ml

Sodium Hydroxide 200g
Cold water to make 1000ml

Miixing instructions: Add chemicals in specifed sequence. Always use cold water when mixing sodium hydroxide
due to risk of heat reaction. Unlike many other two part developers, you must mix both parts together to make the
concentrated solution. In Te Film Developing Cookbook, Troop and Anchell suggest the following sequence for
making the concentrated developer: Allow Solution A to cool until a precipitate forms. Mix Solution A in an iced
water bath at this stage, then slowly mix in Solution B while constantly stirring, frst adding 280ml of solution B,
and then adding the remainder until the solution suddenly turns dark. Follow this by adding the last drops of
Solution B very slowly. Always wear gloves and protective goggles when mixing sodium hydroxide.

Dilution: 1+25, 1+50, 1+75, 1+100 and others.

Starting point development time: varies by dilution.

Note 1: Tis is the old formula for Rodinal and is not identical to the commercial version; however, practical use is
very similar and starting point development times remain the same.

Note 2: Mixing this formula is recommended for experienced users only. If you would like to purchase a ready-
made liquid version, we recommend Fomadon R09
Promicrol
Speed-increasing flm developer

Water, 125F/52C 750 ml

2(beta-hydroxyethyl) aminophenol
6g
sulphate

Glycin 1.13 g

Sodium Sulfte (anhydrous) 100 g

Sodium Carbonate (anhydrous) 11.5 g

Sodium Hexametaphosphate 1.7 g

Cold water to make 1L

Miixing instructions: Add chemicals in specifed sequence.

Dilution: 1+9, 1+14

Starting point development time: ? mins.

Notes: Promicrol is considered by many to be one of the best speed-increasing developers ever made. Sadly, one of
its key ingredients, 2(beta-hydroxyethyl) aminophenol sulphate (aka HEAP sulfate), is no longer in production
anywhere in the world. Current commercial products sold under the name Promicrol or claiming to be similar to
Promicrol, are not comparable to this formula.
 Cafenol
Cafenol flm developer
Water 8 oz

Arm & Hammer Washing

2 tsp (level)
Soda

4 tsp (slightly rounded, NOT

Folger's Cofee Crystals
decaf)

Miixing instructions: Mix soda until completely dissolved and solution is clear. Add cofee, mix until all gritiness
is gone and solution is uniform, let stand 5-10 minutes until microbubbles clear. Use within 30 minutes.

Dilution: Use undiluted

Starting point development time: 30 mins

Notes: Gives image wise stain and general (fog) stain.

Cafenol-C flm developer

Water 8 oz

Arm & Hammer Washing Soda 2 tsp (level)

Vitamin C powder tsp (level)

Folger's Cofee Crystals 4 tsp (slightly rounded, NOT decaf)

Cafenol-C-M (+i) flm developer

Water 500ml

Washing Soda 27g

Ascorbic Acid 8g

Cofee
20g
Crystals

Iodine Salt
 Paper Developers
Ansco 120
Water (125 deg. F.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750.0 ml
Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.3 g
Sodium Sulfte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36.0 g
Sodium Carbonate (mono.) . . . . . . . . . . 36.0 g
Potassium Bromide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.8 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.0 litre

Low-contrast developer, suitable for print solarisation. Standard dilution is 1:2. Alternatively listed as Agfa 120.

Kodak D-163
Water (125 deg. F.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 g
Sodium Sulfte (anhydrous) . . . . . . . . . . . 75 g
Hydroquinone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 g
Sodium Carbonate (anhydrous) . . . . . . . 65 g
Potassium Bromide (10%). . . . . . . . . . . . 2.8 ml
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Ive read that D-163 was pulled from the U.S. market when Dektol appeared, though it remained available overseas.
Dilute 1:3 or 1:4 for normal use. For bromoil, use dilutions of 1:6 to 1:12.

Universal Paper Developer

Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.4 g
Sodium Sulfte (Anhydrous) . . . . . . . . . 50 g
Hydroquinone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.8 g
Sodium Carbonate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 g
Potassium Bromide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.8 g
Sodium tetraphosphate . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.8 g
Cold water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.0 litre

Dilute 1:2 for use. Dektol substitute.

Agfa 120
Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Sodium Sulfte (Anhydrous) . . . . . . . . . . 60 g
Hydroquinone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 g
Potassium Carbonate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 g
Cold water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.0 litre

One of the few hydroquinone-only formulae. Said to give brown tones on Agfa Portriga (1:4) and warm black tones
on Agfa Brovira (1:5). Te Ansco 120 formula above is ofen referred to in formularies as Agfa 120.
Ansco 130
Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 g
Sodium Sulfte (Anhydrous) . . . . . . . . . 50 g
Hydroquinone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 g
Sodium Carbonate (Monohydrate) . . . . . 78 g
Potassium Bromide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.5 g
Glycin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 g
Cold Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Use undiluted for high contrast. Dilute 1:1 for normal work. Produces neutral tones on bromide papers.

Adams' Ansco 130 Variant

Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Metol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 g
Sodium Sulfte (Anhydrous) . . . . . . . . . 35 g
Sodium Carbonate (Monohydrate) . . . . . 78 g
Potassium Bromide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 g
Glycin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 g
Cold Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Use undiluted or 1:1 for low contrast. Produces less contrast and a warmer print colour than the standard formula.

Agfa 115
Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Sodium Sulfte (Anhydrous) . . . . . . . . . 90 g
Sodium Carbonate (Monohydrate) . . . . . 150 g
Glycin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 g
Hydroquinone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.5 g
Potassium Bromide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 g
Cold Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Also known as Dassonville D-3, and nearly identical to Edwal 106. Dilute 1:3 for use. Develop 2.5 to 3 minutes. May
be used at dilutions as high as 1:7 or 1:15 for brown tones, with developing times of 3 to 10 minutes.

Agfa/Ansco 113
Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Sodium Sulfte (Anhydrous) . . . . . . . . . 44 g
Potassium Bromide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 g
Amidol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.6 g
Cold Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Use full strength. Add the amidol only afer the solution of the frst two chemicals has cooled to below 80 degrees.

Fein's Amidol
Water (125 degrees F) . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Benzotriazole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 g
Sodium Sulfte (Anhydrous) . . . . . . . . 58.5 g
Amidol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.8 g
Citric Acid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.5 g
Cold Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Produces beautiful print colour with chloride papers. Add amidol and citric acid afer solution has cooled.

Peckham Amidol
Water (125 F) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Sodium Chloride (salt) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 g
EDTA* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6 g
Sodium Sulfte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 g
Catechol (pyrocatechin) . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.33 g
Kodalk (Sodium metaborate) . . . . . . . . . 2.6 g
Amidol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.33 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

A clean-working, economical formula.

* Te EDTA may be omited.

Amidol Formula (from Lootens)

Water (125 F) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Sodium Sulfte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.5 g
Citric acid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.6 g
Amidol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.1 g
Potassium bromide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.6 g
Ammonium thiocyanate . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.3 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

the ammonium thiocyanate can be omited, but is said to give beter blacks. Te citric acid is to reduce oxidation
and prevent stains.
 Reducers

Farmers Reducer for Prints

Stock Solution A:
Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250.0 ml
Potassium ferricyanide . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64.0 g
Potassium bromide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30.0 g

Stock Solution B:
Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500.0 ml
Sodium thiosulfate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120.0 g

For use normal use, mix 1/4 ounce (7.5 ml) of solution A with 6 ounces (180 ml) of solution B and add water to make
16 ounces or 500 ml. Tis solution works quickly, so reduction must be carefully monitored. For a slower reducing
action, increase the amount of water or reduce the amount of Solution A.

Farmers Reducer for Negatives

(Cuting formula for overexposed negatives)

Stock Solution A:
Potassium ferricyanide . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 ml

Stock Solution B:
Sodium Tiosulfate (hypo) . . . . . . . . . 240 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

For use, mix 30 ml. Solution A with 120 ml. Solution B and add water to make 1 litre. Tis is for cuting the density
of negatives, but it also increases contrast.

Farmers Reducer for Negatives

(Proportional formula for overdeveloped negs)

Stock Solution A:
Potassium ferricyanide . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.5 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Stock Solution B:
Sodium Tiosulfate (hypo) . . . . . . . . . 200 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

For use, place negative in solution A for 1 to 5 minutes, then place in solution B for 5 minutes. Wash thoroughly.
 Print Toners
Dupont 6T Gold Toner
(for blue tones on chloride papers)

Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Gold Chloride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 g
Potassium Tiocyanate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Nelson Gold Toner

(for warm tones on chloride papers)

Stock Solution No. 1:

Water (125 F) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 litres
Sodium Tiosulfate (hypo) . . . . . . . . . . 960 g
Ammonium Persulfate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 g

Dissolve the hypo completely before adding the ammonium persulfate. An equal amount of potassium persulfate
may be substituted. If the bath does not turn milky, increase the temperature until it does. Cool the solution before
proceeding.
Prepare the following solution and add it (including precipitate) slowly to the hypo-persulfate solution while
stirring the later rapidly. Both solutions must be cool.
Cold water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 ml
Silver nitrate crystals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2 g
Sodium chloride (table salt) . . . . . . . . . 5.2 g
Dissolve the silver nitrate completely before adding the salt. Do not use iodized salt.

Stock Solution No. 2:

Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 ml
Gold Chloride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 g

Add 125 ml of Solution No. 2 slowly to Solution No.1 while stirring the later rapidly. Afer mixing, the bath should
not be used until it has become cool and has formed a sediment. Sediment formation may continue for several days
or a week. Pour of the clear liquid for use.
Add the clear solution to a tray standing in a water bath and heat the solution to 110. Dry prints should be soaked
thoroughly in water before toning. Keep an untoned print at hand for comparison purposes.
Chloride papers should be toned between 100 and 110 Farenheit for 5 to 20 minutes. Most modern papers seem to
require about 20 minutes.
Afer 50 8x10 inch prints have been toned, add 4 ml of Stock Solution No. 2 to the toner mixture.

Gevaert G-417 Gold Toner

(for blue tones on chloride papers)

Solution A:
Gold chloride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 g
Calcium carbonate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 ml

Solution B:
Tiourea (thiocarbamide) . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 g
Sodium thiosulfate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 g
Potassium metabisulfte . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 ml

Prints should be developed a litle lighter than usual for this toner. Solutions should be prepared 24 hours before use
and mixed in equal parts immediately before use. Toning takes about 5 minutes. Wash thoroughly.

Tiocarbamide Sepia Toner

Reducing Bath:
Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Potassium Ferricyanide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 g
Potassium Bromide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Redeveloper Stock Solution A:

Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Tiocarbamide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Redeveloper Stock Solution B:

Very cold water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 ml
Sodium Hydroxide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 g
Water to make . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Handle sodium hydroxide with extreme care. Wear gloves and eye protection. Add the hydroxide very slowly to the
cold water, while stirring, as it will generate a great deal of heat and may boil if added too quickly.

Instructions: Reduce the prints in the reducing bath until no trace of black remains. 1-2 minutes is usually sufcient.
Wash thoroughly until all the yellow has been cleared. Redevelop.

Print colour is controlled by varying the ratio of redeveloper solutions A and B in water:
1. Yellow-Brown: 8 A, 4 B, 100 water,
2. Medium-Brown: 6 A, 6 B, 100 water,
3. Dark-Brown: 3 A, 9 B, 100 water,
4. Purple-Brown: 2 A, 10 B, 100 water.
 Cyanotype
Solution 25 grams Ferric Ammonium
A: Citrate

125ml Distilled Water

Solution 17 grams Potassium Ferricyanide

B:

125ml Distilled Water

It is a good idea to prepare the chemicals at least 24 hours before use to ensure that they are completely dissolved.
Both solutions should last indefnitely if stored in opaque containers.

To use: Under safelight conditions (or in a very dimly lit room) mix equal parts A and B and apply to etching or
watercolour paper with a brush (without metal ferrule), sponge, or by immersion for 2-3 mins. Allow to dry. Paper
may be stored in a light-tight box for several days.

To eixpose: Place the negative in contact with the surface of the coated paper using a piece of glass or a contact
printer to keep the items fat. Expose the image to a natural or artifcial UV light source (eg. sunlight, sunlamp).
Exposure times vary greatly depending upon the strength of the UV source and the density of the negative. Run
some trials or test strips to determine a good exposure time.

To process: Rinse the print in cold water for about 20 mins.

Van Dyke Brown

Ferric Ammonium 35
Citrate grams

Tartaric Acid 6 grams

Silver Nitrate 15
grams

Distilled Water 400ml

To miix: Mix each chemical separately in 100ml distilled water. Once mixed, slowly combine solutions making sure
to add the silver nitrate last. Follow hazard instructions for use of silver nitrate (wear goggles and gloves at all times).
Bring fnal solution up to 400ml with distilled water. Store in brown glass botle or similar container. For best results
allow chemistry to age for a few days prior to use.

To use: Coat watercolour or etching paper evenly under dim 15w or safelight conditions. Use a coating rod or brush
without a metal ferrule. Dry in total darkness.

To eixpose: Place the negative in contact with the surface of the coated paper (emulsion to emulsion) using a piece
of glass or a contact printer to keep the items fat. Expose the image to a natural or artifcial UV light source (eg.
sunlight, sunlamp). Exposure times vary greatly depending upon the strength of the UV source and the density of
the negative, but 10 minutes in direct sunlight is a good starting point. Run some trials or test strips to determine a
good exposure time.

To process: In dim 15w or safelight conditions wash print for 5 mins. Fix in 5% Sodium Tiosulphate (Hypo)
solution for about 3 minutes. Avoid over fxing as the print will become bleached. Rinse in cold water for about 20
mins. You may use hypoclear to reduce washing time.
 Bromoil
In 1907, working from the research of Howard Farmer and E.J. Wall, C. Welbourne Piper publicised the working
details of a process that produced an inked image from a silver bromide paper print. A non-supercoated paper print
is treated in a dichromated bleach solution, converting the silver image back into silver bromide. Te bleaching bath
also hardens or tans the gelatine in proportion to the amount of silver present. Te print is washed in water,
swelling the gelatine into a relief matrix that will accept greasy ink in the shadow and mid-tone areas, but repel it in
the highlights (where the water content is highest). Once the matrix has been drained and bloted, the original
photographic image can be inked up with a large blunt-cut brush, or small rubber brayer. Bromoil transfer is a
variant of the above wherein the inked matrix is printed onto a second sheet of paper. A mangle press or the back of
a spoon can be used for the transfer, which is suitable for colour work as a series of selective matrices can be printed
in register to produce a coloured image. (see Bromoil Video & other products, p.67).

Te Process
Paper:

Kentmere Art Document bromide enlarging paper, contrast grades 2 or 3 Print the bromide print for both highlight
and shadow detail, printing somewhat darker and fater than usual. Develop, wash (do not use stop bath) and fx
using the solutions below, and wash thoroughly.

Developer:

use a developer having a minimal hardening efect on the gelatine of the paper: Amidol and Sodium Sulphite, or:
Kodak Dektol diluted 1 part developer to 10 parts water.

Fixer:

without hardeners. A basic fx should contain acidifers but no hardeners. If in doubt, try Kodak F-24 non-hardening
fxing bath or plain hypo (sodium thiosulphate) with sodium bisulphite. Tese fxers can also be used to fx the
bleached print.

Bromoil bleaching bath:

15 g copper sulphate 15 g potassium bromide 1 g potassium dichromate Mix in 375ml. distilled water, then top up
with water to make 500ml. stock solution. Store in a dark brown botle, away from heat and light. Dilute for use: 1
part stock to 3 parts water. Bleach in the bleaching bath until the image is a faint beige colour, and leave in the bath
for half again as long. Wash thoroughly and fx as usual. A grey-ish image should be barely visible. Dry the print,
and store away from light.

Inking:

Adana leterpress inks or Charbonnel litho. inks. Add French chalk to increase tacky consistency, a solvent is extra-
refned lighter fuel. Soak the print in water at 20 for at least 10 minutes. Place the print face up on a paper towel
to blot water of the back, then face up on a smooth waterproof surface. A tilted sheet of melamine or plexiglass is
suitable as an easel. Blot the surface of the print (gently) with a damp chamois. Work over the print with brayer,
covering entire surface quickly then more carefully redistributing and clearing highlights and mid-tones. Or, with a
brush, start with a hard consistency of litho ink and hop this onto the entire surface of the print. Work over the
print with shorter hopping strokes to redistribute the ink from the highlight to shadow areas. Once inked, the print
will take about 24 hours to dry thoroughly.
 Cyanotype
Invented by Sir John Herschel in 1841, this simple process gives a continuous-tone image of Prussian Blue using a
sensitising solution of Ammonium Ferric Citrate and Potassium Ferricyanide. Tese iron salts, when exposed to
natural or artifcial ultraviolet light, are reduced to their ferrous state, producing a high contrast blue image when
oxidised. Oxidation is hastened by immersion in running water, which also washes away the unused iron salts.

Te Process
Solution A 65 g ammonium ferric citrate (green) in distilled water to make 250ml total.
Solution B 23 g potassium ferricyanide in distilled water to make 250ml total.
Note: distilled water is more commonly known as 'purifed water'.
Store solutions separately in brown glass botles, away from light. Filter before use, and mix in equal proportions A
to B.

Printing.
Paper: For all alternative processes high quality art paper such as those used in printmaking or watercolour work
are most suitable. Atlantis Silversafe 200g/sq m., Somerset Satin and Waterford Satin are good papers to start with,
however it is advisable to make tests to fnd a paper to suit your requirements.

Coat:
in subdued tungsten light, and dry away from light and heat. Print by contact (in a printing frame with a full sized
negative) in sunlight or by an ultra-violet light source until the shadows look bronzed. Allow at least one stop over-
exposure to compensate for loss of density during processing.

Development:
immerse in running water, and wash until the chartreuse stain of the ferric ammonium citrate has completely
disappeared. Take care to avoid excessive washing as this will to wash out the image.

Argyrotype
Te inherent problem of the iron-based silver processes lies in the danger of leaving residual ferric iron in the print,
to its eventual undoing as the image is atacked. Te Argyrotype process, developed by Mike Ware, has been
designed to avert this problem, and ingeniously uses a litle known silver salt, silver sulphamate, manufactured 'in-
situ'. Te resulting acidic sensitiser can be washed out of the paper cleanly. Brief working details are included here,
and we can supply the Fotospeed kit, detailed on this page.

Argyrotype Sensitiser
Chemicals needed. (GPR grade ca 98%)
Sulphamic acid 7.6g. Silver (1) Oxide 7.6 g.
Ammonium Ferric Citrate (green) 23g.
Tween 20 0.8ml (surfactant, assists spreading, poly-oxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate)
Distilled water to make 100 ml.

Procedure for making up

Use subdued tungsten light.

1. Dissolve the sulphamic acid in about 700ml of distilled water at room temperature.
 2. Add the powdered silver(1) oxide in small portions with vigorous stirring so that it dissolves over a period of
about 20 minutes or so. (Ignore any grey crystals that separate out at this stage.)
3. Add the ammonium ferric citrate in portions with continuous stirring until it is dissolved. Te solution will
appear murky green at this stage.
4. Add the Tween 20, mixing well, and make it up to 100ml. with distilled water.
5. Filter the solution, and store it in a brown botle, kept in the dark at room temperature.

notes
1. On storage, the sensitiser may slowly deposit a small amount of black solid. Tis does not signifcantly
impair its strength, but if troublesome it should be fltered of.
2. To make a more contrasty sensitiser, an additional 10g of sulphamic acid may be added per litre of solution.

Coating and eixposure

Coating is most easily done using a glass rod as spreader as under 'Coating Methods'. Dry thoroughly, as wet
sensitiser will ruin a negative. Pre-humidifying the paper will give a cooler purple/brown. Not all papers are
suitable, do some tests. One of the best is the smooth surfaced Atlantis 'Silver-Safe' coton-fbre paper in 200 g/sq. m.
weight. Printing is by contact, using Ultra-Violet or sunlight. Exposure time is likely to be 1 or 2 minutes in sunlight,
and can be gauged to some extent by the degree of printing-out visible from the front of the contact frame, although
a 'split' frame is a great help

Argyrotype processing
1. Immerse in running water (or 3 or 4 changes of static water) until the yellow background has disappeared,
which will take about 5 mins.
2. Immerse in a 2% sodium thiosulphate fxing bath for about 3 mins. Te image will cool.
3. Wash in running water (or static changes) for about 20 mins.
4. Drain and air dry. Te image tones 'dry-down' somewhat.

notes
1. Te dilute fxing bath will need replacement frequently. Tis should be carried out when the colour shif
from orange to brown becomes sluggish.
2. Over-exposed prints may be 'reduced' by prolonging the fxing time.
3. Very delicate gradation in the high values may be obtained by leaving the exposed print in a humid
atmosphere (100% R.H.) for about 10 minutes before wet processing.

Kallitype
Tis is an iron-silver process. In 1842 Sir John Herschel invented the chryso-type process, using a strong solution of
ferric ammonium citrate as a light-sensitive coating on paper. Once exposed, the paper was developed up with silver
nitrate (Herschel frst used gold chloride), washed, and fxed in hypo (another of Herschel's many innovations). Te
laterly termed Argerotype process was not much used, but in 1889, W. J. Nicol based his Kallitype process on
Herschel's work. Known as the 'poor mans platinum', the Kallitype had many complex and sometimes highly toxic
variations. In its most basic (and least toxic) form, a light sensitive coating of ferric ammonium citrate and silver
nitrate produces a sepia image of great richness.

Te Process

Sensitiser
note: rinse all utensils in distilled water before use.
Make 3 separate solutions;
 1. 6g Ammonium Ferric Citrate in 22ml distilled water
2. 1g Tartaric Acid in 22ml distilled water
3. 2.50g Silver Nitrate in 22ml distilled water

Te tartaric acid should be freshly mixed just before combining the solutions to sensitise. Te other solutions will
keep in brown botles, away from light. Te ammonium ferric citrate solution may need to be fltered before use.Mix
the frst two solutions. Add the silver nitrate slowly, a few drops at a time, stirring well to be sure that there is no
milky precipitate. Paper: Use a good quality art paper.Sensitise the paper by coating (see 'Cyanotype' for
suggestions) in subdued tungsten light. Dry in the dark.

Printing:
Expose in sunlight or by ultra-violet lamp in contact under a negative until the image prints out. Do not overprint:
the image will intensify during fxing. Wash in running water until all milky silver nitrate residue disappears.

Fiixing:
12g sodium thiosulphate in 1 litre water
Fix until image reaches maximum density: beware of over-fxing, which will erode the image.Wash thoroughly in
running water (up to 30 minutes if thick paper is used). Note: Iron-silver prints may be toned with gold toner as per
(Talbot's) salted paper.

Salted Paper
William Henry Fox Talbot's original salted silver nitrate paper evolved between 1834 and 1839. Talbot used smooth
writing paper washed in a weak solution of common salt, dried, then coated with a solution of silver nitrate,
resulting in light-sensitive silver chloride. Once dry, the paper could be printed out in strong sunlight. Te resulting
image of metallic silver was fxed in a strong solution of salt. Talbot refned the process, and Sir John Herschel
suggested sodium thiosulphate (hypo) as a fxing agent. Salted paper was the basis for Talbot's Calotype process,
which used silver nitrate and gallic acid to develop up a latent image in the exposed paper, and is the foundation of
modern silver-based photography.

Te Process

Paper:
good quality art paper. Note: rinse utensils, etc. with distilled water before use.

Salting Solution:
1.8% solution Sodium Chloride (1.8g to 100ml. purifed water) Salt the paper by soaking in the salting solution for
about 2 minutes. Be sure to disperse any air bubbles that may form on the surface. Blot with photographic bloting
paper, and allow to dry.

Sensitising solution:
3g silver nitrate to 20ml. distilled water 20% solution Citric Acid (saturated solution, 2g to 10ml distilled water)
Mix 3ml Silver Nitrate to 0.3ml Citric Acid - just before coating. Sensitise the paper in subdued tungsten light (see
'Coating methods').
Dry paper in the dark, then re-humidify over bath of washing soda or plain water.

Printing:
contact print by inspection in sunlight or under an ultra-violet lamp, until the image is 1/2 stop over-exposed.
Wash the print in running water until the milky silver compound has completely dispersed (2-20 minutes,
depending on paper weight.
Fiixing:
fx the print in a plain sodium thiosulphate fxer for 5-30 minutes (depending on the paper, as above). Wash in
running water for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the paper weight.

Gum Bichromate
In 1839, Mungo Ponton published a paper on the light sensitive properties of chromates. Tese are strong alkaline
compounds that are available today as potassium or ammonium dichromate (bichromate is the older and more
common term). In 1852, Fox Talbot used animal gelatine in combination with dichromate. He observed that the
dichromated colloid hardened in proportion to its exposure to sunlight, and applied the principle to an early
photogravure process. Tis work formed the basis for many later photographic and photomechanical processes. In
1894, A. Rouille-Ladevez redefned the process, producing prints for an exhibition at the Photo-Club de Paris. His
work inspired photographers whose pictorial work derived from Impressionism in fne art, and great use was made
of the gum bichromate process as a method of producing the painterly images so characteristic of turn-of-the-
century art photography.

Materials

Gum arabic:
available as prepared liquid gum arabic (avoid acid preservatives) or mix dry gum (acacia) at 1 part to 3 parts water.
Dissolve (overnight), strain, and add optional preservative (phenol based such as thymol, never formalin or
formaldehyde)

Pigment:
water colour for transparency, or designers gouache or casein for more opacity. Powdered pigment should be
ground with a small quantity of liquid gum arabic. Potassium Dichromate (bichromate) Ammonium Dichromate
(bichromate) is capable of a more saturated solution, decreasing exposure time, but giving some problems of
exposure control.

Paper:
a good quality, sized, art paper is recommended.

Te Process
Potassium dichromate: make a 10% saturated solution (10g to 100ml distilled water) Te solution will keep in the
dark. If crystals form during storage, redissolve by warming the botle. Mix gum solution and sensitiser in equal
parts. Use as soon as possible. Add to prepared pigment.

Coat:
paper with a sof, broad brush, and allow to dry away from light and heat. Te prepared paper will keep for several
days in the dark, but works best when used as soon as possible.

Eixpose:
the paper to sunlight or a mercury vapour lamp by contact printing under a negative. Exposure time will depend on
density of negative and type of light source, but always look for a brown print-out in the shadows and the start of
the mid-tones. Te colour of the pigment in the coating will also afect exposure time: blue and green requiring less
time than red or yellow.

'Develop':
the print in a bath of tepid water. Slide the print into the water (face down). Soak (a few minutes to several hours,
depending on exposure). Unexposed gum will dissolve, while gum hardened by the action of light and chromate will
remain. Gum coating can then be removed locally by the application of a stream of water or gentle brushing. Flaten
the wet print against a tilted, waterproof board to dry. Te gum print can be overprinted by recoating (once dry), re-
exposing and developing. Staining of pigment in the highlights can be minimised by the application of paper size,
and the dichromate stain can be removed in a 5% potassium alum bath, or by re-soaking the fnished, dried print in
warm water.