Table of Contents

Barry Thornton’s two bath developer

Formula for two bath (divided) development.

Yields a compensating effect.

Preparations

Prepare stock solutions as described below:

Part A

Water (@ 50 degrC), 750 ml
Methol, 6.5 gr
Sodium Sulfite, 80 gr
Water, to make 1000ml

(This is a modified Kodak D-23 solution)

Part B

Water (@ 50 degrC), 750 ml
Sodiummetaborate 12 gr
Water, to make 1000ml

As a substitute to sodiummetaborate, the following solution can be used (ref. Anchell)

Substitute

Sodiumhydroxide, 9.5gr
Borax (decahydrate) 45.4 gr
Water, to make 1000ml

10ml of this solution substitutes 1gr of sodiummetaborate

Instructions for use

Develop the film according to the procedure below:

  1. Fill tank with part A.
  2. Agitate each half or full minute; frequency not very important
  3. After specified time, dump part A (back into bottle).
  4. Without a intermediate rinse, fill tank with part B.
  5. Make sure to dislodge air-bubbles from film surface (dunk tank into table-top or similar)
  6. Agitate sparingly; one agitation half-time through development should be enough.
  7. After specified time, pour off part B.
  8. Stop and fix as normal

Development times

Time per bath is approximately {3min, 4min, 5min} for films with ISO {50, 100, 400} respectively.

Capacity and shelf life

  1. Part A: should keep for approx. 12 month. Capacity is approx 15 films per liter.
  2. Part B: Capacity is approx 15 films per liter.

Notes

For lower contrast and finer grain, a plain solution of borax can be used (36 gr per liter) as part B.
Modify the proportion of sodiummetaborate in part B to adjust for the films SBR. Use {7gr, 12gr, 20gr} for {high, normal, low} SBR respectively.