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The Stoëckler formula
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Bath A
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grams
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Bath B
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grams
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Metol
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5
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Borax
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10
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Sodium Sulphite
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100
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Water to 1 litre
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Water to 1 litre
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Try about four minutes in each at about 21°C
The Ansel Adams D23 formula
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Bath A
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grams
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Bath B
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grams
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Metol
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7.5
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Sodium Metaborate
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10
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Sodium Sulphite
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100
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Water to 1 litre
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Water to 1 litre
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Try about three minutes in each at about
21°C for roll film; four for sheet film
The Barry Thornton higher definition formula
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Bath A
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grams
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Bath B
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grams
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Metol
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6.25
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Sodium Metaborate
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12
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Sodium Sulphite
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85
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Water to 1 litre
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Water to 1 litre
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Try about four minutes in each at about 21°C for roll
film; five for sheet film
The Stoëckler formula is very soft working
and gives very fine grain. With today’s thin emulsion
films which do not ‘soak up’ as much of either Bath
A or Bath B, thus resulting in less development activity,
it can be too soft. Beware, too, of the second bath’s
very mild alkali’s losing effectiveness. You may need
to refresh it with extra borax from time to time. You do not
need special photographic chemical grade for this. The anhydrous
type freely available from High Street pharmacists will be
fine. The Ansel Adams formula is quite "robust", and you should
beware too high a contrast on roll film – cut times if
necessary. My own formula is somewhere in between for contrast,
has extra acutance, and does not suffer the second bath exhaustion
to which the Stoëckler mix is prone. You should get at
least 15 roll films through my formula, and more if you then
refresh the second bath with more sodium metaborate.
The Teaspoonful Two Bath
As far as I know nobody has mentioned another
technique which I have evolved and which works really well
to give different tonal characteristics and very similar automatic
contrast control, and to avoid having to mix anything but
an approximate Bath B – two heaped teaspoons of sodium
metaborate in 1 litre of water. It dissolves almost instantly
and is cheap enough to use once then throw away, though it
would handle 15 roll films if re-used. Simply use your
normal standard developer (T-Max, ID11, llfotech, HC110, Econotol,
Perceptol etc.) for half to two thirds of the maker’s
stated time as Bath A, drain it off, and use the teaspoon-measured
Bath B for 3 minutes at the same temperature as Bath A. You
may have to fine tune Bath A time by experience. For all 2
baths stop and fix afterwards in the usual way after Bath
B, but not between the two baths
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