Patrick Dignan, who from 1968 to 1981 published The Dignan Photographic Newsletter, recently ruminated on hit early experience publishing photographic formulas and wrote, "There were actually only a few chemicals that would function as photographic developing agents that are not extremely toxic or very expensive to manufacture."
Another favorite saw of mine is that tonal range and image quality are often subjective, and one photographer's desired tonal stale may be another's soot and chalk. In either instance, the only way to know what you want and like in a black-and-white image is to try different developers with both film and paper. Unfortunately, off-the-shell formulas are almost all variations on the basic metol/hydroquinone theme. Sometimes, as in the case of Kodak D-76 and Ilford ID-11, they are not even variations, D76 and ID-11 are identical formulas.
One developing agent that has practically gone by the boards as a result of photographers allowing manufacturers to call the shots and determine which formulas we will use is glycin. glycin is possibly one of the most undervalued developing agents. Although once quit popular, it is now almost entirely ignored in favor of metol, phenidone, and hydroquinone. This is partially due to its greater cost, and the fact that the powdered form is difficult to obtain in a fresh, pure state. Either or both reasons make it less desirable to the commercial manufacturers. The only remaining manufacturer of glycin, and prepackaged formulas which use glycin, of which I am aware, is Photographers' Formulary.
glycin is not particularly toxic, but it does have a relatively short shelf life. When fresh, glycin appears as a glistening white or gray powder. As it ages, it turns brown and loses its potency.
However, one feature of glycin is its high resistance to oxidation when in solution, even solutions with very low sulfite, which normally oxidize readily. Further-more, it confers this resistance to oxidation on other developing agents such as phenidone or metol. As a developing agent, glycin also has the highest resistance to streaking. For this reason it was often used in formulas where agitation was minimal, such as high acutance stand developers, popular its France at the turn of the century.
Used alone, glycin has a slow development rate. Therefore, it is often combined with phenidone, metol, hydroquinone, or a combination of PQ or MQ. Superadditivity occurs when the combined results of two developing agents is greater than either of them working alone. The combination of glycin and phenidone is mildly superadditive.
However, glycin is not only valuable for negative development, it is useful for paper as well. One of the best-known paper formulas, widely used by photographers who mix their own, is Ansco 130. This formula is very versatile, depending open the paper and adjustments made to the chemistry. It capable of beautiful gradation and print color.
Other than Ansco 130, it is difficult to find formulas containing glycin, even more so for those with glycin /phenidone. One of the best modern formulas using glycin, though it does not contain phenidone, is Geoffrey Crawley's FX-2. Mr. Crawley, a photographer and former editor of the British Journal of Photography, formulated a series of experimental developers which he dubbed the "FX" series. These were first published between 1960-61 in the British journal. Some of the FX developers are of purely theoretical interest, and some are among the best devised for modem emulsions. FX-2 rates among the best high acutance developers available today, either proprietary or published. In addition to high acutance, FX-2 maintains maximum film speed and produces a negative of pictorial gradation that is similar, but significantly different, to Rodinol. This developer works best with conventional and T-grain slow-to medium-speed films, although satisfactory results can be obtained with ISO 400 films.
STAND DEVELOPMENT IS A TECHNIQUE which uses little or no agitation combined with extreme development times to achieve a very high degree of highlight compensation, minimum shadow detail, exaggerated adjacency effects and subtle gradations in the mid-tones, without loss of film speed. This is an old, almost forgotten technique. It works well with modern slow and medium-speed emulsions, including sheet films, though a considerably dilute developer is required. Due to their resistance to streaking, developers formulated with glycin are particularly suited to stand development.
To use FX-2 for stand development, dilute the working solution 1:1 or 1:2. Presoak the film for 2 minutes in a solution of Edwal's LFN. This helps prevent air bubbles. After immersing the film in the developer, gently agitate for 60 seconds, either by stirring with a rod, or gently swishing the developer around in the tank, altering the direction every 15 seconds tap the tank on the counter top, then leave it for 1 to 1½ hours. No further agitation is necessary. The film will develop to completion, that is, the shadows will develop as fully as they are capable, and the highlights will reach an ideal point and stop, without overdeveloping (the extreme highlight compensation will help counteract errors in exposure). At the end of the development time, rinse the film in water, stop and fix, observing the CAUTION for acid stop baths under normal development procedures, discussed above.
Stand development should take place as close to 68°F as possible, with useful temperatures between 63°F and 75°F. For temperatures nearing either extreme, compensate the time by +/-30%. If necessary, place the developing tank in a controlled water bath.
With any extended development technique it is always possible for dichroic fog to occur, especially with fast films, ISO 400 or greater. Test this technique first before committing valuable film. One final note, give full shadow exposure to film which is destined for stand development. The highlights will compensate automatically.
Another glycin /phenidone formula which includes hydroquinone is FX-1. The addition of hydroquinone in a glycin /phenidone developer increases the superadditivity effect, shortens development times and increases the negatives' gamma.
FX-1 gives higher film speed than Promicrol or Microphen. It probably gives the highest speed available at present in a solvent developer, with balanced toe contrast to ensure good gradation with thin enlarging-contrast negatives. It has built-in 'sheen' to mask granularity by slight diffusion; definition is not outstanding owing to the high rate of physical development, but sharpness is fairly good. Its sensitometry and sheen is such that with correct exposure and development, no marked rise in granularity should be noted over commercial formula despite its higher speed exploitation.
In FX-1 a preference for thin negatives with a density scale of about 0.8 or 0.9 over fog and base, and normal contrast was assumed; the sensitometry of the developer is such that best quality is reached at that point, and it is not therefore very suitable for formats over 6x9cm where a higher density scale is often required, by the time this higher contrast is reached, negative quality granularity, sharpness and definition will have fallen off. To obtain best quality at a higher contrast, with no effect on the increased film speed, increase glycin by 0.5 grams/liter; development times will increase slightly.
Paul Raphaelson came up with a variation on FX-11. Mr. Raplsselson writes, "My observations suggested that the T-grain emulsion is worlds different from the emulsions I'm used to. To get the results I like, I made the following changes, much less sodium sulfite (30g instead of 100g), double the hydroquinone and phenidone, much more alkali (3.5g metaborate instead of 3g borax), and a shorter developing time (5 minutes instead of 7)."
One aspect of Paul's variation that makes special sense is the reduced amount of sodium sulfite. glycin works best in low concentrations of sulfite since it has a tendency to become excessively solvent when it is placed in a high-sulfite solution.
Ansco 130 has a useful development range with bromide papers of 2 to 6 minutes. With chlorobromide papers, 1 to 3 minutes. The prepared stock solution is clear but slightly colored. The coloration does not indicate the developer has deteriorated. One modification which can be made to this developer to obtain warm tones is substituting potassium carbonate, anhydrous for sodium carbonate, monohydrated. To substitute the possasium salt, multiply the amount of sodium carbonate by 0.90.
Another technique that works very well with this particular developer is to dilute the stock solution 1.1 with an equal amount of exhausted developer. The results will be warm-tone prints on almost any paper and, depending on the exhausted developer used, many different shades of warm tone can be achieved.
Mr. Adams created his own version of Ansco 130 by eliminating the hydroquinone and bromide, and reducing the amount of sulfite. He would then add bromide as needed to prevent fog. If the contrast was too low he added, as required, a solution of hydroquinone (given below). In addition to increasing the contrast, the hydroquinone solution causes a cooling of the image tone. If an even cooler image is desired, try adding a small amount of benzotriazole instead of, or in addition to, the bromide.