Mix ratios

I get a lot of questions about mixing Hypercat, and I see a lot more regarding other two-part developers, so I thought I'd address the issue here.

One source of confusion is the convention photo chemical suppliers like Kodak adopted early on, of using different terminology interchangeably. Diluting D-76 stock with an equal volume of water is referred to as both 1:1, and 1+1, but only the latter is accurate. In a ratio, like 1:1, the first term refers to the solute, or the part being dissolved, and the second refers to the total solution volume, so in a 1:1 ratio, the total volume of the solution is equal to the solute, meaning it is the undiluted stock solution. This differs from a 1+1 terminology, where the first term refers to the stock solution, and the second refers to the solvent/water, so a 1+1 dilution is equal parts stock solution and water, and equal to a 1:2 dilution.

The X+Y convention is useful for very low ratios of dilution typical for the most popular developers like D-76, ID-11, Xtol, etc., where typical dilutions include Stock (1:1), 1+1 (1:2), and 1+2 (1:3), but not as useful for high ratios typical for developers like Rodinal (1+24, 1+49, 1+99), and even less so for two-part developers like PMK- Pyro (1+2+97). For these high dilution ratio developers, the general chemistry convention is more useful and allows for extrapolation to to other volumes and dilutions, but there remains ample opportunity for confusion.

To avoid confusion when working with two-part developers like Hypercat, a few fundamentals should be kept in mind; first, the roles of the two parts in the working solution. The part A contains the developing agent and a preservative/ stain controller. The ratio of Part A : total solution volume determines the dilution of the working solution. A more dilute solution will selectively exhaust more quickly during rest periods of development than a more concentrated solution will. The relationship between the developer concentration and the Agitation Frequency, or duration of the rest periods, will determine the extent of the edge and compensation effects, as well as the development time required to achieve a given contrast. Typical dilutions of the part A : total solution volume are in the range of 1:100- 1:300.

The part B contains only the alkali/accelerator and determines the pH of the working solution. Generally speaking, a higher pH developer will be a more active developer, producing higher contrast in a given set of development conditions, but there are other consequences resulting from developer pH. Too low pH can cause a decrease in film speed, very low contrast and stain formation, or below the activity threshold of the catechol, no development at all. Too high pH can cause chemical fogging/ general stain, very high contrast, coarse gradation, increased graininess, and slightly higher film speed.

For most uses, including silver printing or scanning, a working solution of Hypercat should contain about 5g/ liter of sodium or potassium carbonate, but the useful range begins around 3g/liter and extends up to 15g/ liter, or more. 3g/ liter is useful for developing high contrast materials like Tech Pan or other document films, and 15g/ liter is useful for negatives meant for printing in alt processes that require very high contrast.

To review, the ratio of the part A : total volume of working solution determines developer concentration, and the ratio of part B : total volume of working solution determines developer pH.

In practice, you might find 5g/ liter of carbonate works best for 90+% of everything you do, and so you might find it convenient to make up 4 liters of 5% solution. When you want to make a working solution, you simply measure out the 5% solution to your desired total solution volume, add the desired amount of part A, and stir.

Example: Making 300ml of Hypercat 1:300 w/5% carbonate/ liter-

1. Fill graduate to 300ml with 5% solution
2. Add 1ml Part A, stir

Making the same developer using a 20% stock solution of sodium carbonate would be as follows:

1. Fill graduate to 200ml with water
2. Add 7.5ml Part B, stir
3. Add 1ml Part A, stir
4. Top up to 300ml, stir

Both developers will be identical, but the first is certainly more convenient and less prone to errors in calculation or measurement. And making up the 5% solution isn't terribly critical, so long as you're consistent. If you always add 4 teaspoons of carbonate to 1 gallon of water, for instance, your results will be consistent, even though the resulting solution might not be exactly 5%. A carbonate solution is stable, so you don't need to worry about its shelf life, and mixing a new one only takes a few minutes. When using a ready-made carbonate solution, you can refer to your developer dilutions more simply, as in 1:100, 1:200, etc.

If, however, you find you regularly use solutions of varying carbonate concentration, a stock solution will undoubtedly be more convenient.

I hope this clarifies some of the issues related to using Hypercat and other two-part developers.

Dennis O'Connor on Hypercat 2-bath

METHOD.

Film Ilford Legacy 400 ASA. Film exposed at 400 ASA.

Camera was a Nikon F90X. The exposure method was 'manual' using 'matrix' metering. The lens was a Sigma 28 - 200. My 'standard' working temperature is <> 22 deg C. My film developing tank sits in a thermostatically controlled water bath. The developing chemicals are also in this water bath. My 'film tank' is a paterson 'twiddle stick' type with plastic film reel holders. But my

method should work with s/steel tanks also. By also keeping the water for the chemicals in the water bath I can and do mix the two separate solutions just before I process.NO pre-soaking is used.

Stock Solution 'A'' = Ascorbic acid 1g. Catechol 10g. Propylene glycol 100ml.

Stock Solution 'B' = Sodium Hydroxide 10 grams in 100ml of filtered water.

Hypercat 2 Bath Process. Solution 'A'. 30ml in 300ml filtered water. Solution 'B'. 30ml in 300ml filtered water.

Times are. Solution 'A' = 6'. Then drain off (I prefer to use my developers as one-shot as the mixed solutions have a short usage life).

Pour in solution 'B' and develop for 6'. Contrary to normal 2 bath procedure I agitage in 'Both' baths.

When you dump solution 'B' it will have some discolouration.

Agitation sequence for both baths: Initial 30" then 10" (approximately 4 twists of the stick, alternating the direction) every minute.

Agitation = 30" - 1'30" - 2' 30" - 3' 30" - 4' 30" - 5' 30". That means I give a final agitation 30" before I dump the chemicals.

I use two plain filtered water stop baths of 30" each

I use a Rapid fix for 2' followed by washing for 10' (this is from my sink tap so the temperature is going to be below the fixing temperature. I have not noticed any film problems using this method during the summer here in the U.K. In the winter I would use water stored in my darkroom and give probably 10 changes of water using constant agitation as described by Ilford to save water).

I finish-off with a 1' soak in filtered water with a couple of drops of 'Dishwasher Detergent' added. Drying by hanging the strip in my darkroom.

I have an LPL C7700 colour head enlarger. When I started printing monochrome negatives only, using my colour head filtration. I was never very happy with the results. They were OK, but just OK. I tried the under the lens filters and things improved. I thought there was a problem with the filtration. So that is how I used to print using these U/Lens filters. However. When I got interested with stained negatives things started to go wrong, quality wise. As I said in my previous email my prints always looked flat. So I started experimenting with different tanning developers including Windisch and DiXactol. Always looking for the 'magic bullet'.

I purchased an R. H. Designs 'Analyser Pro'. Once calibrated this gives me a Time/Grade suggestion readout as well as a 'greyscale' guide. It does not do anything to the enlarger except switch it on or off. You have to manually set the suggested filter grade. Things improved again enough to make me think I had arrived at my best shot! However then came 510 Pyro and Hypercat! These developers seemed to behave differently to the other staining developers I had previously tried. They were both simpler to formulate, had very good storage times, and of course they were very cost effective.

This when I started to contact you. You will be aware of the questions/answers in the various emails. To cut a long story short today, after completing a short series of printing tests with single filters in my colour head on MG IV paper I have found my 'magic bullet' (I think).

I found that when using a Hypercat developed negative that gave a suggested grade 2 and specific time on the analyser. Ilford recommend '0' filtration for this grade, all I had to do was add + 5 magenta filtration in my colour head. This minute variation from my previous attempts resulted in prints that were no longer 'flat' in appearance and had lovely contrast.

So impressed was I that this morning I used Hypercat 2 Bath (30ml/300 A and 30ml/300 B) to process a valuable film I exposed last week at a 'National Trust' stately home garden here in the UK. The negatives have tremendous stain, which concerened me at first. But when I printed a couple of them, to say I was delighted with the results is an understatement.

I have attached three negatives and three scans of the resulting prints, the prints actually look much better than the scans suggest. These results, after very many hours of frustrated testing, has renewed my enthusiasm, and for that I have to thank you. I have not modified the images in any way, other than to reduce their resolution and size to send them to you.Negatives from each process were scanned using my Epson Perfection 4490 flatbed scanner in 'transparency' mode. I had to scan the negatives as 'Slides' and then convert them into grescale using computer software. This due to the stain confusing the scanner, when monochrome scanning is selected.It is nice to be able to contribute to your web site Jay, rather than just learning from it.

I appreciate that 'tanned' negatives are not to everyones liking. But I now have standardised on Hypercat and 510 Pyro. I feel that other developers I have mixed, including 'Quick Clear Rodinal', will stay in their bottles on the shelf.

All the best.

Dennis

Jim Byers on Hypercat

Jim Byers has become a valued resource and contributor to my developer blogs. Jim's testing methodology is straightforward and unflinching; if there's a way for Jim to get what he wants out of a developer, he'll find it. I recommended a 1:10:300 dilution of Hypercat as a standard dilution for processing most films to normal contrast in a normal development time. Jim found this scheme didn't give him the kind of negatives he wants, so rather than turn his back and proclaim the developer doesn't work as it should, Jim went about making it work for him by adjusting the ratio of part A to part B to 1:5 instead of 1:10. This tactic seems to be working for Jim, as evidenced by the photos below.

Thanks again, Jim, for contributing to the small reservoir of knowledge about these developers.

Jim’s comments:

My main interest in Hypercat is it’s sharpness. But I also want the fine grain of a Pyro developer. Hypercat has delivered both for me.

I originally tried for high sharpness using a 1:10:300 dilution of Hypercat, agitating every 3 minutes. While the sharpness was extremely good, I found that I was losing highlight detail and the negatives were coming out with too much contrast. Jay suggested I try reducing the solution B concentration to a 1:5:300 dilution and extending the development time. This has produced excellent results. The negatives are sharp with very good tones. There is nice highlight and shadow detail.

The recommended high sharpness/acutance starting point is to use a 1:5:300 dilution of Hypercat with a development time that is 1.25x 510-Pyro’s development time. Use continuous inversions for the first 30 seconds and then 10 second agitations every 3 minutes.

I really like this developer. It has a nice crispness while still maintaining a small grain size.

Here is an example with Tri-X 400:

Film: Tri-X 400

EI: 400

Format: 35mm

Developer: Hypercat

Dilution: 1:5:300

Time: 9 min

Temp: 21C/70F

Agitation: Continuous inversions for the first 30 seconds and then 10 seconds agitation every 3 minutes Presoak: 3 minute water presoak

Fixer: TF-4

Here is a Fomapan 200 example:

Film: Fomapan 200

EI: 200

Format: 35mm

Camera/Lens – Fed2/Jupiter-12

Developer: Hypercat

Dilution: 1:5:300

Time: 7.5 min

Temp: 21C/70F

Agitation: Continuous inversions for the first 30 seconds and then 10 seconds agitation every 3 minutes Presoak: 3 minute water presoak

Fixer: TF-4

Duet

Julia and I have been experimenting with using Hypercat as a two-bath developer. Initial results are very promising. I have some truly crackpot ideas I want to test, for developing high contrast materials. My interest in two-bath development is inspired by scanning negatives, and the advantages of thin, low contrast negatives, but the negatives we've produced so far are well suited to printing in a dark room, as well. We'll keep you posted!

More Pan F+

My Juliet

This is from a walk at Lake Lowell, as the sun was setting. I'm really loving this film/developer combination for 35mm. I think I could make a very nice 9x12 print from this negative.

Camera: Minolta XD-11

Lens: Minolta PG 58mm f1.2

Film: Ilford Pan F +

Format: 35mm

EI: 50

Developer: Hypercat

Dilution: 1:10:300

Time: 12 min

Temp: 70F

Agitation: 1 minute initial, 10 sec/min

Scanner: Epson 4490

Scan type: negative

The Darkroom Cookbook, Third Edition

Hypercat has been published in the third edition of The Darkroom Cookbook, by Steve Anchell, thanks to editor, Mark Booth. I'm honored to have my formula included in this indispensable darkroom reference book.

Negative Prime

Film development is endlessly fascinating to me, and led me to neglect printmaking in favor of negative making, in which the print is a proof of a negative, and any kind of manipulation obscures its purpose.
Making negatives begins at exposure and ends with a proof print, from which a fine print might be made.During exposure, creativity and technique are managed in real time as measured by discrete exposures. To the extent that conditions change over time, an exposure cannot be both discrete and identical. The only other real time event during the photographic process is film development. A discrete exposure can only be developed once, by an irreversible chemical process. After exposure, it is often suggested one should abandon creativity in favor of control, to secure the unique information latent in the undeveloped film. I don't consider creativity and control mutually exclusive.
Creative film processing takes all potential development controls into account to determine which combination of controls best serves the image. Film is necessarily chosen before exposure, and many or all of the processing choices might be made before, during or after exposure in anticipation of, or in reaction to exposure conditions . Controls vary in their influence and begin with the film/developer combination, which defines a set of conditions. Plain emulsion graphic arts film developed in a tray with print developer is going to make a different kind of negative than one made from the same film, developed in a dilute developer with reduced agitation. The influence a developer or development technique has on standard, panchromatic pictorial film is far more subtle than the example above, but its impact can be substantial.
Film developers are formulated to balance characteristics like emulsion speed, grain, sharpness and gradation, or to prioritize them. A good measure of a developer is that it maintains the balance of characteristics while enhancing the priority characteristic. Having a range of developers on hand allows for more creativity and more precise control.
Hypercat was formulated to produce high acutance while maintaining full emulsion speed, fine grain and excellent gradation. Despite being well balanced in characteristics, there is a price to pay for the sharpness of Hypercat; it is demanding of the processor. Unlike 510-Pyro or GSD-10, Hypercat is a two-solution developer and it is not suitable for rotary processing or significantly reduced agitation. Dilution and agitation are critical and must be determined by testing for desired effect. Inadequate agitation can result in streaks and other development defects, and excessive agitation results in a loss of film speed. In between the two extremes lie adjacency effects ranging from subtle to startling, available to those willing to commit the time and energy required of this developer. All that being said, the range of development times and agitation frequencies that give the best, most consistent results is in the normal range for standard developers; 6:00-10:00 minutes with ten seconds agitation per minute, but dilution and agitation frequency can be adjusted over a fairly wide range to suit desires and conditions.


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