Research in progress (February 2022)

Hi, just wanted to give a small update to make sure I’m not being too silent on here.

I’ve been doing a series of fairly deep dives into technical research and experimentation lately. The results of this tend to be boring and difficult to discuss much of, but I’ll give a small summary of each project.

1. I’m working on lith developer formulation and going into a wild new direction. I’m trying to find a suitable sulfite sequestering agent to replace formaldehyde. This has been a rather intense challenge thus far. Acetone DOES work, but the amount required is prohibitive due to the obnoxious odor. I’ve been testing other aldehydes and ketones and combinations to try to increase the potency of acetone, but the ability for these to self-react in alkali has made this a difficult topic to really get a firm grasp on.

2. I’m also working on general lith developer additives. I have 2 potential additives thus far, both non-toxic and not difficult to source. One is a potential activity increaser and/or sulfite sequestering agent which is not an aldehyde or ketone. The other is a “coloring agent”, specifically it can cause lith developer to produce unique red and pink tones. It does not have this effect in non-lith developers tested. The biggest issue is that there is almost no research of using this chemical in any developer, and it has a tendency to produce fog on many but not all papers and seems to be a potent silver solvent and “displacer”.

3. Finally, I’m doing a little bit of research on ECN-2 processing technique and alternate processings. I’m wanting to make sure I have a reliable way to remove remjet before shooting anymore ECN-2 film than I already have backlogged. I also would like to create a “hybrid” processing method for ECN-2 which is aimed to produce increased speed, low color saturation, and excellent ability to push develop. Alt processing results thus far has shown some potential, but contrast was too high and color balance was too wonky.

I’m preparing for an extended trip to California later this month where I’ll finally start getting back into real “high effort” photography again. So there won’t be another update on any of this anytime soon, but just know I’m continuing to work and research. I am tossing around the idea of commercialization for some very select formulas, especially GVM1. I’ve also been doing some research of how to go about actually doing that. Unregulated shipping I think I can manage for GVM1, but for many other formulas seems much less clear. How to mix in a more bulk style is not something I’m geared up for, but can likely tackle for prototype runs like what I’m envisioning right now. Later I’ll post and send out a survey for interested parties to be able to express interest and request a sample of some formulas which are known to not be shipping hazards. Keep an eye out for that, but for this month I expect things will be slow on the chemistry front.

BasicLith, a dead simple lith developer formula for modern papers

BasicLith, also known as GVLith #6, is a formula which I created which will from the basis of a series of densitometry measurements in lith printing developer formulations. However, it is likely useful to the general public as well. I specifically designed it for this aim:

• Work well with Ilford MGV RC and Fomatone RC papers

• Simple to mix with minimal safety concerns, no heating required of flammable solvents

• Avoid DMSO because the smell is annoying

• A shelf life of at least 1 month (unknown if this developer meets this, but its simple enough to mix that it’s not a problem if not) and tray life of at least 1 hour

• As minimal as possible while accomplishing the above goals

Tray life is not great, expect 1-2 hours typically. To make this formula more controllable for vintage lithable papers, add 0.3-2g of bromide per 10ml of developer parts. This developer may produce fog, pepper fog, or uneven development when heated, and is also much less stable. It is fast enough that heating should not be required. Induction period time with Ilford MGV RC at 74F and 10+10+400 is about 50s, with infectious development starting around 4m30s.

Formula

Part A:

• Distilled water, room temperature 40ml

• Sodium Metabisulfite 6.6g (note: small amount of SO2 gas released. Don't hold your head over the beaker)

• Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda) 0.7g (add this as soon as the metabisulfite is mostly dissolved. It will bubble quite a bit)

• (Optional) PEG-3350, MiraLAX 0.2g

• Propylene Glycol 40ml (warmed using a water bath preferably, but not a requirement)

• Hydroquinone 11.1g

• Top the solution to 100ml using propylene glycol.

• Water is avoided for longer shelf life and because glycol is a better solvent for hydroquinone. It is ok if the solution has some very small particles or a tiny amount of "fiber" looking crystals floating around. It should be mostly transparent though and slightly yellow. The remainder will dissolve upon standing for a few hours.

Part B:

• 70ml water

• Potassium Carbonate 13g

• Sodium Hydroxide 7.3g (note: make sure your crystals do not appear "wet" or clumpy, this amount is quite precise)

• Potassium Bromide 2.7g

• Top to 100ml with water

• Note: Solution will heat up considerably when adding the carbonate and hydroxide and will be very caustic. Use care and appropriate gloves when handling

Revision: The original version of this formula said to add PEG-3350 to part B. However, this is not possible PEG is practically insoluble in such a concentrated alkaline solution. Instead, it should be mixed into the part A instead. Note that in the part A, it may take a while to dissolve and/or require gentle (water bath style) heating

Usage

Use 10-40ml of each part for 1L of working solution developer, preferably at room temperature. I have only tested equal amounts of each part at a time.

Not an absolute requirement, but I highly recommend making a 1% solution of PEG-3350. PEG-3350 is also called polyethylene glycol of molecular weight 3,350. It is a surprisingly easy to find chemical. It is sold in most countries as a laxative. In the US it is sold under the brand name MiraLax. Use 1-7ml of this 1% solution per 10ml of developer parts for increased contrast and "linearity" of infectious development if not included in part B of the developer. This will increase the linearity of shadow development of the lith developer and gives a general increase in contrast. Certain negatives call for more and some for less, so it may be preferable to keep this as a separate solution for more control.

Spoilers

This is a bit of spoilers and the results still need to be double confirmed, but here is some interesting densitometric measurements using BasicLith without PEG at 10+10+400: