Support our Sponsors, they keep FADU free:   AG Photographic   The Imaging Warehouse   Process Supplies   RH Designs   Second-hand Darkroom Supplies  

Notices

Go Back   Film and Darkroom User > Chemistry > Chemical formulae

  ***   Click here for the FADU 2015/2014 Yearbooks   ***

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1  
Old 10th January 2009, 09:58 PM
Barry's Avatar
Barry Barry is offline
Administrator
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Mendip Hills, Somerset
Posts: 2,368
Default Beers Formula

The Beers formula: -

Bath A

Water 750ml at 52ºC
Metol 8g
Sodium Sulphite 23g
Sodium Carbonate 21g
Potassium Bromide 11.0ml (10% Solution)
Water to make 1litre

Bath B


Water 750ml at 52ºC
Hydroquinone 8g
Sodium Sulphite 23g
Sodium Carbonate 27g
Potassium Bromide 22.0 (10% Solution)
Water to make 1litre

All chemicals are anhydrous.

The above can be mixed in various ratio's of A & B to create a single bath developer with differing contrasts. For use as a two bath developer John Blakemore suggests the following: -

Lowest Contrast 1 Part A + 1 Part water (no Part B)
Highest Contrast 7 Parts B + 1 Part A (no water)

Varying the time the print is in each bath will allow fine tuning of the contrast

With thanks to John Blakemore's "Black and White Photography Workshop" and "The Darkroom Cookbook". John has quite detailed information regarding this developer in his book, if you are interested in this formula I recommend that you read it.
__________________
Cheers, Barry

Last edited by Barry; 10th January 2009 at 11:03 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 11th January 2009, 02:27 PM
Rob Archer's Avatar
Rob Archer Rob Archer is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Kings Lynn, Norfolk - flatlands and big skies.
Posts: 1,244
Default

Thanks for that Barry. I've got 'The Darkroom Cookbook' with tehe recipe, but there is little detail of how to use it. I intend to get John Blakemore's book ASAP.
I suspect the Fotospeed Grade Select was pretty much the same as Beers - the dilutions look similar. I've got all the reqired chems. and I've got a day in the darkroom Tuesday, so hopefully I can post a few results soon.

Rob
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 11th January 2009, 04:41 PM
Barry's Avatar
Barry Barry is offline
Administrator
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Mendip Hills, Somerset
Posts: 2,368
Default

That's great Rob, hope to see some results.
__________________
Cheers, Barry
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 24th January 2009, 07:50 PM
Rob Archer's Avatar
Rob Archer Rob Archer is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Kings Lynn, Norfolk - flatlands and big skies.
Posts: 1,244
Default

I've just posted a couple of images:

http://www.film-and-darkroom-user.or...&pictureid=775

and: http://www.film-and-darkroom-user.or...&pictureid=753


I was really impressed with the variation I could achieve with Beers. I reckon I can get about Grade 1 to 3 with Kentmere Bromide Grade 2. I can see me using this quite a bit. Anybody know what the keeping qualities are like with Beers?

Rob
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 24th January 2009, 09:14 PM
Barry's Avatar
Barry Barry is offline
Administrator
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Mendip Hills, Somerset
Posts: 2,368
Default

Good to hear that its working for you Rob, particularly with Kentmere Bromide. I also want to try more contact prints with this paper.

I would use it more if I had the space! I understand that it has very good keeping qualities. I have no figures though?
__________________
Cheers, Barry
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 25th January 2009, 02:31 PM
Roy_H's Avatar
Roy_H Roy_H is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 353
Default

Digitaltruth states the following:
"The stock solutions are diluted 1:1 to obtain the working solution. The shelf life of the stock solution is 3 to 4 months, but the working solution must be discarded at the end of the working session."

I've used it years ago, but can't remember much about its keeping properties. Will give it a try again and see.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 26th January 2009, 04:57 PM
Roy_H's Avatar
Roy_H Roy_H is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 353
Default

Imbued with the spirit of adventure as a result of Barry posting the Beers formula, I set about a few experiments yesterday.

I hadn't used a two-bath since 198...something, and then I think it would have been something like Ansco 120 and another I can't remember. Maybe it was Selectol and Selectol Soft, who knows.

Anyway, for the sake of this thread I've put my initial test on a little web page, showing the results with #1 mix and #6 mix on Adox Nuance Grade 3. Here are the comparison images, click these to be taken to the page, where there is a more useful way of comparing the results.



The final print made utilised both #1 and #6 mixes, moving the print between the two in a way that I could probably never repeat!
You can see that in the Discussion/Help gallery here. I'm not 100% happy with it yet and comments are welcome.

Last edited by Roy_H; 26th January 2009 at 05:41 PM.
Reply With Quote
Reply
Support our Sponsors, they keep FADU free:   AG Photographic   The Imaging Warehouse   Process Supplies   RH Designs   Second-hand Darkroom Supplies  

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Perceptol Formula pentaxpete Chemical formulae 49 25th December 2018 07:29 PM
Crawley's Acutol S (FX15) formula pentaxpete Chemical formulae 4 9th January 2011 12:21 PM
Microphen Formula pentaxpete Chemical formulae 5 15th March 2009 08:50 PM
My RC paper dev formula pentaxpete Chemical formulae 1 14th March 2009 03:23 PM
MK 35 formula for thin-emulsion films pentaxpete Chemical formulae 0 20th February 2009 09:15 AM


All times are GMT. The time now is 02:24 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.