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Old 24th October 2015, 03:59 PM
Lostlabours Lostlabours is offline
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Default Ilford Autophen

To clear up some misconceptions Autophen is an entirely different developer to Microphen and is a PQ variant of ID-11/D76

Ilford's first PQ Fine Grain Developer was published in the 1954 BJP Almanc along with other examples of PQ formulae.

Ilford stating "As Phenidone is now generally available in bulk packing ranging from ¼-oz. to 4-lb., it is felt that the publication of a number of formulae in which this new developing agent is used in combination with hydroquinone will be useful to those workers who wish to compound their own developers".

These developers were:
ID-62 - a PQ variant of ID-20
A very similar developer for Contact prints - (identical except the Potassium Bromide is cut to 0.25g/litre)
ID-67 - a PQ variant of ID-2
Fine Grain Developer for plates and films - a PQ variant of ID-11 - the formula below.


Ilford PQ Fine Grain Developer (1954)


Sodium sulphite (anhydrous) 100 g
Hydroquinone 5 g
Borax 2 g
Boric acid 1 g
Potassium bromide 1 g
Phenidone 0.2 g
Water to make 1 litre

Development time: 7-11 minutes at 20° C.This developer has characteristics approximating to those of Ilford ID-II, but shows less change in activity during use.

This developer substitutes Phenidone for Metol in what is essentially ID-11 with a slight change in buffering. Over the next couple of years Ilford researched the exhaustion and necessary replenishment of this developer in photo-finishing machines.

Unlike ID-11/D76 which uses Metol the Phenidone in this developer can withstand substantially higher Bromide build up which limits the replenishment of ID-11/D76 and necessitates bleed replenishment which is less economic. Bleed replenishment means discarding some developer and replacing it with replenisher, essentially throwing away usable developer to keep the bromide level down by more dilution. In practice the lines needed to dump all the Developer every 6 months to a year depending on throughput.

Instead the PQ variant of ID-11 could use top-up replenishment which effectively just keeps the level constant which is far more efficient.

The final commercial formula for Autophen was published in the BJP in in June 1957 and included in the 1958 BJP Almanac published later the same year, it differs only in its buffering from the 1954 version.


Axord - Kendall
Phenidone-Hydroquinone Fine Grain Developer
AUTOPHEN


Sodium sulphite (anhydrous) 100 g
Hydroquinone 5 g
Borax 3 g
Boric acid 3.5 g
Potassium bromide 1 g
Phenidone 0.2 g
Water to make 1 litre


Replenisher - for Topping up method


Sodium sulphite (anhydrous) 100 g
Hydroquinone 8 g
Borax 9 g
Phenidone 0.24 g
Water to make 1 litre

Replenisher - for Bleed method

Sodium sulphite (anhydrous) 100 g
Hydroquinone 6.25 g
Borax 4 g
Boric acid 2.5 g
Phenidone 0.22 g
Water to make 1 litre

Autophen was available as a Liquid and also as a powder. The powder version uses Metabisulpite in Part A to stabilise and prevent the developing agents oxidising, the buffering differs very slightly to prevent a pH change caused by the Metabisulphite.

Microphen was released a year or so later and was a new PQ fine grain developer formula, by reducing the Sulphite to 80g per litre it gives a speed increase compared to ID-11/Autophen and is closer to the Adox Borax MQ and Agfa 44 (Agfa Ansco 17) fine grain formula both of which give a slight speed increase compared to ID-11/D76.

Microphen is the commercial version of Ilford ID-68, the two and their replenishers are inter-changeable.

Ian
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