Stoeckler's 2-Bath Film Developer

[Rob Archer]

Probably the simplest 2-bath developer to make and use. - incredibly cheap, too!

Bath A

Metol: 5 g

Sodium Sulphite: 100g

Water to 1 Litre

Bath B

Borax: 10g

Water to 1 Litre

Mix in the order given in about 3/4 the total volume of water at about 35-40DegC. Make sure all the Metol is fully dissolved before adding the Sodium Sulphite. Make up the total volume with cold water.

To use pour Part A into the tank and agitate continuously for 4 - 5 minutes. Drain the tank thoroughly and immediately (do not rinse or use stop bath)pour in Part B, but DO NOT AGITATE. After 4-5 mins in part B pour out, stop (or rinse) fix and wash as normal.

This works because the developing agent (Metol) is absorbed into the emulsion during the first bath, where little development takes place. Part B is an accellerator, which immediately works rapidly in the highlight areas, where because there is no agitation the developer is exhausted rapidly, preventing the highlights blocking up. The shadow areas continue to build slowly until all the absorbed developer is exhausted, giving a very printable negative with excelent highlight and shadow detail and well-separated mid-tones.

Temperature is not critical but this works best at 20degC .

A few other useful tips:

• Don't try to develop several films together in large tank. The lack of agitation in part B will lead to streaking ('Bromide Drag').
  
• Increasing development time or temperature will give denser negatives but will have little effect on contrast
  
• Stoeckler's works extremely well with slow films. Faster films will need longer times in both baths - you may need to experiment a bit to find your ideal times.

[Rob Archer]

I should have added another tip - start by halving the 'box speed' of the film. e.g. rate PanF+ @25. Sufficient exposure is essential.

Sorry

Rob

[CarlRadford]

Just souped a roll of hp5+ in Thorntons Two Bath just to play and to test a roll through a contax 645 I have on loan. I made the mistake of constant agitation in both baths as I misread something! However, I am pretty astounded by how good the negs look - first of our black labrador and then of a white/cream vase with some twig bits in - might even get the enlarger out from wraps and see how they print in beers

[SteveB]

Is there a developer that can be used for film and paper. eg hp5 and ilford rc paper. if not have you an equally cheap developer for paper. What about fixer?

[Keith Tapscott.]

Originally Posted by SteveB

Is there a developer that can be used for film and paper?

What about fixer?

Try CHAMPION SUPROL for a universal developer which will be supplied with full instructions.
Ilford RAPID-FIXER is suitable for films and papers.

This section of the forum is for photographic formulae, so you probably should have asked this question else where.