"darkroommike" wrote in message
...
On Jul 27, 7:30 pm, "Richard Knoppow"
wrote:
"Darkroom User"
wrote in
messagenews
My reason for "disavowing" D-76 and ID-11 has nothing to do
with their
suitability as a developer but rather everything to do with
the black
deposits they leave on my pristine white film processing
reels. I'm
not any sort of real chemist, I do not know what these
deposits are,
but I spent more time cleaning reels than I spent processing
film.
Dektol/D72 leave the same sort of deposits on my paper
developing
tray. The situation seems exacerbated by plastic trays and
tanks, the
reels can get so bad that the film drags as it is loaded.
I do not
see it when using stainless (!) steel film reels. I also
use my film
developer "one shot" so liquid concentrates such as HC-110
and TMax
work better with my peculiar analog workflow.

I have not had that problem with D-76 but have with
Dektol. It appears to be deposits of metallic silver. I
don't know why either developer should do it more than
others. I use stainless steel tanks for film, except for
large sheet film, but use plastic for prints. I get rid of
the deposit on the developing tray with old-fashioned
bichromate glass cleaner but these days you have to make
your own. I think other silver bleaches will work. I have
not tried concentrated rapid fixer with added citric acid
but its an effective silver bleach and might work.
When AGFA was still in business I used AGFA Neutol Plus
print developer, I don't remember it leaving the same
deposits. Since Jobo tanks are made of plastic its possible
D-76 leaves a silver deposit on them more readily than on
stainless steel although I don't understand the chemistry
well enough to know why it would.
There ARE better developers than D-76 but its very
reliable and works for nearly all films coming close to the
results from the better developers, so I continue to use it.

--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL