#parodinal

Butter Factory, Cooroy

(ILFORD HP5, stand developed in home made Parodinal)

Makes 150ml developer concentrate for B+W film and paper – enough for many rolls of film, see usage below. Cost: pennies per roll. Typical buy quantities may last a lifetime.

WEAR GLOVES – Caustic Soda burns are nasty! Work outside. It’s easy but be careful.

16 x 500mg tablets paracetamol, crushed (cheapest kind with no added stuff)

20g sodium metabisulphite (ebay, or sold as Camden tablets from brew supply)

19g sodium hydroxide (sold as Caustic soda in hardware stores)

Cooled boiled water (boiling softens and reduces dissolved oxygen), seal while cooling to reduce re-absorption.

1) Dissolve slowly 10g caustic soda in 50ml water. It will get warm. While still warm add the paracetamol, stir and allow to cool (always add soda to water and not the reverse).

2) Dissolve slowly 9g caustic soda in 70ml of water, allow to cool and add metabisulphite.

3) Mix two solutions at room temperature and add water up to 150ml. Decant to a darkened glass bottle that you can exclude air from. I use some well washed and dried discarded small medicine bottles because that’s what was around. Try to have as little air at top as feasible.

4) Allow to 'meld' for at least 72 hours. I gave it a shake now and then, no worries.

There will be crystals that deposit at the bottom of the bottle, those appear to act as oxygen scavengers and should not be removed.

Oh and word of warning - do the mixing in a well ventilated area and nowhere near photo film or paper as sulphur dioxide from camden tablets will fog them. Wear eye and skin protection when mixing, caustic soda burns are nasty. See “Fight Club”... Usage and Dilutions:

You can use like Rodinal developer. The batch you mixed is concentrated. It lasts for decades if well stored. Dilute it with water in various strengths for use. Like Rodinal it gives nice grain with lower ISO films, and pronounced grain, some say ugly even at higher ISO – say 400 and up. Longer development times seem more grainy. You have some control. See: Massive Dev Chart Film Development, Film Developing Database Examples:

1+25, faster, typically ~ 4-5 minutes. eg. 12ml into 300ml water, 150ml batch does 12 rolls of film.

1+50, slightly slower, around ~ 8 minutes but economical. eg. 6ml into 300ml water, gets 25rolls per batch.

1+100, for 60 minute stand development, acts as multi-ISO, grainy. eg. 3ml into 300ml – 50 rolls out of 150ml batch. Yikes.

(pdf printable version available here)

Notes:

This developer is usually made with sodium sulphite but sodium metabisulpite is often more readily available from brew supply shops (and cheaper). From my online reading I believe mixing the latter with sodium hydroxide converts it to the former and that's why it is mixed separately and then combined. In any case I've used the above method and it works fine.

I often fill 5ml syringes with the developer and have on hand for quick and easy measured use, quick mixing and then into film tank. Use old jars for mixing as you don't want this stuff on kitchen food utensils.

Butter Factory, Cooroy

(ILFORD HP5, stand developed in home made Parodinal)

(expired 90s ILFORD Security Film, stand developed in home made Parodinal)