D 23 Question

[Diz]

I thought I would give this D23 developer and the replenisher a go. The sodium Metaborate I have for the replenisher is in liquid form. The question is, would 20ml of Sodium Metaborate be equivalent to 20g?
Cheers
Diz

 

[Ian Grant]

No because it won't be a 100% solution. You need to know the strength of the Sodium Metaborate solution.

Sodium Metaborate has never been made in Europe but a solution can be made using Borax and Sodium Hydroxide, for instance the Bellini Sodium Metaborate solution is 280g/litre, 28%.

So 100ml would contain 28g, for the equivalent of 20g you'd need to add 71.4ml, it doesn't need to be too accurate, it's there as a buffer.

Ian

 

[Diz]

Thank you Ian, an easy to understand explanation I have the Bellini version so will use your information.
Cheers
Diz

 

[Keith tapscott.]

Hello Diz,

If you have some borax and caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) you can make the DK25R replenisher as follows.

Metol 10 grams
Sodium sulphite 100 grams
Caustic soda 3 grams (see below)
Borax 14 grams
Water to make 1 litre.

Dissolve the hydroxide separately in 100ml of cold water before adding to the solution.
Never add water to the hydroxide.

 

[Diz]

Thank you Keith. If I continue with D23, I will make some from scratch when the Bellini bottle has finished.
Cheers
Diz

 

[thronobulax]

Thank you Keith. If I continue with D23, I will make some from scratch when the Bellini bottle has finished.
Cheers
Diz

If you go that route, I'd question whether you even need to replenish unless you are doing huge volumes. There are several other strategies here that may be simpler:

1. I've mixed 2 liters of D-23 1+1 and stored it in a brown glass bottle, for (re)used over a full year with no replenishment at all. As the use approaches twenty 10x8 equivalent films processed I discard it and replace it with freshly made D-23. (A "10x8 equivalent" is either a single 10x8, four 5x4s, or one roll of either 120 or 35mm.) Contrary to popular belief, developer doesn't magically oxidize and stop working over time. If you prevent air from being present in large amounts (glass bottle with polycone style cap, mostly full) and count use, you can easily get 6 months or even more out of a single batch at 1+1.
   
   
2. D-23 is quite inexpensive to mix yourself. At 1+2 or even 1+3, it makes an excellent one-shot developer (use and discard). You'll have to work out what times this will require. At those dilutions, the compensation effect become somewhat increased and acutance is enhanced. Thanks to @Raghu Kuvempunagar I've gotten it out to 1+9 with the addition of 0.5g/l of lye to the working developer. However, I don't recommend this for smaller formats because the acutance rises a lot, but also really makes the grain noticeable. There is another D-23 thead here where we recently discussed all this and I provided examples.
   
   
3. I've not done this with D-23, but with DK-50, I kept two bottles. One for regular use and another of unused stock. I would replace 1oz of the in-use bottle with new stock each time I developed film. No, it's not exactly the formula for DK-50R, but I never had any issues. Again, as I approached 20 10x8s of use (for 2 liters), I tossed it out and replaced with fresh developer.

 

[Diz]

Thank you Thronobulax. Another consideration if the relationship with D23 continues after the bedding in period.
Cheers
Diz