HC110 developer

StephenM

StephenM

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I was working through the "Show us your film shots" thread, and came across a query on HC110 developer, which prompted me to look into it. The reason for this thread is to point out that in 2nd edition of the Film Developing Cookbook, there's a comment that a reformulation of HC110 in 2019 lead to a reduced shelf life.
 
If I recall correctly , when I looked into HC110 as a potential developer, after using up my Bellini Euro, my research led me to the Adox version, the principal reason as it was supposedly being manufactured to the recipe before the 2019 reformulation, where again I am writing from memory, after a takeover by a Chinese company manufacturing it under license.
 
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Rather like the only comparable developer, Rodinal.
 
Barney said:
If I recall correctly , when I looked into HC110 as a potential developer, after using up my Bellini Euro, my research led me to the Adox version, the principal reason as it was supposedly being manufactured to the recipe before the 2019 reformulation, where again I am writing from memory, after a takeover by a Chinese company manufacturing it under license.
Click to expand...
A month ago I finished the litre bottle of HC-110 I opened in 2018. Like @Barney, I bought a 500 ml bottle of Adox HC-110. In my case this occurred partly because of an article by Jonny Martyr, and partly because I had trouble finding anything else!. It is a definite yellow colour but nowhere near as viscous as my first bottle of the Kodak original. So far it seems OK; I am having a small problem with excess grain that I haven't got to the bottom of; it may be linked to under-exposure, or possibly because I've been lazy and not brought my stop bath and fixer up towards 20C. Needs more work!
 
ChrisR said:
it may be linked to under-exposure, or possibly because I've been lazy and not brought my stop bath and fixer up towards 20C. Needs more work!
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I would have thought that the former is more likely, with modern films you need a big variation in temperature between developer and stop / fix baths / wash to cause any harm.
These days people trying to pull non existent sky detail from their scans is the more usual cause of apparent grain clumping.
 
ChrisR said:
A month ago I finished the litre bottle of HC-110 I opened in 2018. Like @Barney, I bought a 500 ml bottle of Adox HC-110. In my case this occurred partly because of an article by Jonny Martyr, and partly because I had trouble finding anything else!. It is a definite yellow colour but nowhere near as viscous as my first bottle of the Kodak original. So far it seems OK; I am having a small problem with excess grain that I haven't got to the bottom of; it may be linked to under-exposure, or possibly because I've been lazy and not brought my stop bath and fixer up towards 20C. Needs more work!
Click to expand...
Thanks for the link Chris a very interesting article.
 
It's worth remembering Kodak's developer comparison chart.

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I used Xtol replenished from its UK release until a bout 2007, always gave excellent results with Tmax 100 & 400, and Agfapan AP/APX100. I also used Rodinal with Tmax 100 & AP/APX100. That was 35mm, 120, & 5x4 with both developers and excellent fine grain, sharpness, and tonality.

Back around 1986 I tested a number of developers with FP4, on a workshop about a year later Peter Goldfield was using Agfa AP100 and Rodinal, his large prints were outstanding, Tmax films had just been released in the UK, and he suggested Tmax 100 had been found to also be an excellent combination with Rodinal. Xtol was release about 18 months after Tmax films to help achieve better shadow details & film speed.

I did some basics Zone System tests with AP100, Tmax 100, & Rodinal, I found I needed to use Tmax 100 at 50 EI, AP100 at box speed, same development time, virtually identical results, just that difference in effective speed. I preferred Xtol for Tmax 400.

HC110 was a developer I'd tested back in 1986, I noticed a marked speed loss compared to the developer I was using regularly at the time, ADox Borax MQ.

I think Kodak's comparison chart is most relevant for Tmax films, also Ilford's Delta films, and Rodinal works best with the same films.

Ian
 
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