Dignan's 150 photographic formulas

[Lachlan Young]

Where can I get a copy of Patrick Dignan's book '150 Photographic Formulas' from? I would imagine that, as it was published in the 1970s, it has been out of print for a very long time. I have looked on both Abebooks and that dreaded auction site with no result whatsoever. Can anyone help?

All help much appreciated,

Lachlan

 

[Gerald Koch]

After the Dignan Newsletter ceased publication Patrick Dignan published the entire collection on microfiche. If you find one of these it would give you all the formulas not just selected ones.

 

[Lachlan Young]

After the Dignan Newsletter ceased publication Patrick Dignan published the entire collection on microfiche. If you find one of these it would give you all the formulas not just selected ones.

Any ideas as to where to look?

Thanks,

Lachlan

 

[Gerald Koch]

IIRC, it was sold by Photo Techniques at one time.

 

[jim appleyard]

I seem to recall that most of these were republished in "The Darkroom Cookbook"???

If not, there's always amazon, half.com and ebay.

 

[reellis67]

Don't forget about the library - people never really utilize %90 of what the llibrary has to offer. Chances are, if this exists in the collection of another library, you can get it on interlibrary loan. You will need to talk to the librarian for this service, but they should be able to find it on WorldCat and if they can't get it they should be able to suggest which library might be able to. Smaller libraries do not have the same options as a larger university library as far as getting loan materials, but I've always been able to get what I was looking for by asking around a bit.

- Randy (Archivist-in-training)

 

[Tom Hoskinson]

Quite right, Randy! (An Archivist's father).

 

[gainer]

It used to be sold by Phographer's Formulary. Perhaps they can be of help.

 

[gainer]

Sorry. I have gat gingers. I mean rat ringers. I mean---you got the messafe.

 

[Mick Fagan]

Lachlan, I have the Dignan Photographic 150 do-it-yourself BLACK AND WHITE Popular Photographic Formulas, as well as his Simplified Colour Processing Formulas.

There are some interesting sections in which different formulae are grouped and discussed, with their good and possible bad points.

I think the B&W book is/was good value in it's time and is still quite good but there are better books of developing B&W & Colour for that matter, if that is what you are looking for.

I also have Developing by K.I. Jacobson & R.E. Jacobson eighteenth edition Mar 1972, revised 1976, updated 1978 and reprinted in 1980.

This book is a far better proposition if you are like me, not that great chemistry wise and wishing to be able to do things in the darkroom anyway you wish. I haven't found a better book for the layman, or technician, it discusses virtually everything concerned with developing film.

The inside cover blurb states," DEVELOPING is the best established text and reference work on its subject in the world". From my own small view of the photographic world, I agree with that statement.

I looked at the Cook Book when it came out but couldn't find anything that was not in Developing.

Dignan's book though is very handy if you are wanting to bone up on some interesting things that have been done in days past. My favourite is procesing in 1.5 seconds at 170ºF, in this process the developing was done in 0.2 seconds.

The book itself is a plastic spiral type job in an American size not A4 of 106 pages.

Mick.

 

[JOHN APPERSON]

I have this book, a friend gave it to me. He has since died. Just took a look at all of those wonderful formula's.

 

[mshchem]

I have this book, a friend gave it to me. He has since died. Just took a look at all of those wonderful formula's.

Welcome back. First post. I love old formula books!

 

[Kino]

You can download a PDF of the book here:

150 DYI Black and White Formulas (Dignan)

In 1977, 43 years ago, photochemistry legend Patrick D. Dignan has issued a highly interesting paper, called “150 Do-it-Yourself Black and White Popular Photographic Formulas”. Some rea…

www.filmkorn.org

 

[Chuck1]

Thanks for the link

 

[michaelapdx]

Here is also a link to the book on Internet Archive. The website is invaluable in locating out of print books on all sorts of topics. Some you can download whiles other you can electronically borrow.
https://archive.org/details/150-diy-black-and-white-popular-photographic-formulas

 

[Keith Tapscott.]

The so called improved D76 on page 20 was of interest. Perhaps the Adox version is based on this or maybe they are using Sodium Sesquicarbonate as a substitute for borax.

 

[retina_restoration]

The so called improved D76 on page 20 was of interest. Perhaps the Adox version is based on this or maybe they are using Sodium Sesquicarbonate as a substitute for borax.

If you search the Web for D-76X, there's nothing out there. If it was an important/useful modification of D-76, wouldn't it have become widely acknowledged? Of course, it could be a sleeper and someone should test it for themselves. But how different could it be?

 

[Keith Tapscott.]

Of course, it could be a sleeper and someone should test it for themselves. But how different could it be?

All I know is that the EU are clamping down on the use of borates and this might be similar to what Adox are selling.

 

[Craig]

The so called improved D76 on page 20 was of interest. Perhaps the Adox version is based on this or maybe they are using Sodium Sesquicarbonate as a substitute for borax.

Looking at the MSDS for the Adox D76, it does look closer to the Improved D-76 (D76X) than traditional D76.

 

[Keith Tapscott.]

Looking at the MSDS for the Adox D76, it does look closer to the Improved D-76 (D76X) than traditional D76.

That's what I thought. If borax becomes unavailable at some time, it could be a suitable substitute formula.

 

[koraks]

If borax becomes unavailable at some time

Why would it? There's no movement in that direction in the EU. Borates are commodity chemicals used in a variety of applications, industrially. A sizeable market will remain for them. The fact that consumer products need to be labeled as "dangerous" doesn't mean borates are being banned. I'm starting to see now how this rumor has emerged!

 

[Alan Johnson]

Different messages coming out of Europe:

Adox D76 ?!

Never overestimate my chemistry knowledge. Yeah, my chemistry knowledge can be written on a salt packet you get with a plate of chips. The stuff appears to be significantly alkaline, which is what borax is doing in D76. so maybe can replace borax.

www.photrio.com

 

[koraks]

Be that as it may, it's easy to purchase pure borax throughout the EU. Whatever 'ban' there is, it's being ignored widely.

 

[Don_ih]

If you search the Web for D-76X, there's nothing out there. If it was an important/useful modification of D-76, wouldn't it have become widely acknowledged? Of course, it could be a sleeper and someone should test it for themselves. But how different could it be?

It's worth noting that, while the recipe for D76 has been known for a very long time, most people that use it have been using the Kodak envelopes. The majority of people who mix their own developers are probably not mixing D76. Until recently, the Kodak envelop was cheaper than mixing it yourself, unless you could find a very cheap source for sodium sulfite.

If there is an improvement, it's probably pretty subtle. I may mix it up sometime and try it out.

 

[Keith Tapscott.]

Why would it? There's no movement in that direction in the EU. Borates are commodity chemicals used in a variety of applications, industrially. A sizeable market will remain for them. The fact that consumer products need to be labeled as "dangerous" doesn't mean borates are being banned. I'm starting to see now how this rumor has emerged.

Adox reply in this thread says "We fully expect borates to be banned in the future".

Thankfully as you said that sales of borax is still happening at the moment.

Whether it happens or not we will see.

Adox D76 ?!

Never overestimate my chemistry knowledge. Yeah, my chemistry knowledge can be written on a salt packet you get with a plate of chips. The stuff appears to be significantly alkaline, which is what borax is doing in D76. so maybe can replace borax.

www.photrio.com