DK-50 developer??

[Nokton48]

I fondly remember my experiences with DK-50 when I was in my teens, doing a LOT of news photography. Usually Tri-X and often pushed a stop or two.

DSC05898 by Nokton48, on Flickr

dk-50 replenisher by Nokton48, on Flickr

Bought all those packets of DK-50 for $2.00 each, when our local small shop closed down. The Replenisher I found on Ebay.

Flash forward to today, I am now retired and building a dream B&W darkroom in my unfinished basement. I will be setting up 8x10 hard rubber tanks, and I have all the baskets for 8x10, 4x5, and 120. So I will have a 3.5 gal DK-50 basket line.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I have an 88 year old uncle who was a photographer back in the '40's and '50's. A few months ago, he gave me a large box from his old darkroom. In it was a number of canisters marked DK-50, negative developer. Each canister is divided, top and bottom, (two part mix). The canisters are like soup cans. still powder inside, (can shake). Anyone have any knowledge about how to use it? Have plenty of Plus-x pan and Tri-x to try it out with..
Thanks,
Bart

Why would you want to ignore 50 years of development and try such an old developer when you have access to the newest technology is beyond me.

 

[removed account4]

I just looked on eBay and there is scads of new developer available if you don't mix your own.

Just make sure it isn't "clumpy"

 

[Paul Verizzo]

Why would you want to ignore 50 years of development and try such an old developer when you have access to the newest technology is beyond me.

Oh, there's something wrong with D-76, 72, and 23? Microphen?

Maybe because the results speak for themselves?

What newer developers, really? How does a viscous liquid one improve on the old ones? Ascorbate developers, yes, certainly the wave of some future, but it doesn't negate the old ones any more than HC-110 did 60 years ago. And they bring their own issues.

And then, there are those of us who mix our own and have a lot of fun. With great results.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Oh, there's something wrong with D-76, 72, and 23? Microphen?

Maybe because the results speak for themselves?

What newer developers, really? How does a viscous liquid one improve on the old ones? Ascorbate developers, yes, certainly the wave of some future, but it doesn't negate the old ones any more than HC-110 did 60 years ago. And they bring their own issues.

And then, there are those of us who mix our own and have a lot of fun. With great results.

I'm all in favour of mixing your own from old recipes.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

DK50 is the Metaborate version of an earlier formula which itself was Kodak's version of the Wellington & Ward Buffered Borax developer. It was tweaked further and eventually led to D76.

Ian

Is D76 not a lot older?

 

[Paul Verizzo]

In finding and looking over old literature than mentions DK-50, there are inconsistencies, if not outright contradictions on its suggested uses. Meaning, different films.

And what's this "for portraits" that keeps cropping up? What developer isn't good for portraits.......or anything else? Probably talking sheet film back then.

All the references I've found have been for 1:1 dilution. Was it ever used straight? (No chaser?????)

I posted my experience with DK-50 and Plus-X in 2015 before I had to suddenly move and drop all things photo until now. https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/dk-50-still-alive-and-well.124365/

What triggered my interest in DK-50 is that it was so different in composition, yet with the same old friends, and it was a major player for decades. Last suggested for Tri-X before it disappeared. Why Tri-X, of all things, having the heritage of being for sheet films? Equal amounts of Metol and HQ, sodium sulfite just enough to preserve and not bump it into "fine grain developer" category. How much "fine grain developer" do we need with modern emulsions? I suggest, not much, if ever.

My observations from 2015: https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/dk-50-still-alive-and-well.124365/

 

[MattKing]

All the references I've found have been for 1:1 dilution. Was it ever used straight? (No chaser?????)

Those Kodak Darkroom Dataguides list both stock and 1:1 dilutions for DK-50.
They don't do that for all developers.
And as for recommendations for use for p0rtraits, when DK-50 was "current", portrait styles favoured certain types of lighting, and certain types of presentation - think Yousuf Karsh as an example.
So a developer that leads to a particular type of shadow and highlight rendition, might very well be identified as being appropriate for portraits.

 

[removed account4]

And what's this "for portraits" that keeps cropping up?

That is where I was first given the opportunity to use it, when processing 1000s of sheets of film for a portrait studio
so my experience is just that, controlled lighting in a portrait studio... not only bread+butter regular old boring formulaic lighting
but hard core Karsh/Rembrant lighting.. I can't say what it will do or why people don't mention using it in other situations... I haven't used
it since ( probably 1989 ) but it always worked well, ( a seasoned tank ) ...

 

[Ian Grant]

Is D76 not a lot older?

Possibly but DK-50 is a Metaborate rather than Borax buffered version of an older developer.

Ian

 

[spark]

In my surplus hoarding days, I picked up a bunch of cans of military surplus "MIL-D-4824, Type II", which is the same as DK-50. They're dated 1977 and still good. Made by GAF. Nice results at 1:1 dilution.

 

[Arklatexian]

In my surplus hoarding days, I picked up a bunch of cans of military surplus "MIL-D-4824, Type II", which is the same as DK-50. They're dated 1977 and still good. Made by GAF. Nice results at 1:1 dilution.

That is the way we used it years ago. As I remember, using it 1:1 made a really nice developer. DK-50 was the developer of choice by most of the news photographers and other professionals hereabouts. I have a package around here. I should put it to work, especially on large format. Should work well at 1:1 with some ISO 320 4x5 film that I have........Regards!

 

[Nokton48]

OK Now it's 2021

See my stash of DK-50 above. ^^^

I am finally going to set up my 8x10 Kodak Rubber Tank Basket Line. I snagged a lot of goodies at the right time.

Today I am tidying up the area. I had a contractor build a custom table to hold the tanks.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I've never used it as a two-part developer. I mix it from scratch as a single solution. It's a great developer that will give HP5 enough contrast to print in carbon transfer.

 

[Paul Howell]

When in the Air Force DK50 was our standard deep thank developer, used it stock, developed 4X5 sheet film, TriX and high speed GAF, mostly for product shots, aircraft, maintenance equipment, and facilities. I understand that some bases used Ploydol, a little finer gain with nice skins tones.

 

[Nokton48]

If DK-50 works with Fuji XRAY HR-U, then I will be happy-happy. I have XRAY dental clips from Ebay, and stainless steel rod from McMaster Carr, Put those together and the film can be processed without touching -anything-. I have found if you touch it wet it will scratch. I can hang it to dry without unclipping it

 

[Murray Kelly]

I used it recently with some T-grain 400 @ box speed and a dilution of 1+9. It is a great combination for 35mm T-grain. The time was 3x the the 'recommended' undiluted time at 20C Excellent grain and gradation.

Interesting to note that Crawley never gave up on it but substituted the metol with one tenth of that with phenidone and called it FX-37. I always think he preferred metol over phenidone.
Here are some old samples
http://www.ipernity.com/doc/608655/44843834/in/album/981964

 

[gordrob]

My question is - can it be used in a nitrogen burst system. I have about 10 can of the developer

 

[Nokton48]

The 8x10 Basket Line I am setting up. Starting with DK-50 cause I have a lot of it plus replenisher.

Darkroom Renovation Phase II 3 by Nokton48, on Flickr

 

[braxus]

Reviving an old thread. If used 1:1, and developed in a smaller Patterson tank, what kind of time would you give for Ilford FP4+?

Also is DK-50 currently available under another brand name? Or is it all old stock on Ebay now for all you can get?

 

[Kino]

Formulary Developer DK-50

Developer DF-50 Film Plus-X Photography Chemicals

stores.photoformulary.com

Both the developer and replenisher are available from Photographer's Formulary.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I mix up my own from scratch... 5 minutes, with intermittent agitation for 5s every min. 20C

 

[FriedLouisStudio]

I developed tens of thousands of sheets of 4x5 Ektapan and Plus-X, and 6x9cm Tri-X, in deep tanks of DK-50 in my parents' studio from the mid-60s through the late 70s. We mixed DK-50 two or three times a year and replenished occasionally. We had hard rubber tanks (with floating lids to prevent oxidation and evaporation) for the developer, water, and hypo set within a deep sink so we could water-jacket the chemicals in the summer months to keep them cool enough for use. There was no AC in our old studio.

We were working, pragmatic photographers (my parents had both gone to the NYC School of Modern Photography after WWII) without any trace of the scientific bent of many who post here. I never heard terms like "contrast index" or saw any film-sensitivity curve graphs in those days. We didn't measure anything in metric units. It was far more seat-of-the-pants, go-from-your-gut, trust-your-years-of-experience processing... in dusty darkrooms that were the antithesis of a "lab".

And I don't recall ever looking at a DK-50 data sheet... I'd tell Dad the temperature, and off the top of his head he'd come up with the developing time to use for the first side of a film holder - we ALWAYS shot two identically exposed sheets, a full holder, on every setup - and he'd examine the results after developing. Typically, we'd adjust the development time up or down by a minute or two for the second-side sheets to get better negs.

Alternatively, for Plus-X, Tri-X, Verichrome Pan, etc., in small tanks - 35mm and 120 (and occasionally 127, 828, 126) - we used one shot D-76 1:1. But it was always DK-50 for any kind of sheet film.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

...at box speed

 

[braxus]

I mix up my own from scratch... 5 minutes, with intermittent agitation for 5s every min. 20C at box speed.

Thanks Andy. I still have some FP4+ sheet film I havent used in almost 20 years, but was frozen the whole time. I'll try this when I purchase some old stock developer.