Topic: homemade Xtol-style Instant Mytol

[imagesfrugales]

I once found this recipe for the socalled Instant Mytol developer. The site were I found it seems to be down.

Start with 750 ml water
60 g sodium sulfite (anhydrous)
11.5 g ascorbic acid
0.15 g phenidone, no predissolving in alcohol necessary imo
7 g sodium metaborate
0.1 g pot. bromide
demin. water to 1 L

For the 7g metaborate you can substitue 1.4 g Borax + 5.6 g washing soda monohydrate or 4.6 g anhydrous

final pH should be 8.2 (checked and confirmed)

Everything dissolved easily in water of about 30 °C. I mix it double strength, the last batch did keep almost 2 years in a clear glas bottle with a little spray of  lighter gas as oxigen protection. The solution was already deep yellow colored, but still worked fine until it was used up.

I use this developer only 1-shot and mostly 1+2 = 1+5 double strength, times for Xtol 1+2 seem to be spot on. I used any temp from 20 - 27 °C with time adjustment of course.

Samples: https://www.flickr.com/search/?path=imagesfrugales&nsid=&page=&details=1&w=41560554%40N06&q=mytol

[Francois]

Nice, seems simpler to do than the original mytol.

[jharr]

Thanks Reinhold. I have tried Xtol before and have to say that I didn't find it much different than Rodinal. Maybe the grain was a little finer, but not so much that I thought I had to switch. What would you say are the differences/benefits of this developer over Rodinal/Caffenol/Parodinal variants?

[imagesfrugales]

Hi James, definately finer grain and better film speed. Undiluted it's a fine grain developer like D76/ID11, with all the pros and cons, good for pushing to the limits. 1+2 is sharper with more visible grain but still a lot finer than with Rodinal. Especially visible with fast films of course.

Biggest advantage of Caffenol is imo that - no matter how much or how few films you develop - you always have a fresh mixed developer and don't have to spend a single thought on shelf life and environmental effects.

I surely forgot a lot to say, but have to go to work now.