[pure-silver] Re: Amidol and oxidization

The "Chamlees" are Michael A. Smith and Paula Chamlee, and while I like to give credit to Paula for so many things (someday they will say, Michael A. Smith, Michael A. Smith . . . wasn't he Paula Chamlee's husband?), the Amidol formula I developed after a great deal of trial and error is mine alone. 

Water 750 cc
Sodium sulfite  30 grams
Citric Acid     3 grams
Pot. Bromide    3 cc (10% solution)
Amidol          8 grams
Water to make 1000 cc

For three liters the proportions of the Pot. Bromide and the Amidol change
Water   2500 cc
Sodium Sulfite  90 grams
Citric Acid     9 grams
Pot. bromide    12 cc
Amidol          20 grams
Paula and I have compared our "black" Amidol with new light gray Amidol--have printed the same negative developed in one tray and then immediately did it again in another tray--and have found no difference between the prints.
A long time ago the Photographers Formulary had some "black " Amidol. They thought it was no good and we purchased at a great discount. It worked perfectly. Now they are selling the very black "Chinese" Amidol. It stains everything, needs straining a couple of times, some report it stains the prints a pink or yellow color (I forget which) until the print is well washed. We find no difference in the final result. We purchased more than we needed and are selling it off for little more than we paid for it and for substantially less than the Formularly sells it for. It has a Formularly label on it. If anyone is interested, please inquire.
One other thing: When printing on silver chloride paper do not use Rapid Fix. It does give a pink color to the prints. We use pain Sodium Thiosulfate with 15 grams of Sodium Bisulfite added per half gallon. 

Michael A. Smith





----- Original Message ----- From: Eric Nelson
To: pure-silver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Saturday, May 23, 2009 2:51 PM
Subject: [pure-silver] Re: Amidol and oxidization
I'm sure I never added any citric and the activity dropped to practically 0 after X amount of time. I distinctly remember looking at pale under-developed prints in the tray and realizing it was time for the next batch of dev. to be made
I think I said acetic acid a couple of times. Of course it was citric acid I meant. Just hardening of the brain I guess. Amidol is known for dying in a relativly short time. It usually does not discolor as, say, Dektol, does so there is not much warning, it just gets weak. One would have to mix a tray full and then mix another a few hours later and compare the two for developing time and Dmax. I am a little sceptacle about the activity of Amidol which has turned black. Fresh Amidol is slightly gray. Again, one would have to make a direct comparison. It would be interesting to run these experiments because the results would lay the controverseys. Again, perhaps the Chamlees have already done this. 

--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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