Dear Janet,
yes, R09 is the "retro" developer made by Maco Photo (I think) and sold
via Macodirect and other dealers. They claim it is like "Rodinal
Classic" :-) and I have not found a difference so far, except that is is
not as dark as old Rodinal (i.e. the solution in the bottle).
Rodinal was called the "developer for grain lovers", somewhat unjustly I
hasten to add. If you use Rodinal in weaker diltions (1:50, 1:75, 1:100)
it is a very nice developer and acts as a balancing/compensating
developer. I find the recommended dilutions of 1:10 or 1:25 as too harsh
and grainy.
It is excellent stuff and the original used to last like forever, until
the stuff in the bottle was pitch black and almost tar-like consistency,
like you had to use a spoon to get it out...:-)
As for the Eastern European variant your friend might be thinking of
Adox Adolux APH09 which I believe is also sold by FOMA as R09 as well.
I would bet there is just one place now making huge tubs of the Rodinal
clone and everyone fills their canteen from it.
I use R09 and still love it and have salvaged many n old film with it.
The basic Rodinal recipe is more than 130 years old, I have delevloped
films known to hve been lying around exposed for 60 years. Now THOSE
were grainy, but the grandchildrn were very happy to get grainy pictures
of their granny and Grandpa.
If you want to try the stuuf I can get you some R09 and send it to you,
free airrmail shipping worldwide!! :-)
Love,
Snoopy
On 17.04.2015 18:45, Janet Gable Cull wrote:
I saw a friend's negatives last night that were so nice (actually scans
of them), and when he described the quality of them it described what I
like. He said he processed them in the old Rodinal (bought on Ebay),
and that there is a new developer with the same name but that it isn't
really the same as the old. He also told me about another developer out
of eastern Europe that's supposed to be like the old Rodinal. Is it
RO9? Not sure I'm remembering that right.
Another guy from a Hassy group on FB said Adox makes Rodinal, and it's
like the original. Is that so?
Please tell me what you know about Rodinal, and where I might get the
"real thing". Thanks.
Janet
