FX-16 (Grain effects on high-speed films) Developer Formula
(Source : BJP Annual 1984)
Speed Increase 50% (test!)
Working Solution
Metol 0.5 g
Glycin 0.5 g
Sodium Sulphite anhydrous 4.0 g
Sodium Carbonate anhydrous 50.0 g
Pinacryptol Yellow 0.05% solution 250 ml
Water to 1 litre
Use once and discard. Do not use Calgon etc.
See General Notes with regard to Sodium Carbonate.
If Pinacryptol yellow is unavailable, 0.5 g/l potassium bromide must be substituted to balance the formula, at some sharpness loss and with fluffier grain.
Making Up
Dissolve the solids in half the total quantity of water a around 30ºC. Add the dye and make up to the total volume. Make up when required. Use within 6 hours, adding dye just before use. Use once then discard. Pinacryptol yellow dissolves readily in hot, not quite boiling water. The 0.5% solution 1:2,000 - keeps indefinitely in a brown bottle away from light. To make 0.05% solution (1:2,000), dissolve 1 g Pinacryptol Yellow in 2 litres of water.
Development Times @ 20ºC (test!)
Kodak
Royal-X Pan 20 mins (use 350 ml/l of 0.05% Pinacryptol Yellow solution)
Tri-X (120) 12 mins
Tri-X (35mm) 12 mins
Ilford
HP5 (120) 12 mins
HP5 (35mm) 10 mins
Agitation. Should be through. 10 sec/min.
General Notes
The grain pattern texture produced by FX-16 disturbs resolution of fine detail, but sharpness of contours and medium detail is enhanced markedly, hence print impact is excellent. FX-16 is primarily intended as a developer for operators wishing to experiment with grain structure for special effects, but it can also be used with advantage as an accutance developer for fast films, when big enlargements are not required. Texture obtrusiveness can be adjusted by varying the negative area used for enlargement, or using different focal length lenses from the same camera position. With slow and medium speed films there is no gain over FX-2 and accutance developers and contrast problems may occur.
If the carbonate is replaced by 50 g/l of sodium metaborate (Kodalk) a fluffier grain texture is produced. Development times remain the same or slightly shorter.