[alt-photo] Re: Glycerine Developer

[Richard Knoppow]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "francis schanberger" <frangst at gmail.com>
To: "The alternative photographic processes mailing list" 
<alt-photo-process-list at lists.altphotolist.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2012 6:33 PM
Subject: [alt-photo] Glycerine Developer


> Dear list,
>
> I am in Houston taking in the Russian photography that is 
> part of FotoFest
> 2012 and came across a reference to Photo Textile with 
> Glycerine developer.
> Does anyone know what glycerine developer is?
>
> The artist in question is Yury Babich.
>
> -Francis
>
> -- 
> francis schanberger
>
> www.francisschanberger.com


     They may mean Glycin but Glycerin was used in some 
developers to control penetration into the emulsion and thus 
development time.  It's been too long since I read the 
formulas and I don't remember where I saw them.  I am pretty 
sure they were used for some early multi-layer color films.
     Glycin was popular in the 1930s for use in combination 
with paraphenylenediamine to make very fine grain 
developers.  PPD produces extremely fine grain but also has 
extremely low activity so was usually used in combination 
with something else, often Glycin or Metol, to obtain a less 
fine grain but more active developer.  Glycin was also used 
in some warm-tone paper developers notably AGFA/Ansco 130 
and 115.
     If this developer really calls for Glycerin it may have 
something to do with processing an emulsion coated on 
fabric.

--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk at ix.netcom.com