Reformulated: Kodak HC-110

On photrio.com:

Well I can confirm what you say above. I still have 2 dozen bottles of the old and recently tried the new. As I process color separations with it for use in the dye transfer and carbon printing processes any variations in the formula could require re-calibrating. Fortunately it doesn't seem to be the case. Any variations I can chase in the tray. However the syrup discolors in the bottle very quickly. I guess one can be thankful for small mercies.


Never ran a viscosity test on it. But it's obvious that it has a lower viscosity. Fortunately the separation negs came out with a density range of only 0.02 log units of opacity lower that I obtained with the old stuff.
 
Freakscene said:
Oxygen dissolves more and better in water than in the organic solvents that made up 'old' HC-110. This means that it is most likely that the new aqueous HC-110 will oxidise more quickly than the old organic solvent formulation. Kodak uses antioxidants to minimise oxidation but typically they have limits to their efficiency and for how long they protect against oxidation.

A couple of things to note: the HC-110 I have used has always had an expiry date. Kodak never claimed it lasted indefinitely. In my experience it was very long lived but I did need to periodically recalibrate it, but the bottle I still use expired in 1995.

Kodak's estimates for longevity of stock solutions may be nearer to the mark for the longevity of the new aqueous formulation.

I have the skills and access to the equipment to synthesize the organic compounds in the 'no-water' HC-110, but, I suspect, like Kodak has found, there is probably little profit in manufacturing small batches of no-water HC-110.

Marty
Click to expand...

I am seeing expiry dates on the German stuff of 1-2 years at purchase. This may be uber conservative.

I have not run a viscosity test on it, but I took my 1 liter bottle (still unopened) and turned it upside down. The main air pocket followed as I turned the bottle, but a secondary bubble, 4-6 mm dia, formed and took about 1 second to go from the bottom (now the neck of the bottle) to the top (normally the bottom). The time to travel the distance should be related to viscosity (I think the distance in the 1 L bottle is around 6-8"). I would be curious to hear about other formulations (like old classic stuff and the new water containing).
 
Well, I bought another liter of the old Kodak HC-110. I have two and a half liters of the stuff now and will be good for many, many years. Probably my final Kodak purchase ever, as HC-110 has been the only Kodak product I have bought in many years.
 
Thanks for this post, again Ted. HC-110 is the only developer I prefer to use for my own work, in all formats. Now that I'm doing home processing of 16mm motion picture film at 100ft at a time, I'm going to need more since every run is 800ml. For still photo use, I prefer dilution H but with motion picture film in a rewind tank, the development time would be incredibly long, so dilution B it is. Last night I found three liters from a somewhat local seller and I decided to purchase what may be all the black and white developer I'll use for the rest of my life. Now I just need Kodak to keep producing EK5222, 7222 and 7266 and I'm good.
Phil Forrest
 
I bought a bottle too.... My first ever. I normally use Rodinal for everything but had long considered HC-110 for those occasional long-exposed and long-expired rolls I sometimes get in old cameras or from the Ebay. I'll pop back in at my local shop today to see if they had another bottle to put on the shelf after I bought mine...
 
I'm very sorry for those that rely on this developer and its ability to last forever. I switched to it during grad school when I wasn't shooting much at all and doing all-day development sessions every 6 months or so, and five years later, still half half a bottle.
I also didn't particularly favor it—it did the job as an all-purpose developer, but I didn't often take advantage of stand/semi-stand development, and didn't care much for the speed loss with TMY, my preferred fast film.

That said, I do see the virtues of it, and occasionally run HP5 or Tri-X through. Since getting back to developing frequently otherwise standardized on Delta 100/Xtol and TMY/DD-X for pushing.

I'm hoping whatever changes are in store for Xtol aren't too ponderous. It's by far my favorite and always available at my local shop.
 
Here's a post from a Flickr user, stating that she's getting exactly the same results with new formula vs. old:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/65448995@N05/48679522811/in/pool-ishootfilm/

I had been meaning to try HC-110 for some time. Like a few others, above, I bought one of the last bottles of original that B&H had.

Have developed one roll of Tri-X, so far. I used my standard agitation from D-76 1:1 (first 5 seconds, then 2 inversions every 30 seconds), knowing it was likely too much for HC-110. Came up short on shadow detail, so, will try agitation only once per minute.
 
Ted Striker said:
The new formula is NOT HC-110, no matter what Kodak calls it. The chemical changes are so substantial that it is objectively significantly different.
Click to expand...

I feel exactly the same about TX when the changed it in 06 (think it was 06).

I gave Freestyles L110 a try some years ago and I’m guessing the new HC110 is pretty much the same thing. It the same color but much lower viscosity. Results were the same but the concentrate oxidized in a few weeks.

Here’s a suggestion, purchase a can of Bloxygen or Wine Preserver off of Amazon. Both are argon gas. Simply shoot a couple of seconds of the gas in the bottle and replace the cap. It replaces the air and argon is inert and will not oxidize the developer. Simple and cheap fix!

I used to use Ilford HC but haven’t purchased any in years but when I last used it it was exactly the same as HC110 other than color. HC is perfectly clear and has the same keeping properties as HC110 or at least did the last time I bought some. Viscosity is about the same and Development times and dilutions are the same.
 
Having noted that I purchased some original HC-110 from B&H -- my first ever... I have a question. I've opened the bottle several times, since I did not at first have a smaller bottle to work from. Each time, there are a few spots of darker color at the surface of the syrup. I presume one is supposed to shake / mix it. I expect the same to happen now, with the smaller bottle; shake before use?
 
My D76 has not changed at all. Use the formula in the photo books.

Life became really nice when I was given a digital scale.
 
wwfloyd said:
Having noted that I purchased some original HC-110 from B&H -- my first ever... I have a question. I've opened the bottle several times, since I did not at first have a smaller bottle to work from. Each time, there are a few spots of darker color at the surface of the syrup. I presume one is supposed to shake / mix it. I expect the same to happen now, with the smaller bottle; shake before use?
Click to expand...

I would not shake it. You will introduce oxygen to much more of the syrup through all those air bubbles.
 
wwfloyd said:
Having noted that I purchased some original HC-110 from B&H -- my first ever... I have a question. I've opened the bottle several times, since I did not at first have a smaller bottle to work from. Each time, there are a few spots of darker color at the surface of the syrup. I presume one is supposed to shake / mix it. I expect the same to happen now, with the smaller bottle; shake before use?
Click to expand...


I don't shake and I don't worry about the brown dots. This isn't something like Rodinal where crystals can form and there might be concern over specific chemicals coalescing out of the formula and causing changes.
 
wwfloyd said:
Having noted that I purchased some original HC-110 from B&H -- my first ever... I have a question. I've opened the bottle several times, since I did not at first have a smaller bottle to work from. Each time, there are a few spots of darker color at the surface of the syrup. I presume one is supposed to shake / mix it. I expect the same to happen now, with the smaller bottle; shake before use?
Click to expand...


Your bottle will get uglier and uglier as time moves on. Chunks will appear in the fluid and the color will turn dark red. No worries! It does not matter. The developer will work just fine. Continue to use it just as you always have. That's the beauty of HC-110. The stuff is near bullet proof results wise, no matter how much the syrup changes. My bottle of HC-110 is so dark red that dilution E has a strong, very brown color to it. That's a mere 2% dilution! And it is dark brown. That is how discolored my HC-110 bottle is. And it still develops just fine.


It's a real shame that Kodak messed with this formula. A real shame.
 
sepiareverb said:
I would not shake it. You will introduce oxygen to much more of the syrup through all those air bubbles.
Click to expand...


HC-110 does not oxidize. If it did, the bottles would be compressed over time due to the consumption of the oxygen inside the bottles. I have had many many HC-110 bottles radically change color over the span of years and none of them ever suffered bottle compression, nor the sound of a vacuum being released when the bottle is opened. All signs of oxidation missing.
 
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