TRI-X AND ABC PYRO

Many of you, I'm sure, have been hearing a lot about pyro and its magical qualities. Some of us have been using pyro for years, even before the current movement started. I am also sure that many of you have heard of Gordon Hutchings PMK formulation, but may only have a vague awareness of the original pryro forumlas. I offer this alternative, original formula for those of you who may be curious about it or who may want to try other pyro developers. The above data, as usual, should be considered a point of departure. Although I have learned never to make absolute statements, it appears in my own work that old D-1 ABC Pyro formula gives me the best whites and highlight separation of the developers that I have tried. This is the same formula which was allegedly used by Edward Weston, allthough Weston is said to have reduced the carbonate in solution "C" for a slower acting developer. I have never tried Gordon Hutchings PMK formula, but all the reports I hear are that his formulation has similar qualities to D-1. I have been using the ABC formula for years, and before Gordon came out with his book, so I never switched. There is also another ABC Pyro forumula called "D-7" which, like Gordon's formula, has metol added to the stock solution "A". This and many other formulations can be found in the Kodak book of formulas which lists all of the black and white chemistries for devopement, fixing, intensifying and more.

ABC Pyro seems to work with most films rather well, including modern films such as T-Max, but the above combination is my favorite. This is not to say that modern developer formulas might not be more suitable for certain films. Pyro also seemed to give me the best results with Super XX, the old thick emulsion film which is now extinct. There are some modern films which are reputed to be thick emulsion films but this seems to be wishful thinking.

Using Pyro is really quite simple, and in my opinion, convenient. The procedure is to mix three stock solutions, one quart each of pyro, sulfite and carbonate labeled A, B and C respectively. These stock solutions keep rather well over several months in well stopped bottles.

STOCK SOLUTION A

Water 750 mililitres, Sodium Bisulfite (Anhydrous) 9.8 grams, Pyro (pyrogallol) 60 grams, Potassium Bromide (Anhydrous) 1.1 grams; Water to make 1 litre

STOCK SOLUTION B

Water 1 litre, Sodium Sulfite (Anhydrous) 105 grams

STOCK SOLUTION C

Water 1 litre, Sodium Carbonate (Monohydrated) 90 grams

I shoot mostly 8x10. In tray developing 8x10 films, I fill a one liter graduate with 24 oz. water at 68o. Measuring with a small, accurate graduate, I add to the water (in the case of Normal development) one ounce of the carbonate stock solution and one ounce of the sulfite stock solution. I then rinse the small graduate well, and fill it with one ounce of the pyro solution. I now have, next to the developer tray, the large graduate with two of the stock solutions mixed with 24oz of water, and the small graduate with the single ounce of pyro.

Now for the development. First, put on your disposable gloves. Pyro absorbed into the skin is reportedly not good for you. Place the exposed film in a pre-soak tray of water. When you are finished with the pre-soak cycle, pour the small graduate containing the 1 oz. of pyro into the large graduate, and then pour the whole thing into the developer tray. The solution will begin to oxidize immediately. Now transfer your film from the pre-soak to the developer tray and shuffle as you normally would with any developer. I suggest not more than two sheets per 27 ounces of mixed developer. Your agitation cycle will vary from mine, and will most likely result in time and density differences in your films.

The big fuss about pyro seems to be two fold. First, it oxidizes rapidly, and second, it is toxic. If you combine the last solution (pyro) at the last minute, in exactly the same way as I do, it should always oxidize to the same degree during development and give you consistent results, all other things being equal. I have never had any problem. Concerning the toxicity, I found the gloves awkward at first, but quickly found them to be an advantage, because my hands no longer come in contact with fixer or any other chemicals.

I'm sure you have all heard of the magical properties of pyro. Some of them are sure to be fairy tales. Some of the properties which are apparently true include the high acutance due to the hardening properties of pyro, which prevent migration of silver during the developing process.

In this form, pyro is a rather raucous developer, without the benefits of large amounts of sulfite and it is definitely not a fine grain developer. Modern photographers would probably find it too course grained for 4x5 or smaller. According to reports, PMK is a little better on grain, so 4x5 shooters my want to use that instead.

Also well documented is the staining action of pyro, which is said to be proportional to the silver density. I am not convinced one way or the other that this has any effect on the quality of the final image. Nor can I explain nor substantiate definitively the perceived highlight benefits. I can only report perceived effects, which I like.

I do not buy the expensive, refined, reagent grade of powdered pyro. I find no disadvantage to using the commercial grade which comes in rather unattractive "chunk" form. I buy this much less expensive form from a chemical supply house.

The graph below is provided to illustrate that pyro appears to give very good straight-line development. I have found similar results with other films. Pyro seems to be slightly better in the shadows (notice the straighter toe) than with D-76, but with some loss of speed, and the two developers are very comparable in most respects.