Formulary Wimberley WD2D Pyro Developer Kit

Formulary Wimberley WD2D Pyro Developer Dry Powder Kit is a Pyrogallol/Metol/Sodium Carbonate developer formulated by photographer John Wimberley for spectacular results with black and white negative films.

This is an update of his classic WD2D formula and this improved developer maximizes the beneficial effects of pyrogallol to produce negatives that are easy to print and display. Because of its special spectral characteristics, a WD2D+ negative may be printed on either gelatin/silver or platinum/palladium paper.

The emulsion of WD2D negatives contains a yellow-orange colored dye mask, traditionally called "stain", that is proportional to the density of the silver image. This mask has the effect of raising the contrast of the negative beyond the level produced by the silver image alone.This means that negatives can be developed to significantly lower silver densities, resulting in finer grain and higher sharpness than is possible with conventional developers. The yellow-orange color of the mask is also more effective at adding density to the negative than the greenish mask produced by some other pyrogallol developers. The full color density of the mask is achieved during development, making an alkaline after-bath and extended washing time unnecessary.

WD2D consists of two Stock Solutions, "A" and "B", which are diluted with water just before use to make the Working Solution. It is a one-shot developer, meaning that each batch of Working Solution is used only once and is then discarded.

Features

• Makes 50 liters working solution
• Greatly enhanced accutance due to edge effects at tonal boundaries
• A very smooth, long tonal scale
• Unmatched tonal separation, especially in highlights, even when printed on variable-contrast paper
• Hardening of the film emulsion, reducing susceptibility to scratching
• Fine, unobtrusive grain