Pyro Snow Scene

Once I began using Pyro to develop my negatives I came to know it fairly well, as to what it could and could not do. The 'could not do' part is a very short list. I should mention that as stated earlier, Pyro loves oxygen, so the oxidizing thing needs to be addressed. I never kept any Pyro formula mixed and kept in a brown bottle. You do that if that bottle can be used in a few days or less. For that reason I reformulated the original to make it a one time use formula. The first thing you want to do is make a 10% solution of the sodium hydroxide. Then add it only after all else has been mixed, and, the water to make part has been carried out. The liquid solution will mix easily with the water, but there's enough of it that it won't get warm from the addition of the caustic soda. I also kept the sodium sulfite in a 10% solution for easy use.

I'm not so sure anyone actually is interested in the Windish Pyro formula, but just in case I'll lay out my one use formula;

Solution A;
Water      1 Oz (29.7 ml) @ 110 deg
               Add 3 ml sodium sulfite (10% sol)
               Then stir in 4 g (1/4th Tsp) Pyrocatechin flakes

Solution B; Pyro 10% solution
               Tank/Tray Development; 24 Oz ~ 735 ml water
               Add of Solution A; 15 ml to water (735 ml)
               Add Solution B;  4.5 ml

Standard Development Time ~ Silver Gelatin; FP-4 ~ 8 min ~ T-Max/Tri-X 10 min
Development Time hand coated Silver; FP-4 ~ 20 min  ~  T-Max/Tri-X 24 min
Based upon this standard developer formula. By increasing the sodium hydroxide, along with a bit more sodium sulfite to compensate for the increased alkalinity, through the preservative action. There also would be a point at which a potassium bromide might be needed to keep the energy of the reduction action from spilling over into untouched silver outside the latent image.

It has just stopped snowing when I took this shot. Skies were overcast with very low light.

Salted Silver Print ~ "Snow Scene"
1987 ~ 5"x7" ~ Private Collection
Near Eugene, Oregon