On the heels of the last two posts dealing with D23 and Barry Thorton Two Bath developers I present to you a post about the results of an unsupervised darkroom session I had today. A situation that sounds scary on the surface but actually yielded some surprising and pleasant results.
While developing yesterdays roll in BTTB I got to thinking how Bath A is merely a lesser D23. Then I wondered, “What would happen if I used Thorton Bath B for a minute (or two) after a D23 development step?”. So that is what I did.
This roll was shot in my Nikon F4 with the 50mm f/1.4 mounted (because I inadvertently forgot the Helios at home) and was rated at EI 100. Development was at my standard 11 minutes with agitation for the first full minute and 5 seconds every minute for the remaining development time. Next came the Thorton Bath B for one minute with agitation for the first 10 seconds. Note: I did not do a wash between the D23 development and the Bath B. Wash, fix, and Photoflo as normal.
Nikon F4 | Fomapan 100 | D23 + Thorton Bath B
Nikon F4 | Fomapan 100 | D23 + Thorton Bath B
Nikon F4 | Fomapan 100 | D23 + Thorton Bath B
Nikon F4 | Fomapan 100 | D23 + Thorton Bath B
I’m not really sure what I was expecting to get when I decided to do this. If I was truly expecting anything at all. It was done out of curiosity and never having seen it done. At least not from any research I had done. Did I see a difference between this roll and other rolls of Fomapan 100 developed in D23? I believe so, although it’s hard to put my finger on just what that difference is. But whatever it is, whether real or imagined, I like it. My next roll, possibly this weekend, will see the bath B taken to two minutes. I’m sure that if there is a difference being made then it will surely show it’s self prominently there.
So what do you think? Was I crazy? Stupid? Naive? Or did I stumble on something that has been done, or being done, but has not been documented as heavily as other processes. Let me know you feelings in the comments. Once again, as always, thanks for stopping by and I hope you come back soon.
God Bless and Happy Shooting!
Negative Development 
Highlights are better controlled than with regular D23 development
The Bath B is an accelerator so by not doing a water wash between the D23 and the Bath B it is highly possible that it (Bath B) supercharged the developer in the highlights. Something to be mindful of in the future.
Excited to follow your experiment.
Hey John, do you have any thoughts on what I might expect to see by extending the Bath B time?
I like the look as much as the idea of B bath after as a trial.
I’ll give that a go for sure