# Home made developers?



## JosephKubik

I know about caffinol, and have played with it a bit (not a big fan of the effect...).  I am wondering if there are other "home made" developers anyone can suggest?


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## unpopular

I've started looking into tobacco, but never got to actually doing it. If you want details, let me know. Ascorbic Acid is a developer, but you need a strong alkali to make it work, and the results are line Coffee, but moreso. You can also try tea. You can compound traditional developers using raw chemicals, adjusting the ingredients and testing the effects.

Did you read my comments on the coffee developer thread in this forum? I think adding bromide will improve the cafénol process.

Start here, and surf wikipedia for ideas:

Gallic acid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anything with a high concentration of phenol compounds would be a material of interest. Red wine, brandy, maybe?


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## JosephKubik

IDK about using brandy...  I'd be too sad seeing it go down the drain...  Tobacco could be interesting, and living in Virginia would keep me from spending tons of money on it    Regarding Cafenol, it just doesn't quite compliment my photos...  It does for some, just nothing of mine.  I think there shall be some strange combinations being formed now    Thanks for the link.  I see sumac on there... plenty of that here too...


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## compur

Any developer can be homemade if you have the formula and there are hundreds of formulas available. More info available in the books "Darkroom Cookbook", "Film Developing Cookbook" and others. 

See:
Books Main


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## Josh66

Search around on Flickr.  You can develop film in lots of weird things, including your own piss.

Developed in my own urine - a set on Flickr


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## unpopular

Perhaps liquid smoke?

Syringol - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guaiacol


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## unpopular

O|||||||O said:


> Search around on Flickr.  You can develop film in lots of weird things, including your own piss.Developed in my own urine - a set on Flickr


I always thought that was a joke - he must have really alkali pee...


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## compur

It was once said that the water of Lake Ontario would develop film. (Rochester NY, the home of Kodak is on Lake Ontario)


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## Josh66

Well, he did crush up some vitamin C in it too.  Not sure how much that contributed - it is a 'critical' ingredient in caffenol.

I wonder what the pH of pee is?


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## unpopular

I don't think that ascorbic acid is essential, and if anything it would acidify the pee. I looked it up, usually pee is ideally nuteral, but often ranges from around pH 4 to pH 8., which isn't nearly basic enough.

You know, I'm looking at syringol and guaiacol, and if I were looking for a novel developer I could buy off the shelf, it'd be liquid smoke.


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## unpopular

If you're feeling adventurous, you could try poison ivy, poison sumac or poison oak!

Urushiol - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It might not work, but you could say you tried!


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