BBAA and JD-4 and TJ1
The first time I saw this formula was in the instruction sheet for the old HRT BB series of plates when they were produced in Germany. So back in the 20th century I dubbed it BBAA, for Birenheide and Blyth Ascorbic Acid, but I might be the only one calling it this. The original pamphlet did not give it a name. A colleague of mine, Rick Bruck, calls it HRTd, Holographic Recording Technology developer. Steve (LoserSmith) Smith calls the diluted version of it TJ-1, which TJ calls JD-4. (See below.) The current producers of the BB series of plates, Colour Holographic, have replaced the metol with 1 g of phenidone plus a couple other tweaks in their currently recommended developer for these plates.
BBAA from Holographic Recording Materials, circa 1997:
4 g Metol
25 g Ascorbic Acid
70 g Sodium Carbonate
15 g Sodium Hydroxide
One litre water
Development time:
5 minutes at 20C (68F) for BB series plates.
Agitation: Constant
But the exact same ingredients are used
in the JD-4 kit sold by Photographers Formulary, but broken into A and B solutions, so that the JD-4 working strength is half of that of the original BBAA formula. (The original recipe put all the ingredients in just one litre of H20; so an A/B configuration makes twice as much soup for half the price!) This developer, used in the cold water JARB developing scheme, works excellently for the ultra-fine grained Soviet-style materials like PFG-03M or GEO-3.
PART A
4 g Metol
25 g Ascorbic Acid
One litre water
PART B
70 g Sodium Carbonate
15 g Sodium Hydroxide
One litre water
Mix equal parts together before use.
Development time:
45 seconds at 22C (72F) for Harman HoloFX plates.
30 seconds at 18C (65F) for GEO-3 and PFG-03M.
5 minutes at 20C (68F) for BB series plates.
Agitation: Constant
Primary recommendation for developing the GEO-3 and PFG-03M materials. Follow with a rehalogenating/diffusing bleach for no emulsion shrinkage, or 'Chrome bleach for change of replay wavelength in the reflection mode.
This developer, even followed by a rehalogenating bleach, applied to BB series plates gives a significant amount of shrinkage, from red to green, which might be a pleasant color for the application. Kodak D-8 or a pyrogallol-based developer helps prevent the color from shifting with these materials.
Shelf life: Part A can last a month in a tightly stoppered bottle; Part B can last indefinitely. The combined solutions can last at least a day in a covered tray.
Sources: Holographic Recording Technology brochure, Photographers’ Formulary JD-4 kit, catalog number 04-3040, and Colour Holographics brochure.