In Praise of Moersch ECO 4812 Developer

I just mixed a fresh batch of ECO 4812 (1+10) and looked at my notes. This last batch was mixed back in February. Finally, development times were running past the customary 3 minutes hence the fresh batch.

I am reminded why I have enjoyed this developer for so long. I am also reminded of Wolfgang Moersch' s own words about his developer...

After 20 years of experience with the creation of developers it is time to break new grounds.

Modesty and self-effacement are inappropriate. While others beat the drums and blow the horns, a flute would be too silent to be heard:

ECO 4812 original “eau de Hürth” is my best positive developer and thus probably the best developer on the planet.

Hurth is the town in which he resides.

For me the benefits have been 1) a neutral tone as I don't generally like warmer tones, 2) Very economical, 3) Ecologically friendly

As far as economy is concerned, I spend time in the darkroom intermittently. I may take off months between sessions. I like to know I don't have to throw away developer for each new session. 

Moersch states that working solution has a shelf life of 8 months which my recent experience proves. The concentrate he states lasts 4 years unopened and when opened lasts 2 years. I aim to eliminate oxygen from my opened concentrate and so my personal experience is better with opened concentrate lasting 5 years! 

The working solution life is so long that I often have to mix a fresh batch not because it is expired but because my two liters of developer is suddenly less than a liter due to carry-over especially with FB paper that sponges it up. 

In use I get rich blacks. (Dmax inn excess of 2.0 are commonly reported.) I tend to develop in 3 minutes. The developer instructions say if you mix at 1+10 and develop for 2 minutes you can get higher contrast. I store working solution in an accordion bottle and concentrate in a beverage storage bag both allow me to eliminate most of the air from the developer. 

There are other developers I have tried like Ilford Universal PQ (warmish tone and poor shelf life) Tetanal Documel (cold toned and supposed to offer higher contrast but I couldn’t tell). 

Finally, Moersch Photochemie is more than this developer. Wolfgang Moersch makes a variety of unique film and paper developers and toners. He is a darkroom printer himself and has been on a month’s long tear developing his Lobotype printing method all recorded on his Flickr account which is also full of examples of the use of toners, developers and bleach. I count myself as one of his self-declared acolytes. I have used a number of his kits to augment my darkroom work.