Gübla Wisteria Paste

About this developer

Gübly’s paste is one of the legendary developers that marked the dawn of photography. It is prepared from the developing agent para-hydroxyphenylglycine (commonly known as “glycine-photo”), which, despite its similar-sounding name, has nothing to do with the glycine (aminoacetic acid) found in pharmacies. In post-CIS countries, this substance has not been produced since the early 1990s, so today the recipe is more of a museum exhibit than a practical tool—it’s nearly impossible to get hold of the reagent. In terms of consistency, the mixture does indeed resemble a thick paste, which makes it more difficult to dose and package compared to liquid or dry concentrates. On the other hand, it has exceptional shelf life: when stored properly, the concentrate lasts for years.

Character

A universal developer that works on both negative and positive materials when diluted slightly, and only on positive materials when diluted heavily. It produces exceptionally clean results, with almost no veil, and yields clean, delicate tonal transitions with rich gradation, especially in the highlights. It is suitable for both tank and tray development.

Best films

Versatile: at a low dilution ratio, it is suitable for negative film; at a high dilution ratio (which has a strong leveling effect), it is suitable only for positive materials.

How to Prepare and Use

1. 1Dissolve the dry reagents (anhydrous sodium sulfite, Glycine-Photo, anhydrous potassium carbonate) in 60 mL of hot distilled water in the order specified in the kit instructions.
2. 2Add distilled water until the volume reaches 100 ml—this will result in a thick paste.
3. 3Prepare the porridge and store it in a wide-mouth jar.
4. 4To prepare the working solution, dilute the concentrate with water in the desired ratio—from 1:6 to 1:100, depending on the desired development characteristics.
5. 5When using a 1+30 dilution, develop the film for 20–30 minutes; this solution can be used to process up to three rolls of film.
6. 6When using a 1+60 dilution, develop the film for 40–60 minutes; the solution is for single use only, for one roll of film.
7. 7Alternatively, you can mix the powder itself with a small amount of warm water in advance until it is completely dissolved, and then dilute the resulting solution further—but in this case, the concentrate’s overall shelf life will be reduced to about 2–3 months instead of several years.