Pyrocat HD is a semi-compensating, high-definition developer, formulated by Sandy King. The advantages of formula include greater effective film speed, shorter development times, consistent staining action, lower toxicity, and no streaking or mottling with reduced agitation.
Users have reported reduced printing times with UV light sources due to the different stain color, as well as reduced base plus fog density in rotary processors.
Pyrocat MC
Pyrocat MC is a high acutance developer formulated by Sandy King as an alternative to other pyrogallol based staining developers. Pyrocat-MC gives negatives of fine grain and full emulsion speed and is suitable for all types of development methods, including rotary, normal agitation, minimal agitation and stand development.
Pyrocat-MC is slightly more energetic (faster working) than Pyrocat-HD and gives very low general stain (Base+Fog) with very long development times, making it ideal when developing negatives to the high CI needed for printing with alternative processes.
Sandy King Is a photo historian and landscape photographer, working primarily with large format and ultra large format cameras. He prints primarily with alternative processes, including carbon, kallitype and palladium, and is the author of The Book of Carbon and Carbro.
Sandy has a Ph.D. in Spanish Language and Literature, and taught for many years at Clemson University. His research focused on the history of photography in Spain, and he has published several books in the area of Pictorialism. He recently retired from Clemson University, but still lives nearby in Easley, South Carolina.