A little help for Rachelle
Ilford MGWT reacts in a different way (than chloride-papers). Notice, it is a bromide-paper.
According to my opinion, the layer has become whiter in the last years - not in one step. Today it has become a little bit more difficult, however it works.
Examples given on the last whiter-shade-of-pale-batch. I really like this change for conventional development for this application it is still the best.
To minimize grain, we have to understand, what happens in the emulsion.
For me it is difficult to explain it in English (I recommend Tim Rudman´s books for further details).
The germs (?) for infectious development grow during the development. If the development lasts too long, because the developer was diluted too much, or if the exposure was too strong, these germs in mid tones will become black. These germs are blackened when infectious development take place and you get pepper fogging.
The more light, the more colour. Not here! No more colour but more grain you will get with MGWT. With development times over 6-7 minutes grain will grow.
Therefore lith-black must be produced before the the mids are too dark.
Still get dense in the lights a two tray development makes sense.
If the test strip shows undesirable grain, you have several possibilities of reduction:
1. Add sulphite (SE5 contains a sulphite solution, Fotospeed LD20 too)
2. Increase the amount of the solution B (contains sulphite in my developers).
Prepare two solutions: first developer (fat!)1+5 1+7 with equal amounts of A+B (e.g. 50ml A+50ml B+500ml water), second developer with more Lith B = alkali (e.g. 10ml A+30ml B+500ml water) development times: 7+1:30
3. Two tray development with additives in the second tray (coming soon in the U.S.), but it´s not easy for beginners.
Examples left to right
1. Grainy test strip 2. Two tray with additives dev. Time 6+2 minutes
3. As right above with selenium toning (MT1 or KRST 1+10 1:30min) 4. Two tray with more B in the second developer toner MT4 Siena 1+20 20 seconds
