Black particles in Ethol LPD

I've recently started using Ethol LPD in liquid form for paper development and it's been living up to it's name - I'm on my third printing session with the same 1L of working solution and it's still going strong. However, after the first session I noticed variously-sized black bits of something floating in the developer. They don't seem to be having any impact on the developer's ability to develop my paper (Ilford Multigrade Fiber glossy), but I am curious about what these particles are and what's causing them to appear. It's worth noting that the longer I use the developer the more black bits seem to be appearing.

Has anyone else experienced something similar when using LPD? Any clue what these black bits are and where they're coming from?

I've never use the liquid version, always bought powder and mixed it myself. You should buy a filter funnel and strain the developer every time you return it to the bottle. Also, you should use distilled water to dilute it and keep the bottle full to the top to keep air out.

Likely small bits of emulsion from the edges of your paper that have flaked off. Of course, after being exposed to light, they turn black. Check the edges of your paper for frilling or tiny chips. They won't hurt the developer but may stick to the surface of prints, so check for that too. Filtering them out is an option if they are a problem.

Best,

Doremus

Doremus Scudder said:

Likely small bits of emulsion from the edges of your paper that have flaked off.

Click to expand...

I wondered about that, but I don't see any signs of emulsion flaking on the edges of my prints. But it could have come from test strips that I tore from a larger sheet of paper rather than cut cleanly. I'll filter the developer and see if the black particles return.