Thanks for the tips. The developer was less than 12 hours old so that couldn't have been the issue.
Maybe the safe light..
Selenium toner would be something to try. Never seen it in any of the stores in Tokyo.
Thanks for the tips. The developer was less than 12 hours old so that couldn't have been the issue.all Ilford papers and many RC glossy papers arecapable of a Dmax of 2.1 or darker.Make sure your developer is fresh and not too diluted;selenium toning will also darken blacks
If that Dektol was in an open tray for 12 hours, it could be well past its prime.Dektol was 1+2 and about 12 hours old. I developed for 90 seconds.
cool, I wonder if the Chugai stuff is the same as Ilford's Multigrade DeveloperEric, I use the Fuji AM paper and it's perfectly black for me.
I don't use Dektol though, I go with the Chugai line and develop in "My Developer" 1:9
Good luck!
Ben
Nope, mixed up in a bucket at around 40 degrees Celcius. Once all was disolved I poured it into 2L, 1L and 05.L bottles (they actually take slightly more volume than advertised)If that Dektol was in an open tray for 12 hours, it could be well past its prime.
That's right, Fujibro WP AM is Pearl aka semi-mattThanks Rachelle. In your estimation, is the WP AM equivalent in surface texture/sheen to Ilford's Pearl? If so, I'd really like to try some Fujibro semi-matte.
I wouldn't know that, I never used anything else but Chugai. Available everywhere and in liquid format, super easy to mix and cheap.cool, I wonder if the Chugai stuff is the same as Ilford's Multigrade Developer
Super cheap here and liquid. Going to try that next.I've been happy with Chugai as well, like Ben I mix it 1:9.
That should be fine.I use the same dilution and develop for 2 minutes.Dektol was 1+2 and about 12 hours old. I developed for 90 seconds.
Confirmed I need to develop with a timer do a final print and then do a second 50% longer.It's fairly common for people to pull prints before they have completely developed. Doing so results in poor blacks. Either follow the recommended development time for the developer you are using or use the development to completion method.
Ilford RC gets real deep blacks and so does any other photo paper I have used as long as I use fresh developer and develop for 2 minutes.I am using Fujibro variable contrast semi-matte (RC) paper in Dektol 1+2 and I am not getting real blacks.
I've enlarged Fuji Neopan 400 and HP5+ onto it, but not gotten any really deep blacks.
I usually do split grade printing and even increasing the contrast by a lot only yields dark grays.
Does anybody have experience with this paper?
Am I too picky about the blacks? Would moving to glossy be better?
Is Ilford's RC paper any better for this or should I move to fiber paper?
Thanks
thanks a lot! Sounds very handy indeed. I'll definitely try that.Couple thoughts - the Formulary's Liquidol developer is very very good stuff. You won't go back to Dektol after that, and it's a liquid concentrate so no mixing a big gallon jug. Lovely blacks.
If there are papers you use often it's wise to make a gray scale with that paper and keep it handy. Make a black cardboard rig that allows you to expose 1/4" sections on, say, a 4x5 sheet, and make a card that has 1/2 stop bars from full black to pure white. You can compare prints to that, and it's super-handy when printing to get a solid idea of how much darker you need a gray area to go, for instance. You can hold the strip up and say "this sky needs 1/2 more stop".
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