Clayton Extend with APHS for enlarged negs

[davido]

Hello
Has anyone tried Clayton Extend Plus to process APHS for making enlarged negs? Although it's mentioned in past threads as a good choice for lith film, there's very little info on more specific details (actually I can't find anything).
I've been using HC-110 diluted 1:14 (from stock) and have been getting fairly decent results but the mid-tones can be a bit flat. So I thought I'd give Clayton a shot, as it's supposed to be good for increased definition in the mid-tones with a hight contrast film like APHS.
I'm figuring that if I'm using HC-110 at twice the 'normal' dilution of 1:7, then I should dilute CEP at roughly the same? For film, the suggested dilution is 1:15.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
thanks
david

 

[Lowell Huff]

Please contact me for information about CLAYTON EXTEND plus DEVELOPER.
askus@claytonchem.com
310 538-9530x 134

 

[Jim Noel]

A much simpler approach is to use D-23 with a water bath. Some workers even dilute the D-23 1:1 and use a water bath.

2 minutes in developer - 1 minute water bath and repeat until desired highlight density is reached. A little practice in recognizing when the highlights are appropriate is needed.

I use LC-1 often. Look for this on the Unblinking Eye site.
Jim Galli alters Rodinal and gets beautiful results. His information is in another thread.

 

[davido]

thanks Jim for the info. I did purchase some Clayton Extend, so I'll continue to run some tests with that first.
I should clarify that I'm making my enlarged negatives directly from positive originals (ie Scala).
I have tried LC-1 and I can see how it would be great for inter-positives, however, I couldn't get nearly enough dmax out of it for my uses.
I am curious about D-23. Can you clarify if it would be used for some reasons as LC-1 (extremely low contrast inter-positives)?
As far as the Extend Plus goes, I'm finding that a dilution between 1:15 and 1:20 will probably work. It also needs some good agitation, as compared to using the HC-110 (which is consistent but really really minimal).
cheers
david