Cooltone developer replacent required!

Mike Crawford · Oct 9, 2007

Hi
I believe the Ilford/Harman Cooltone developer has been discontinued which is a bit annoying. A shame as it had quickly become of of my favourite solutions, especially with Ilford and Forte warm tone papers. Anyone recommend a similar working developer available in the UK to use instead or should I get the old recipe books out?
Many thanks
Mike

Ian Grant · Oct 9, 2007

Try Ilford's PQ Universal, add a bit of Benzotriazole if it's to warm for you.

Ian

Lopaka · Oct 9, 2007

There is no indication of it being discontinued on Ilford's website. It is still listed at Adorama and Freestyle as well as Silverprint in the UK. Perhaps you are getting bad info from a retailer?

http://www.silverprint.co.uk/

Bob

John Simmons · Oct 9, 2007

All the suppliers I use carry it and say that it is a popular seller. I doubt that ilford is discontinuing it. Perhaps you should e-mail or call them to get the real facts.

Alex Bishop-Thorpe · Oct 9, 2007

With the simple amount of misinformation thrown around in the industry at times (Camera store employees are notorious for this - One insisted to me recently Ilford was very much dead all together), APUG really is a life saver.
I'd heard nothing about it, and my usual haunts in Australia have it in stock. I haven't gotten a chance to even try it properly yet, so it would be a shame.

gminerich · Oct 9, 2007

Freestyle has their own brand cold tone developer and they sell Edwal Ultra Black.

Keith Tapscott. · Oct 9, 2007

Mike Crawford said:
Hi
I believe the Ilford/Harman Cooltone developer has been discontinued which is a bit annoying. A shame as it had quickly become of of my favourite solutions, especially with Ilford and Forte warm tone papers. Anyone recommend a similar working developer available in the UK to use instead or should I get the old recipe books out?
Many thanks
Mike

I like Ilford Cooltone developer too. Try Morco. http://www.morco.uk.com/latest/ilfordchemicals.htm

Tom Hoskinson · Oct 9, 2007

For cool blue/black tones, I use Ilford's PQ Universal with a small amount of Benzotriazole added. This has been my standard paper developer since the early 1970s

Les McLean · Oct 9, 2007

Mike I'm sorry to say that Cooltone Developer is gone. I always have it sent to the college when I do the Ilford Masterclass but the girls in the office told me just last Friday that it is discontinued. Sad day as I had grown to really like Cooltone.

Mike Crawford · Oct 9, 2007

Many apologies if I have given the impression of spreading, or even worse, starting rumours. Certainly not my intention. I asked the question of an alternative for Cooltone as I was told by Ilford this morning that it had been discontinued. I along with some esteemed colleagues, (Hi Les) hold workshops sponsored by Ilford at UK colleges to keep the darkroom alive in further education. Showing the different tones possible just by development has always been very useful.

While getting my order of supplies ready for some workshops next week, I was told about the developer. I then checked with my two suppliers in London who confirmed the news. Only then did I think of starting a thread on APUG believing it was common knowledge and I was the last to hear. Thanks Tom and Ian for the advice. Other people have also suggested adding a dash of Benzotriazole so I will do some tests. I’ve tried Tetnal and Moersch in the past, and they are not bad developers, but not cool enough compared to Ilford, and also rather expensive.

Cheers
Mike

Simon R Galley · Oct 9, 2007

Dear All,

I was waiting for the official press release to be issued, but obviously UK dealers have tried to order and been told.

It is being discontinued, sales are not strong enough to justify remanufacture,
especially sad as its one of 'my' products.

Simon ILFORD photo / HARMAN technology Limited :

Kobin · Oct 9, 2007

Well that entirely sucks. I loved its effects on Oriental warm tone.

Ilford should release its formula to Photo Formulary at the least, or give it to the public domain since they've decided thay can't make money on it. Good thing I never tried the Ilford Warmtone; I might have like that too, only to see it discontinued in the near future.

I'll stick to Agfa's Neutrol and Neutrol WA for my store-bought paper developers. What's next to go? Ilford selenium toner? Perhaps I shouldn't buy any of that either for fear it'll vanish from the market.

K.

Ian Grant · Oct 9, 2007

Kobin, over the years Ilford have release a lot of formulae, just try looking in copies of "The Ilford Manual of Photography" a 1960's copy preferably.

So there are plenty of Ilford published developer in the Public domain, and I can assure you that there's at least one which would give me similar results to Cooltone.

Ian

Simon R Galley · Oct 9, 2007

Dear K,

Whilst I understand your point for sure, Warmtone and Selenium sales are very strong, I will discuss the formulation request with our management.

And on a point of principle we have brought back every product that was discontinued during the previous companies receivership ( with the exception of ILFOFIX Powder ) and indeed launched new products and increased availabilty of such things as large format film, so whilst I understand and accept your point, and I am sorry COOLTONE has not been a success I think we genuinely have a good record.

Regards

Simon ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited :

Regards

Simon ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited :

eclarke · Oct 9, 2007

Try Ansco 130, replace the Bromide with 15cc 1% Benzotriazole solution. Wonderful on warmtone...EC

Silverhead · Oct 9, 2007

gminerich said:
Freestyle has their own brand cold tone developer and they sell Edwal Ultra Black.

I have used this developer and have been quite happy with its performance...very good for producing a Seagull-like look. I seem to also remember a quote from Henry Gilpin in one of Freestyle's old catalogs about how impressed he was with it.

Thomas Bertilsson · Oct 9, 2007

I'll second Edwal Ultra Black as a very good alternative to the Harman Cooltone developer. It's widely available. I used it exclusively for a while, but found a bit better economy in the Ansco 130, which is another viable option. My reason to change to Ansco 130 is that I like to print on Fotokemika Varycon, and that combination at 1+3 dilution (at about 75*F) is a match made in heaven.
- Thomas

FrankB · Oct 9, 2007

Great pity. It's one of my favourites too...

fschifano · Oct 9, 2007

Isn't Bromophen almost the same as PQ Universal with a little benzotriazole added? I know it's sold as a dry powder, and that PQ Universal is a liquid concentrate. I don't see that as a disadvantage, but rather as a way to save a few bucks.

pentaxuser · Oct 9, 2007

I still haven't quite got through my Cooltone courtesy of the Ilford visit of 2006! It's longevity and economy is amazing. Maybe its sales suffered from Cooltone seeming to be only very subtly different from other "normal" developers especially with MG IV. Even with Cooltone paper the difference appeared subtle until you compared it to MGIV and normal developer when side by side there was clearly a substantial difference and for certain subjects or anyone with a penchant for a cool print Cooltone developer was a real asset and out on its own. Great for "machinery" type shots such as classic motorcycles

Take away Cooltone dev and I suspect that a lot of the raison d'etre for using Cooltone paper disappears as well which may herald the loss of that paper as well.

A real pity but like the problem with Satin paper not being available in Portfolio or for the Ilford paper offer for students, it's sales that dictate viability as it must.

pentaxuser

Paul Howell · Oct 9, 2007

Clayton also makes a cool tone, it is also marketed rebranded by Freestyle.

John Simmons · Oct 9, 2007

I hope ilford makes the formula for this developer available to us so we can make our own. Ilfords cold tone developer on their warmtone paper is a one of a kind combination whose results can not be duplicated using other developers.

titrisol · Oct 9, 2007

Ethol LPD diluted 1+1

digiconvert · Oct 9, 2007

RIP cooltone - I really liked the look , especially with Forte Cooltone paper . Now both are gone I'll just have to try something new. That said the luxury of three develpoers with slightly different properties from one company in a shrinking/stable market was probably something we could not expect.
Full marks to ilford for trying anew product and having the courage to pull it when it did not succeed .

Cheers CJB

Tom Hoskinson · Oct 9, 2007

John Simmons said:
I hope ilford makes the formula for this developer available to us so we can make our own. Ilfords cold tone developer on their warmtone paper is a one of a kind combination whose results can not be duplicated using other developers.

Iford PQ Universal Developer does a good job as a cold tone developer for prints and the tone can be made even colder by adding a few ml of 1% Benzotriazole solution to the working developer.

The formula for Iford PQ Universal Developer can be found in several of the 1970's editions of The British Journal of Photography Annual. It is also somewhere in the APUG archives.

Cooltone developer replacent required!

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