Cooltone developer replacent required!

Gary Holliday · Oct 9, 2007

I loved this developer so much I bought several bottles. Better go back and buy the rest. What a shame indeed.

Photo Engineer · Oct 9, 2007

Try Dektol.

PE

Photoe · Oct 9, 2007

LPD 1:1 is a fine cool tone developer with high capacity

UKJohn · Oct 9, 2007

It's a real shame to hear of Ilford's Cooltone Dev demise, it had become my favourite with their WT paper. I was about to order somemore but at least some of the above threads give some pointers for a replacement.

Ian Grant · Oct 10, 2007

Cooltone, Warmton, Neutral tone.

Mike Crawford said:
Hi
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

Alternatives to Ilford Cooltone

Ilford have published many formulae for film and paper development over the years. Here are some suggestions for processing Ilford papers to obtain a variety of tones. I have also included a soft working developer and a contrast developer to give a full range of option.

Higher quality image

ID-62 PQ Universal Developer, gives netral tones.
ID-78 PQ Warm-tone Developer, similar to Neutol WA

ID-3 Metol Soft working, similar results to Selectol Soft, and Agfa's Adaptol
ID-14 MQ Contrast developer, will give approx half a grade increase in contrast. Use FS for maximum contrast, can be diluted.

Normal use for Tray development with ID-3, ID-62 & ID-78 is 1+3

A formula similar to ID-62 has been published without the Benzotriazole. If this is made up it can be used as a Cool tone type of developer and by adding additional Bromide becomes like ID-78 warm tone developer, or by adding Benzotriazole solution like ID-62 more neutral (blue tones).

Ilford PQ Developer - Cool Tones

Phenidone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.5 g
Sodium Sulphite (anh) . . . . . . . . . 50 g
Hydroquinone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 g
Sodium Carbonate . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 g
Potassium Bromide . . . . . . . . . . . 2 g
Water to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Use 1+3 Develop 1½ - 2 mins 20ºC

Neutral tone: Add 5ml Benzotriazole solution (1%) to each litre of working solution.

Warm tone: Add 7.5 ml Potassium Bromide 1% solution to each litre of working solution.

Concentrated Stock Solution.

Ilford PQ Developer (Conc) - Cool Tones

Phenidone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.25 g
Sodium Sulphite (anh) . . . . . . . . .125 g
Hydroquinone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 g
Sodium Carbonate . . . . . . . . . . . .150 g
Potassium Bromide . . . . . . . . . . . 10 g
Water to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 litre

Use 1 + 9
Add additional Bromide or Benzotriazole to alter the tones to the working solution - as above.

I've added the more concentrated solution because it is much more practical to store & use, it has a good shelf life. Hope that helps a few people.

Ian

Keith Tapscott. · Oct 10, 2007

Cooltone alternatives.

Agfa used to have a cold-tone developer called Neutol BL, although I`m not sure if this is still available. I searched the web and found a product called Blu-Blak, but it`s not a conventional photographic paper developer.

http://www.monochromephotography.com/products.htm

Kobin · Oct 10, 2007

Thank you, Ian. Very helpful.

K.

Keith Tapscott. · Oct 10, 2007

Another product that I found is Clayton Ultra Cold-tone Developer.
Jon Mided or Lowell Huff should be able to provide more details of this product, as it seems to be for automatic print processors, but might be suitable for conventional dish/tray development as well.
It will have to be shipped to the UK, so the larger sizes would be more economical if you use these type of developers often.

http://www.digitaltruth.com/store/cart/Print-Developers-p-1-c-114.html

Ian Grant · Oct 10, 2007

Keith in a Feb 12th 1954 BJP article on the introduction of Phenidone based developer formulæ an Ilford chemist writes "benzotriazole has the effect of modifying the tone of the silver image so that it becomes the cold blue-black which is generally considered desirable"

So if you want cold blue-black tones like Neutol BL just buy Ilford PQ Universal and add some extra benzotriazole, which has already been suggested at the start of the thread.

Dave Krueger · Oct 10, 2007

Most of the info I've seen suggests reducing bromide and adding benzotriazole if you want to get cooler tones. I take that to mean that adding benzotriazole is not enough. You have to reduce the bromide.

I've been using (and have a stock pile of) prepackaged Dektol, and would love to get a cooler tone by simply adding benzotriazole. Would be interested to know if anyone has done that.

Ian Grant · Oct 10, 2007

Dave, Dektol is an MQ based developer some people add Benzotriazole to it to make it cooler, others make up D72 (similar) and omit the bromide and add benzotriazole instead. (Try a Google search for Deltol & Benzotriazole)

PQ devs are slight warmer than their equivalent MQ dev unless you add Benzotriazole, Ilford ID-62 PQ is excatly the same as Ilford ID-20 MQ except the first uses 0.5g Phenidone instead of 3g Metol, and has Benzotriazole in addition to the bromide.

So try it and see, start with 5ml 1% solution per litre of working Dektol, then 10ml, 15ml etc and see how much effect there is. It should work OK.

Ian

Keith Tapscott. · Oct 10, 2007

Ian Grant said:
Keith in a Feb 12th 1954 BJP article on the introduction of Phenidone based developer formulæ an Ilford chemist writes "benzotriazole has the effect of modifying the tone of the silver image so that it becomes the cold blue-black which is generally considered desirable"

So if you want cold blue-black tones like Neutol BL just buy Ilford PQ Universal and add some extra benzotriazole, which has already been suggested at the start of the thread.

Ian, perhaps a suitable substitute can be mixed from formula, but I suspect that the OP is looking for a suitable alternative that is commercially available and mixing from raw chemicals doesn`t always appeal to everyone.

Photo Engineer · Oct 10, 2007

Keith Tapscott. said:
Ian, perhaps a suitable substitute can be mixed from formula, but I suspect that the OP is looking for a suitable alternative that is commercially available and mixing from raw chemicals doesn`t always appeal to everyone.

Keith;

I suspect that we are reaching an age where scratch mixing chemistry may be the only alternative as companies drop off the map with good premixed developers and fixers.

PE

Keith Tapscott. · Oct 10, 2007

Berrger BER- BLEU cold tone developer.

http://www.bergger.com/inter/ber01bleu.html

Phillip P. Dimor · Oct 10, 2007

I too use Ethol LPD 1:1 w/ a tiny bit of benzotriazole. I favor LPD due to it's longevity and ability to control 'warmth' via dilution. Plus it's _real_ cheap.

I'd love to try Ansco 130 though.. Always heard good things.

Black Dog · Oct 10, 2007

Same here-I'll buy a few more packs of Ilford CT while stocks are still available anyway.

rusty_tripod · Oct 10, 2007

I use a version produced by Arista that I got from Freestyle. I have mixed emotions because I like the previous cooltone developer from Clayton better.

Mike Crawford · Oct 10, 2007

Hello
I only just worked out from Keith's posting that OP must mean original poster which means me! (I'm new to all this posting business.) No problem getting the scales out and some chemicals from Silverprint, as I particularly want the same very blue coldness that Harman Cooltone gives (gave) with warm tone papers. I use Dektol a lot, but it's not cold enough for the particular job I'm thinking about and other cold devs I've tried are not right. Some of the other ones suggested I think are only available in the US. Will try adding Benzotriazole to begin with, then try out some of the formulas Ian has very kindly posted. Ta for everyone's imput.
Mike

Photo Engineer · Oct 10, 2007

Dektol, no bromide + benzotriazole (BTAZ to engineers and geeks).

PE

Ian Grant · Oct 10, 2007

Ron you missed the boat I posted that earlier.

You can't have Dektol no Bromide because its a proprietary developer, and already compounded in the packets so you are admitting D72 is Dektol

Ian

Photo Engineer · Oct 10, 2007

Ian Grant said:
Ron you missed the boat I posted that earlier.

You can't have Dektol no Bromide because its a proprietary developer, and already compounded in the packets so you are admitting D72 is Dektol

Ian

Ian;

KODAK says that D72 is dektol in their formula book which is published.

I was reinforcing what you posted earlier. It seems that your very sensible approach was 'minimalized' in all of the verbiage here.

PE

Kobin · Oct 10, 2007

Sorry all us ignorant fools have to verbalize our idiocy. I guess we ought to keep silent and glean what wisdom we can from the erudite discourses of people with chemistry and engineering degrees.

Unwashed Rabble.

Photo Engineer · Oct 10, 2007

K;

You were one who took Ian's advice.

PE

gminerich · Oct 10, 2007

Freestyle has Arista Ultra Cold Tone, Clayton Ultra Cold Tone, Edwal Ultra Black & Ilford Harmon Cooltone paper developers in stock. Looks like there are some options yet.

Keith Tapscott. · Oct 11, 2007

Mike Crawford said:
Hello
I only just worked out from Keith's posting that OP must mean original poster which means me! (I'm new to all this posting business.)
No problem getting the scales out and some chemicals from Silverprint, as I particularly want the same very blue coldness that Harman Cooltone gives (gave) with warm tone papers. I use Dektol a lot, but it's not cold enough for the particular job I'm thinking about and other cold devs I've tried are not right. Some of the other ones suggested I think are only available in the US. Will try adding Benzotriazole to begin with, then try out some of the formulas Ian has very kindly posted. Ta for everyone's imput.
Mike

Yes indeed Mike.
I thought that you might have preferred to have found a commercially available product as an alternative rather than mixing from raw chemicals, hence my replies. As you are prepared to make your own developer, the suggestions by Ian and P.E should work well. Someone may know a specific formula for `REALLY` cold-tones.

Cooltone developer replacent required!

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