Dektol at different temperatures and side-effects

[wiggywag]

Hi!

I have got a Nova print processor and now have the option to develop prints at higher temperatures, since it has an heater inside.

Sure, it would be nice to decrease development times with fiber paper Is that possible by increasing temperature to e.g. 30c? Is there any side effect? Is there a chart for this somewhere?

Thanks!

 

[Ian Grant]

You may well get significantly higher base fog at 30° C, also the higher ther temperature the warmer the tones become, with a cold tone paper that usually means muddy images - poorer tonality.

Ian

 

[wiggywag]

You may well get significantly higher base fog at 30° C, also the higher ther temperature the warmer the tones become, with a cold tone paper that usually means muddy images - poorer tonality.

Ian

I get your point!

 

[Wade D]

I develop prints at ambient room temperature if it is moderate. As the others have said 30c will produce a muddy looking print. Try keeping it between 18c & 25c for best results.

 

[ooze]

Although I'm very careful about film developer temperature, that is not the case for paper developer anymore. Years ago I used to try to keep it at 20C with a water bath (or a condom filled with ice cubes ). But then I stopped bothering with it and have used paper developer at ambient room temperature ever since, with the temp range being I guess somewhere between 18C-28C. I have yet to notice an increase in base fog or muddy tonality. But yes, with increased temperature images are slightly warmer and also the developer is exhausted more quickly.

 

[Bruce Watson]

Dektol contains hydroquinone and metol. While the increase/decrease in metol's activity relative to temperature changes is more or less linear (within a reasonable range), hydroquinone behaves quite differently, and temperature increases above 20C can cause rather drastic increases in activity. 30C is pretty hot and so even if you found a very short development time that worked, I doubt it would be a good condition to work under for optimum image quality and repeatability.

+1.

You'll change the ratio of activity for the active components of the developer. This will in turn change the tonality and contrast of the print. 30C is not recommended for a reason.