Developer Suggestions to make Forte Polygrade less green more neutral?

[bobbysandstrom]

After a long hard search to find a paper to replace my Polymax Fine Art FB I've decided to go with Forte. I'll use both the Polygrade and WT. Now I'm on a mission to find the "right" developer and selenium tone dilution/time etc.

For the straight Polygrade paper I'm looking for a "Neutral" tone (similar to the kodak polymax) With regards to selenium, I'm NOT looking for color change but instead for higher dmax/ increased perceived depth.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
(By the way, I tried Ilford multigrade developer (not cooltone) and find the tone a little too Blue I typically use Dektol 1:2)
Thanks

 

[Sean]

Just try a run through selenium toner and you can knock the green cast right out. That's what I do.

 

[Paul Sorensen]

I use Dektol 1:2 and then tone in selenium 1:20 for a brief time. You have to watch it if you don't want it to go eggplant on you.

 

[lowellh]

You might like our ULTRA COLD TONE DEVELOPER for this application. Contact me for a sample.
askus@claytonchem.com

 

[blackmelas]

For neutral tones on PWT, I used to use Tetenal's Dokumol 1+6 (or Eukobrom 1+6 or 1+9) and Centrabrom 1+15 and I never had trouble with a green cast. However I did have trouble with the Dokumol going bad on me after sitting for a short time (<3 months) in a half empty bottle. So, now I've moved to Dektol/Centrabrom and just selenium tone. Also Ansco 120 anywhere from 1+1 to 1+3 gives lovely (non-green) warm tone.
Best regards,
James

 

[Colin Graham]

Ansco 130 is wonderful with this paper.

 

[Wayne]

try a little benzotriazole. Use a phenidone developer. Do both. I use a phenidone 130 mix that isnt too green for my tastes. I dontcare for green, and using this I dont notice green at all unless perhaps I hold it up next to a cold tone print. YMMV. BUt since you are going to tone anyway, you probably wont have any green left.

 

[Jim Chinn]

I don't know about the newest batches of Forte, but with the old stuff I used Agfa Neutol Plus and never had any kind of a green cast. It sounds similar to what Ilford MG does in various developers such as dektol. Selenium at 1-20 for about a minute works for me with Ilford. You will have to experiment with times and dillutions for the Forte though. Forte (at least the old batches) will warm up in selenium pretty easily.

 

[bobbysandstrom]

I spent yesterday experimenting with developers and orthazite. I found the following:

LPD (all dilutions) made Forte Polygrade too blue for my taste
LPD (all dilutions) made Forte Polywarmtone too yellow/brown

Agfa Neutol Plus (even though just purchased yesterday the developer looked very, very yellow and am not sure if this is normal as I've never used the straight neutol just the WA) This made for very yellow/brown prints with Polywarmtone and Slightly blue prints with Polygrade

Agfa Neutol WA made a nice deep chocolate brown/black with the Polygrade but made a brown print with the Polywarmtone

orthazite 2ml added to 750ml of dektol (1:2 dilution) was still a little too blue.

With LPD I made one print with 1:2 (from liquid concentrate) then added water to make 1:4 and made a print then 1:6 made print then 1:8 made print. Even though the developer solution was fresh, I found that the more dilute the more the print became "washed out" looking. Less full-bodied tonality. I used aggressive agitation flipping the print constantly for 2 minutes.

After all of this, my favorite is with straight dektol 1:2. It produced prints with rich full tones on both Polygrade and Polywarmtone. For these papers I prefer the Metol vs Phenidone. I haven't selenium toned them yet. I'm hoping to lose the slight green cast with toning.


Thanks for your posts.

 

[Jim Chinn]

Agfa Neutol Plus (even though just purchased yesterday the developer looked very, very yellow and am not sure if this is normal as I've never used the straight neutol just the WA) This made for very yellow/brown prints with Polywarmtone and Slightly blue prints with Polygrade

FWI: Neutol Plus is very yellow as a concentrate. Your results with Neutol Plus are the same as I have always gotten with Forte papers. I like using it with the Polygrade because it does produce a colder print (IMO) and I found the WA a very nice developer for Polywarmtone. When I run the Polygrade developed in Nuetol through selenium, I get about as close to a neutral/ cold look as the discontinued Polymax Fine Art.