Fotokemika Varycon and Arista Lith Frustrations

[conorific]

So...I've done quite a bit of research, and I have no idea why this is happening, but: I got some Fotokemika Varycon from Freestyle and some Arista Liquid Lith. I cannot get it to work. No blacks whatsoever, only a grayish-brown, flat, with blocked highlights. Disgusting. I have tried filtration of all kinds, different exposures, different dilutions, hot lith, hotter lith....nothing. I know that this paper must be used under a red safelight. It's not fogged at all.

For the record, I hate the way this paper looks normally printed in Dektol too. Flat, flat, flat, flat, FLAT. No matter what negative or filtration! I am a fairly experienced printer, and last year I got fantastic prints on Fomatone MG with Fotospeed Lith. I love Fomatone, but it's very expensive and takes 4 weeks to deliver, and Fotospeed Lith went bad the day after I opened it (I could never get it to lith properly again!) I tried Varycon and Arista because I don't have $150+ to drop on developer and paper. *sigh*

I really wanted my work this semester to be expressed with lith, but I can't buy $30 developer that goes bad after the first time I use it, and wait a month for a box of paper to arrive. I was told this paper liths well, and is responsive to toning, rebleach/redevelop etc. But if I can't even get blacks on the lith print initially, they're not going to come back.

Can anyone offer advice, help, questions? Please?

 

[Mark Fisher]

I am not a fan of this paper for lith. (there was a url link here which no longer exists) is one of the few I ever liked with the pack of Varycon I used. Note the weak blacks. BTW - filtration really doesn't help with lith. Fomatone does lith nice. My two primary lith papers are Slavich Unibrom Grade 3 or 4 and Fomatone. Slavich is more neutral and much more gritty......I like it for street photography among other things. (there was a url link here which no longer exists) is an example of the Slavich lith. I get both papers from Freestyle and I get them in about a week, typically.

Fotospeed developer should keep for awhile. I'm assuming you only mixed it when needed and not as a stock solution. Lith developers oxidize fast and need to be mixed as needed. I use Rollei usually and Arista occationally. Go ahead and use the Arista and try a different paper

 

[Rolleijoe]

I've had excellent results from Fotokemika Varycon, but the 1st few sheets were fairly disappointing, using it in Kodak's T-Max paper developer. Once I switched to ēthol LPD, WOW What a difference! This is now the only paper developer I'll ever use I've been printing for 33 years, and just wish I'd thought "outside the (yellow) box" years ago.

It's great with all Foma papers, Fiber & RC, and gives such excellent results. Easily available from Freestyle. Let me know how it does for you.

 

[clayne]

OC or red safelight?