What about the people who 5-hour long printing sessions? Do they stop to make fresh developer twice?
Prints are generally developed to completion, which basically means you develop until there's not visible change in the print if the development time is extended further - within reason. If your determined development time is let's say 90 seconds, then developing for e.g. 120 seconds shouldn't make an appreciable difference. In practice, this means prints are usually developed for a standard time; you determine the development time and then stick to that. I assume this is also how you work.
You can imagine that if your print developer starts to fail, it's possible to simply extend the development time and allow the slow developer to still get the job done. Mind you, there comes a point where the developer simply won't finish and you'll end up with flat prints with weak (often mottled, and brownish) blacks.
This is not to say I'd necessarily recommend factorial development for this purpose. I mention it as an option, only. For simplicity's sake, I'd consider (especially when starting out) to remove as many problem factors as possible and just mix fresh developer at the start of a session. At the same time and especially during longer sessions, do the reference thing I explained above to spot problems with the developer running out of steam.
I've done the same thing with ID68 as well and it works similarly. I mix both the ID68 and the ID62 from scratch as concentrates (click links for formulas on @Ian Grant's excellent website). The reason I DIY mix the concentrates is because in the past I've run into problems with half-full bottles of commercial concentrates that sat around for too long and went dead. Apart from the inconvenience, the waste always bugged me. So I now mix relatively small amounts (typically 500ml) of concentrate/replenisher at a time, which I store in a clear glass bottle so I can tell when the concents start to go too dark (which signifies oxidation).
perhaps bubbles on the print
You mean ID-78, which is the Warm=tone version of UD-62. ID-68 is Microphen.I've done the same thing with ID68 as well and it works similarly. I mix both the ID68 and the ID62 from scratch as concentrates (click links for formulas on @Ian Grant's excellent website). The reason I DIY mix the concentrates is because in the past I've run into problems with half-full bottles of commercial concentrates that sat around for too long and went dead. Apart from the inconvenience, the waste always bugged me. So I now mix relatively small amounts (typically 500ml) of concentrate/replenisher at a time, which I store in a clear glass bottle so I can tell when the concents start to go too dark (which signifies oxidation).
No prints like negatives are never developed to completion. They need to be developed to achieve Dmax, continued development past that just means mid-tones shift darker, and a slight increase in highlights, and any base fog.Prints are generally developed to completion, which basically means you develop until there's not visible change in the print if the development time is extended further - within reason. If your determined development time is let's say 90 seconds, then developing for e.g. 120 seconds shouldn't make an appreciable difference. In practice, this means prints are usually developed for a standard time; you determine the development time and then stick to that. I assume this is also how you work.
That should be impossible. Prints are to be agitated the entire time they are in developer.
It seems unlikely you wore out your developer doing a few 5x7 prints. How many did you do? I actually just did about 20 prints (from 3.5x5 to 8x10) in 1.5 litres of working strength Dektol.
I just read in "The Elements of Black-and-White Printing" (Carson Graves 1993) that paper developer working solution only lasts 2 hours...
Really?
I am going to do some darkroom printing tonight. I made all my solutions yesterday, including the developer working solution, which I stored in a thick plastic bottle filled to the brim. I know that developer on the tray has a short life, but I was expecting that I can make the developer on Friday, use it on Saturday, then back in the bottle (to the brim), and then use it again on Sunday, and then toss it.
Is Carson just being a perfectionist, or do I really need to make fresh developer 10 minutes before I start printing? What about the people who 5-hour long printing sessions? Do they stop to make fresh developer twice?
Some developer such as LPD can last up to a full 8 hour shift and it can replenished. I've replenished Dektol. I use a step wedge to determine dilution and time in developer, Multitone RC takes a 1 minute while Foma FB grade 2 and 3 takes full 3 minutes. I currently have Dektol but will switch to Clayton once the last of the Detol is gone. I had been using Liquidol which lasted 3 to 4 hours which the upper limit I now spend in the dark room. But PF was out Liquidol so I bought a gallon size dry mix of a Dektol cone. When I switch to Clayton will retest with a step wedge with a grade 2 filter and with Foma FB grade 2 to find total in developer. The longest lasting developer I have ever used was Edwal Ultra Black, days and days, it turned very dark almost black but kept on working. Sadly no longer made. The shortest time in tray developer used is Amidol, only last 2 to 3 hours.
Yeah. I rock the developer tray constantly and I can see the liquid whooshing back and forth across the print. ---- Looking again at the prints (below), they don't really look like bubbles, but more like liquid drops of non-development.
View attachment 401710
View attachment 401713
My thinking was that the developer became oxidized mostly from sitting in the tray for a few hours, not from the number of prints. I only did like eight 5x7 prints. The time between the first print and the last print was just over 5 hours, largely doe to a long break I had to take in between.
Did you ever try Ansco 130? Rumor has it that the working solution is good for months. I've been meaning to try it.
I have had Ansco 130 (PF130) stock solution go dead. It's only happened once....but it was surprising.
Do you use it regularly and how would you compare it to Dektol?
No prints like negatives are never developed to completion. They need to be developed to achieve Dmax, continued development past that just means mid-tones shift darker, and a slight increase in highlights, and any base fog.
Those larger blemishes: looks to me like you’ve splashed stop bath or something
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