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HP5 + D-19 = Good Combo For Carbon Transfer

Andrew O'Neill

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I've been using large format HP5 for decades, but it's never been a good candidate for Carbon Transfer printing, due to a build up of min densities (and base + fog) from extended development times (in conventional developers), in order to meet a required density range. Decided to try it with a high contrast developer, like D-19...


 
koraks said:
That negative looked really clean for sure! And 2.5-ish density range is ample esp. for dichromate carbon.
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Yup! I'm very pleased about this. Now I can use my HP5 directly for Carbon, instead of always having to scan it in to make a digi-neg.
 
Excellent!! I happen to have a few boxes of 11x14 HP5+ I have not been using since I have some of my usual FP4+ . I’ve been saving the HP5 for some other projects not needing the contrast range of my carbon printing.

Looks like it would be worth exploring using HP5 down the line…I have thought of D-19, but would give my go-to developer a try first…Ilford PQ Universal Developer. Might work best with scenes already high in SBR and at lower dilution (quicker dev might keep down base fog).

I have used straight Dektol to increase contrast once or twice- worked nicely…I’d have to do some research to see which Ilford 8 x 10 film that was on.
 
Lachlan Young said:
Ilford claim Phenisol as their D-19 equivalent.
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Thanks…I am not familiar with it and will keep it in mind. FP4+ cooked in PQ Universal seems to allow the mid tones to expand nicely along with the highlights (no hard data to go with that claim). I’ll just have to see how HP5+ behaves. This is for platinum printing and carbon printing.

A recently developed 4x5 from my Japan trip…FP4+ developed in Ilford Universal PQ Developer, 1:15, 74F, 10 minutes in drum. There was 6 stops of light in the scene. Printable, no highlights totally blocked up… just on the edge of blocking up. I should be able to coax the most out of the negative ( an old outhouse along an abandoned temple path, Onomichi, Japan.)

I reduced development a little for the next set of negatives.
 

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Vaughn, what dilution are you using the PQ Universal at with FP4?
 
It varies with the SBR and process to be used for printing… film for carbon get a bit more development than those to be pt/pd printed. But I use from 1:9 ( normally considered paper-developing strength) to 1:19. I print pt/pd without contrast agents, and carbon prints using low pigment concentrations and high sensitizer strength. Over the years I have come to appreciate the subtle characteristics these combinations provide— or have sufficiently fooled myself into believing I see/feel a difference!
 
The advantages of the Ilford Universal PQ developer is easy mixing in various dilutions from the concentrate for single batches.

A disadvantage is that there is no highlight protection as one seems to get with staining developers, so the highlights can run away from you…also if scanning or enlarging, it does not treat grain softly…no issue at all for contact printing.
 

If you take a look at pg.3 of the Ortho + data sheet, it gives curves for ID-11, PQ Universal and Phenisol. PQU tends to upsweep in the manner of TXP's curve shape. A developer like Pyrocat (which is in essence a D-76/ Autophen derivative) will hit certain limits due to development inhibition effects from the way the PQ (or in this case an isomer of HQ) works in specific relationship ratios.
 
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