Ilford MG FB WarmTone - Tonal Range

Hi All,

I am getting back to using some traditional gelatin silver papers after printing platinum/palladium and other processes and seem to have lost my barring in regard to Tonal Range of the paper. I am currently testing Ilford MG FB WarmTone and my problem is as follows:

In general, a grade 2 paper “should” print 7 Zones from my memory of the Zone System. Well, I am not having a problem getting the Contrast Range as my DMin = 0.08 and my DMax = 2.28, so I am even a little above the 2.10 required.

However, the Stouffer 31-Step Tablet that I use only prints to step #13. Since .3 is equivalent to 1 stop and this tablet is broken down to .10 steps, this means I am only getting 4 1/3 stops! So my DMax & DMin are in good shape but I am not getting the Tonal Range that I think I should on the Stouffer Tablet. I should be reaching at least step #15 for a 5-Stop range and step #21 for a 7-stop range.

Please help, I am either thinking this out incorrectly or am needing different chemistry, etc. I use an Omega D-II with an Aristo Cold Diffusion Lamp, Ilford VC Developer, Kodak Fix (no hardener), and do not use any filtration while testing (this should make the paper behave like a Grade 2).

Any thoughts please…

Regards,

Cody Thomas

You might want to put a light yellow filter on the Aristo cold light head. I think the color of the printing light source has a big affect. I use the Aristo Variable contrast cold light head and my normal for a negative that is processed out to a 1.2 zone 7 is to print at grade 3.7. I virtually never print at a lower contrast setting than 2.5, and often print at a contras setting in the 4. something. And I am not a contrasty type printer.