Lith - Why not use second pass every time ?

I used to really enjoy Lith printing and I am returning to it after a long break. There seem to be fewer papers available now with the beautiful lith potential available some years ago.

I read many comments about second pass lith ...... giving a more certain result, more papers respond to this than first pass lith, able to be done in daylight so snatch point more easily seen , can bleach back and try again if not what you want, , oftentimes the lith effect is stronger, etc. And I suspect I might find the workflow of second pass lith easier and more repeatable.

I could bang out some overexposed prints, say ILMGWTFB or Slavich or Foma in Neutol WA developer. Then bleach back and play around with redevelopment the next day.

So I am asking myself .......... what advantages exist in persisting with using first pass lith. If second pass lith is so good, why should I not just go for second pass every time ?

I would be grateful for comments on what first pass lith can do better than second pass ...... something uniquely special in the final print.

You have a lot of options lithing prints. Different developers, variation of temperature, different dilution, a choice of papers, one-pass or two-pass ...

If you go two-pass, then you have to choose your first developer (and process), your bleach and second developer and fixer. Each of these steps will impact on your results.

Whatever you will choose as your process, it will be designed to give you the results you desire. But the same applies to everybody else, too. It is like some people driving a Porsche while others prefer BMW or Mercedes.

I drive a 15 year old VW that leaks when it rains. That's why I make cyanotypes

pdeeh said:

I drive a 15 year old VW that leaks when it rains. That's why I make cyanotypes

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I am looking into salt prints. Do I have to get a Morgan 3-wheeler now?

A pony and trap might be better

Second pass lith works if it has the look and colour you want. Or if the paper you like doesn't lith properly.

That said, I have some lithable papers that DON'T lith in a second pass lith (that is, they look exactly the same before and after), despite being very responsive to lith in a first-pass. I've also read of papers that looks the same first- or second-pass lith (but they may be discontinued now). If so, for me, what's the point of second-pass lith? It's much more streamlined to just lith the print straight up instead of having to go through all the extra steps of making a print, (wash and/or dry) bleaching back, (wash and/or dry), redevelop it (wash and/or dry), and then possibly tone it.