Metol-free print developer

reub2000 · Feb 25, 2007

Currently I use Edwal Ultra Black print developer. I'd like to switch to something without metol. I'd like something that comes as a liquid so that I can mix it up in batches of 1L, or about enough to cover an 8x10 tray. Which one should I use.

haziz · Feb 25, 2007

reub2000 said:
Currently I use Edwal Ultra Black print developer. I'd like to switch to something without metol. I'd like something that comes as a liquid so that I can mix it up in batches of 1L, or about enough to cover an 8x10 tray. Which one should I use.

I believe Sprint Quick Silver is Metol free. It is also fairly cheap and at least in the northeast US easily available, though the distributor/dealer link on the manufacturer's website suggests their distribution outside the Northeast US is more spotty. It does produce good results not too dissimilar to Ultra Black. The tones tend very slightly to the cold side which to me is a plus.

Sincerely,

Hany.

avandesande · Feb 25, 2007

Ethol lpd is metol free and can be purchased as liquid or powder.

RoBBo · Feb 25, 2007

avandesande said:
Ethol lpd is metol free and can be purchased as liquid or powder.

It also has a tendency to put a sickly green cast in your images, atleast the way they mix it in the darkrooms I use.

Philippe-Georges · Feb 26, 2007

AMALOCO AM 8008 ECOMAX might do the job, see www.amaloco.nl

Philippe

Ian Grant · Feb 26, 2007

Any PQ - phenidone developer will do the trick. They also have advantages over metol, cleaner working, don't cause dernatitis, better shelf and tray life.

Try Ilford ultigrade and the newwer cool & warm tone developers

Ian

Paul Howell · Feb 26, 2007

Clayton P20, easy to mix at 1 to 7 although I use 1 to 5, can be replensihed, good tray life.

Keith Tapscott. · Feb 26, 2007

reub2000 said:
Currently I use Edwal Ultra Black print developer. I'd like to switch to something without metol. I'd like something that comes as a liquid so that I can mix it up in batches of 1L, or about enough to cover an 8x10 tray. Which one should I use.

None of the Ilford print developers contain Metol, their Multigrade developer is very good.

titrisol · Feb 26, 2007

LPD and some other PQ developers

Or RODINAL!!!

avandesande · Feb 26, 2007

I have never seen green with LPD. Maybe it is really old or the water is bad.

RoBBo said:
It also has a tendency to put a sickly green cast in your images, atleast the way they mix it in the darkrooms I use.

PhotoJim · Feb 27, 2007

Ilford Bromophen is great, if you can live with a powdered developer.

There is an old Gevaert formula that uses only hydroquinone. I've never used it, but I have the formula in my darkroom. (I'm sure it can be found on google fairly easily too.)

reub2000 · Feb 27, 2007

I now have 500ml of Ilford Multigrade. I will try it out when I get a chance.

mamiyaflex · Feb 27, 2007

All the Freestyle "Arista" Liquid paper developers are phenidone based...I suspect they are made by Clayton.

Richard Jepsen · Feb 28, 2007

LPD and Ilford's Multigrade & PQ are liquid. I found pre-packaged liquid developers have a shorter shelf life vs developers mixed from powder.

Concerning the olive cast one poster mentioned. Ansco 130, a powder metol/glycin developer, is slightly warm of neutral, softer working, with no olive cast. Looten's book, On Photographic Enlarging and Print Quality, mentions potassium bromide as an agent creating the olive-green cast. He advises to increase print development time to produce a black. Bromide is recommended with papers having a tendency to fog. Sodium carbonate provides stronger blacks while bromide produces clearer highlights and weaker blacks.

.

RoBBo · Feb 28, 2007

avandesande said:
I have never seen green with LPD. Maybe it is really old or the water is bad.

We go through a ridiculous amount here and it's usually very very fresh, and over the past 2 years I've seen hundreds of people print with it, some of which using their own distilled water. Never have I seen that green cast go away.
Now, it is somewhat subtle, and not often that noticeable, but if you put up a print from LPD next to say, something that went through ID-3, the difference is ridiculous and the green cast is unmistakable.
Not to mention, it makes my Oriental Warmtone look just orange.
It does have it's upsides though, like a ridiculously long life.

Richard, on the olive cast, I've tried a few things and am quite sure the Bromide is at fault for it, Liquid Orthazite seems to be a good replacement that removes that bit, though at the moment, I don't really have the time to mix my own paper developer. But I'm not trying to move these prints or anything, so it'll do, for now.

Metol-free print developer

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