ModernLithEZ -- An easy to use and mix lith printing developer for modern "non-lithable" papers

[grainyvision]

Full blog post with examples and further references and info: https://grainy.vision/blog/modernlithez

I wanted to post this here as I think many will find it very interesting. There's tons of examples and more references etc on my blog that you can read, but I'll include the important bits here for future historians if my website dies or something

ModernLithEZ (previously known as ModernLithC3) is a new formulation incorporating a number of discoveries over the past several months to finally formulate an easy to mix and easy to use lith printing developer that is comparable to commercial lith developers, but also works on all modern RC papers which were tested as well as a few modern FB papers. It is split into 3 primary parts and 1 optional part for easy yet highly controllable usage. Note that this developer is only formulated for the specialized process known as lith printing. It is NOT designed for half-tone lith film development.

Formula
The formula is fairly easy to mix, but does require a number of different ingredients. All of these have a purpose which will be explained in an updated “in the margins” blog post. Unlike the previously published ModernLithC3 prototype, there is no danger in the mixing of this other than handling hydroxide. Specifically there is no dangerous sulfur dioxide release which would necessitate a fume hood.

Part A:

• Start with 80ml of hot distilled water (distilled water is absolutely necessary here!)
• 1ml triethanolamine 99% grade (either pure 99% grade or “low freeze 99% grade” is acceptable. I use the low freeze grade type)
• 0.1g salicylic acid (it’s ok if this amount is not precise due to scale limitations. This may dissolve very slowly. It’s ok to continue on with the rest of the recipe before this dissolves completely)
• 5g sodium sulfite
• 1g boric acid
• 10g ascorbic acid (note a very small amount of sulfur dioxide may be released when adding this. Make sure not to have your head above the mixing vessel when adding)
• 11g hydroquinone (not all will dissolve)
• Top to 200ml with hot propylene glycol
  

This may require some heating to dissolve all of the hydroquinone. The temperatures needed can be reached using a simple hot water bath. It’s ok if it seems there are a few tiny crystals in the solution, these will dissolve as the developer sits and cools. The majority should be dissolved though. Appearance of the final solution should be very slightly yellow and completely transparent.

Part B:

• Start with 140ml of cold or room temperature distilled water
• 10ml triethanolamine 99% (again, I use the low freeze grade. It might be wise to only add 9ml if you have the pure 99% grade)
• 8g sodium hydroxide — DANGER use extreme care with sodium hydroxide. The solution will heat up significantly. Always add the hydroxide to water and not the other way around. Add about half of the hydroxide and stir until dissolved. If the solution is extremely hot afterwards, then wait before adding the rest.
• 1.2g potassium bromide
• 100g potassium carbonate, anhydrous — DANGER if the solution is still extremely hot from the hydroxide addition, then wait before adding the carbonate. Add half or less at a time and wait until fully dissolved. If the solution becomes scalding hot then wait before adding more. You can put the mixing vessel in an ice water bath to cool it quicker. — note: at this point the solution will be very cloudy. As long as you don’t see any powder piled up on the bottom, then it’s mixed well enough.
• Top to 200ml with cold distilled water. The solution should clear up significantly. In my tests I sometimes get a few tiny weird black flecks floating on top of the solution. These don’t affect the results though and can be ignored. The solution will be slightly viscous.
  

WARNING: Store the part B solution in a proper sturdy chemical container, preferably plastic. Do NOT use recycled bottles for this. It is extremely alkaline and should be labeled to express this danger. The solution will cause chemical burns in its non-diluted form! For extra safety, I recommend keeping the bottle in a sturdy plastic darkroom tray so that if the bottle does become compromised it leaks into the darkroom tray rather than into your cabinet etc.

Part C — A simple 1% solution of polyethylene glycol 3350

• 200ml of water
• 2g of PEG-3350
  

Part D (optional) — A simple 5% potassium bromide solution

• 100ml water
• 5g potassium bromide
  

PEG-3350 can be sourced in most countries as a common over the counter laxative medication. In the US this is sold under the brand name MiraLAX. Make sure that no other inactive nor active ingredients are included in the product you buy. MiraLAX and other generics I’ve seen available in the US are 100% pure. If PEG-3350 can not be sourced, it can likely be substituted with PEG-4000 or PEG-1500, but different amounts may be needed for ideal results. I have not tested other molecular weights, but according to patents and research papers, any weight between 1500 and 8000 should give similar improvements in results, though likely have different potencies.

If using ModernLithEZ without any part C, many papers will give substantially lower amounts of contrast control and will be significantly more prone to uneven development.

Triethanolamine (TEA) 99% should be completely clear. If it is yellow or orange it is likely tech grade which includes a significant amount of diethanolamine. It may be usable but is very likely to give a difference in results. You can test if your TEA 99% is pure or low freeze grade by simply putting a small amount (or the entire bottle) in the refrigerator. If it solidifies then it is pure. If it does not then it is low freeze grade. The difference in low freeze grade is that it has 15% water added. Most sources I’ve purchased TEA 99% from do not actually say it is low freeze grade, but is.


Usage
Always rinse all papers before development. This is to remove incorporated developers. Add 40ml of part A to 900ml of water. Then add 40ml of part B and top to 1L with water. This can vary, but add to the final solution 2ml of part C as a standard starting point. Distilled water likely would give longer tray life, but I always use tap water. Note that the solution may give off some chlorine smell from tap water. This is from ascorbic acid neutralizing the chlorine in tap water. This is normal and should subside after a few minutes. Room temperature water is recommended, preferably between 68F-72F. If hot water is used you may get uneven development and poor tray life (~1 hour or less in testing). The pH of the working solution is typically between 11.5 to 12.

If varying dilution, part A and part B should usually be varied in matched amounts though it is possible to use them in unmatched accounts (but be ready for some papers to not develop properly). Part C can vary, but typically 2ml per 40ml of part B is a good starting point. More part A in relation to part B will slow down overall development, lower contrast by giving more highlight development, and increase tray life. More part B in relation to part B will decrease the amount of color, shorten tray life, and increase black depth and intensity.

Part C can be added in amounts between 1ml-10ml/L for ModernLithEZ. It will increase the induction period of development and cause infectious development to proceed more linearly with more black-shadow separation. It also tends to introduce more color into the print when used carefully. On some papers adding part C will reduce the tendency to have uneven development. Too little part C will result in flat muddy prints with too dark of highlights and uneven development that happens too quickly. Too much will result in complete failure to enter proper infectious development, giving extremely flat prints without proper black tones. Alternatively “slightly” too much will give poor black tones that do not respond to extended development times. The ideal amount highly depends on the paper being used, but the default amount should be assumed to be 3ml of part C per 40ml of part B.

The likely most diluted form that can be used with good results is half dilution, which is 20+20+1 to make 1L of working solution developer. I’ll dub this the “color dilution”. This dilution is preferable for maximum color while maintaining a reasonable amount of stability. In some ways it is easier to use due to a tendency to have much more even development on certain papers. I highly recommend it for Ilford MGV RC, Ilford Warmtone FB, Arista.EDU Ultra FB, and Arista.EDU Ultra VC RC. Shelf life will be at least twice as bad, development will be at least twice as slow, and can sometimes give more problems such as pepper fog.

If using alternative dilutions and you get yellow borders or other indications of fog, then carefully add some part D (bromide). Sometimes with further addition of part C, you’ll also need more part D added to prevent fog.

(example on Ilford MGV RC, 20+25+1 dilution, printed from a high contrast long scale negative)

 

[chris77]

Thank you. This is very interesting indeed!