Need some paper/chemical advice

[atlcruiser]

Hi All,
After years of "saying" i will do it I got my darkroom up and running

I suddenly remembered that i dont really know what chemicals to use for paper development. In the past I had always been in group labs with supplied chemicals.

To get my feet wet I was going to buy dektol and kodak rapid fixed. Any better suggestions?

I will be starting with arista private reserve VC RC paper to mess a bunch up cheap!

Eventually I want to move into fiber based papers so it might make mores sense to start with a different line of chemistry.

thanks

 

[Tim Gray]

I've been using Ilford Multigrade and Rapid Fixer. They seem to get good reviews and are liquid. You pay more for shipping, but it's so much more convenient to use, which is a big plus when you only print once every other month in a non-dedicated space.

Once I go through the large jugs I have, I'll probably try out (and move to) Liquidol and TF-5 from the Formulary. PE has said good things about them and he knows what he's talking about

 

[Bob-D659]

Try good old Dektol, it's cheap, has more capacity per liter than you will ever need, and you can vary the dilution from the standard so you can play around.

 

[Jim Noel]

You might as well begin with what you have likely been using in group labs - Dektol and Kodak fixer, rapid or regular. They have been around a long time and are dependable.

 

[cmacd123]

I will say if you do want to get your feet wet that the Liquidol has amazed me with its long life and stability on my limited tests so far. The concentarte makes mixing what you need easy. Likewise the Ilford fixer is fast and quick. In the USA you can get them both as an add-on when you order your arista private reserve VC RC. The Liquidol is 16 bucks for 10 litres of working solution, if you can use it up the gallon size of Freestyles private label version of Dektol will make 11 litres for 6 bucks. 7 for real Dektol. Looking again at Freestyles site the Kodak or even the FOMA fixer may be cheaper.

 

[fschifano]

There's nothing at all wrong with Dektol, some stop bath, and some rapid fixer. For the stop bath and rapid fixer, any old brand is as good as the next. Shop for price. For Dektol, as far as I'm concerned, there is no substitute. It works well, has a good shelf life, and is more economical than anything else I can source locally. I've been using it for as long as I've been making prints - and that's a long time. Never seen the need to use anything else. Want to turn it into a warm tone developer? No problem. Dilute it a little more than usual and add a very tiny bit of bromide.