Netrual tone liquid paper develper suggestions

[Darkroom317]

I am looking to switch paper developers. I am not happy with the Sprint developer I have been using for the last year. I prefer neutral tones and the solution must keep for a while because my darkroom in 30 miles from my house. I am currently looking at either Adox Adotol NE or Moersch ECO 4812. What can you tell me about these developers. I am currently using Kodak Polycontrast but I will soon be switching to Adox MCP 310 and eventually Adox MCC 110 for more serious printing. Any suggestions.

 

[Newt_on_Swings]

I have bought a new developer called LPD, after reading a bit about it, and the reviews are very good. After I finish my last bottle of stock dektol I will mix the batch and try. But I cannot comment on it as of yet.

check this link:

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

By varying the dilutions you can alter the tone too. You can do the same with Dektol, but it seems with LPD you can go to super high dilutions 1:20 even. They sell it in a liquid concentrate form. I have bought the can version from B&H locally $11.49 in store. And its supposed to last forever.

Maybe more Apugers will chime in on that. I am looking forward to using it.

 

[pentaxuser]

Ilford Multigrade developer is very neutral and has great keeping qualities. I don't know how available it is in the U.S.

I suspect that it may not be easily obtainable as there are many U.S APUGers who are loyal to Ilford but very few who seem to use Ilford paper developers

pentaxuser

 

[MattKing]

I use and like Kodak Polymax-T developer: http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/products/chemistry/bwPaperProcessing/polymaxTDeveloper.jhtml?pq-path=14046

Liquidol has a pretty good pedigree : http://stores.photoformulary.com/-strse-143/Liquidol-Paper-Developer/Detail.bok

 

[RalphLambrecht]

why not make your own?

 

[removedacct3]

How about ECO 4812? Brewed by one of the finest brewers and excellent keeping properties.

 

[markbarendt]

LPD is a good one to try.

The tone can be adjusted by varying the dilution,;straight leans cold, 1+4 leans warm, and you can use whatever dilution gives you what you want.

I keep my stock in a recycled wine box, keep the diluted solution in a nondescript 1-liter plastic bottle. I have another bottle for working solution.

I replenish the working solution by simply topping up to replace what's lost with each sheet, which even at 1+4 seems to be more than adequate.

It is like the Energizer bunny it just keeps going and going and going too. The only reason I've replaced my working solutions in the last few years has been because of my stupid mistakes and contamination coming fron the tray/paper; the developer itself never seems to die.

 

[Darkroom317]

What is the tray life of ECO 4812? Also, I've been wondering, can one just pour the used developer into a bottle and use it within a few days or is one day only? I would like to mix my own chemicals but I am not at that point yet.

 

[zsas]

Liquidol is a neutral to cold, high capacity dev that I believe ships free from Amazon (from Formulary) and was co-created by Apug's very own Photo Engineer.

It is considered a Dektol clone but with different secret formulation though.

I use it and love it; although I have not used with the aforementioned papers you list

 

[Gerald C Koch]

Image tone is determined not only by the developer but by the paper. It is impossible to make a developer that will produce the same tone with all papers.

You can change the tone a bit by adding either potassium bromide or benzotrriazole to the developer. Bromide will make it warmer and benzotriazole will make it colder. Try adding small amounts of a 10% solution of KBr or a 1% solution of benzotriazole. Start with 2.5 ml per liter of working developer.

 

[Photo Engineer]

Try Liquidol from the Formulary. It is very neutral and has the longest open tray life and greatest capacity of any developer I have ever tested.

PE

 

[hacked - sepiareverb]

The 4812 lasts ages as working solution in a bottle. Hard to believe how long. I've stored it for more than two months and it works fine. Really.

 

[Photo Engineer]

See my keeping tests posted here in this forum in another thread.

PE