Paper developer recommendation...

I've been using liquid concentrate paper developers for several years, but I've had an occasional bottle go bad and I'm thinking about switching to a powder mix developer stored in a tank with a floating lid. I like warm tone papers and, most recently, I've been using the Ilford/Harman Warmtone Developer and the Zonal Pro Warmtone, with good success.

The papers I like to use are the Ilford MGWT RC and FB versions and, hopefully, the new ADOX MCC 111 when it becomes available.

So, based on what's available these days, I'm looking for a suggestions for a good general purpose paper developer that's well suited to the papers I like to use.

Thanks in advance,

Gary,

East Snook, TX

Ethol LPD

Ethol LPD - yes, indeed!
It is avery versatile developer: available in powder (and liquid). Gives a neutral image color when dilute 1:2; use stock solution or 1:1 for colder tones; 1:4 for warm tones. No contrast change at any dilution. May be used in conjunction with Kodak Selectol-Soft for two-bath developing.

Dektol doesn't go bad. They last a long time.

LPD is the best choice. It's a great developer. I use it 1:4 most of the time and it lasts forever.

Ditto for LPD. Ethol at one time gave instructions for replenishing it. I do not know if Ethol still gives those instructions. Even so, it is long-lasting, flexible, and forgiving.

John, Mount Vernon, Virginia USA

I think of LPD as liquid Dektol. That said, I don't think that Dektol goes bad. I've seen it the color of coffee and still making prints.

Mike

mjs said:

I think of LPD as liquid Dektol. That said, I don't think that Dektol goes bad. I've seen it the color of coffee and still making prints.

Mike

Click to expand...

agreed. kodak says that diluted dektol's shelf life is a couple weeks but i've had diluted dektol for 9 months and it's still going strong. i do pour it into a container after after use though, to prevent oxidation.

Developer choice

I use photographers formulary B&W 65 and 130. Both keep at least a year and 130 can be reused after dilution and will keep up to a month that way. I use B&W65 exclusively now its nearly the same as 130 but uses phenidone instead of metol both contain glycin. I use B&W65 as it comes in liquid form and can be used at dilutions of up to 1:1:10(it comes as solution A&B) gives beautiful prints, I have noticed I don't need to dodge and burn nearly as much with this developer as opposed to dektol.

I'm always recommending Ethol LPD. It does last a really, really long time. I'm still using stock solution from almost a year ago. Working solution lasts months. LPD can be replenished as well. And it looks great with a lot of papers too.

Just in case you are still undecided, I'll throw out my vote for LPD as well.

Another former concentrate user, switched to Dektol and have not looked back.

I've used a few different powdered paper developers, Dektol, Ilford Universal, and Ilford Bromophen. I keep coming back to Dektol. It's inexpensive, durable, and flexible. What's not to like, the yellow package?

There are some subtleties to paper developers with the various papers, so the choice very much depends on what you want and what you have learned to use. If you are in the darkroom every day, you will use up developer fast enough so that shelf life is not a factor. (I've found that you can not rely on developer that has been in the tray for more than a day.) LPD and the Ilford liquid developers are easy to use and work well this way. If you can use large quantities, the Kodak liquid developers are also a possibility. Or you can mix up a powder formula - more choice but more trouble, too. If you need longer shelf life, formulas with two stock solutions that separate the developing agent from the alkalai, like Formulary BW65, keep for up to a year. (If you compound your own developers, you can mix two stock solutions, one with the alkalai and one with everything else, to get somewhat extended shelf life.) Agfa 130 and similar glycin based formulas, while not that long lived, also seem to last a bit longer than conventional formulas.

Gadget Gainer: have you looked into paper developers at all in your investigations on long shelf life formulas?

Let me ask a question about Dektol since everyone seems to be talking about it. Are you guys saying that Dektol STOCK lasts longer than Kodak says, or are you saying that after diluting 1:2, and using it in a tray for 8 hours, that you can put it into a bottle and use it again?

Exactly. I don't do many prints in one session, and it seems a shame to throw the developer away since I've not used the working solution anywhere near its capacity. So I do bottle it up and save it for the next session. That may be a couple of days later, and so far the working solution Dektol has held up under that sort of treatment. I've had no trouble getting good blacks and good highlight details either. All I can say is that it works for me. Try it, and if it doesn't work out for you, nothing is lost. A test strip developed in used developer and compared against one developed in fresh will tell you everything you need to know.

Yes, Dektol dilute working solution seems to have a really long shelf life if you bottle it up after each use, and in theory the stock solution should last even longer. In a bottle, the stock solution probably lasts for decades. Still, I always do a test strip before using the developer. So far it's turned deep black within a minute ever time.