Paper Developer Temperature

[arigram]

I have not seen anything about the influence of the temperature on a paper developer. Right from my first prints I've noticed that low temperatures would slow down the process and give me very low contrast with no blacks at all. Higher temperature would not only raise the Dmax but the developing time as expected, while I have not noticed any loss of values due to contrast change.
The only paper developer I've used is Ilford Multigrade and although the company has a reference on the influence of temperature and advices on keeping it at 20C/68F there is not much detail.
So, is there any real information available or I should just keep the temperature around 20-25C as I do avoiding the extremes without worrying much about it?
I asume though that different temperature would influence the chemicals in the developer and extremes could result to uneven work, effects that can change from developer to developer.

 

[clogz]

If I were you I'd keep the temperature at around 20-22 degrees C. Higher temps will only lead to very rapidly developing paper and an overexposed look.
Regards
Hans

 

[Ian Grant]

Higher temps will only lead to very rapidly developing paper and an overexposed look.

Actually higher temperatures are useful when processing warm-toned prints in dilte developer to keep the times reasonable and achieve warmer tones.

Ian

 

[clogz]

Aristotelis, I was wondering how you keep the temp. at 20C in summer?

Hans

 

[Lee Shively]

I don't keep up with developer temperature, I just try to keep it reasonable. I once had a darkroom in a walled-in porch that had no insulation, no heat and no cooling. In the summer, I printed in my underwear and dripped sweat and in the winter I bundled up and used an electric heater that had to be turned off until the paper came out of the fixer to avoid fogging. The chemicals were whatever the room temperature allowed them to be. You can adjust to less than perfect conditions. So can the materials.

 

[hortense]

Get a Zone VI compensating development timer, this will solve your problem and provide consistent results.

 

[heninger]

RH Designs also sells a process timer like the Zone VI. I have the Zone VI and love it. I had to ordre a new probe for it this week - I missed it for one session.

 

[arigram]

Aristotelis, I was wondering how you keep the temp. at 20C in summer?

Hans

Ah...the second most importand equipment in my darkroom after the enlarger is an air-conditioner! When I rebuilt the room over the summer, I had planned without it but the first day it was finished and walked in, I felt I was walking in an oven! The wall thermometer said 33C! So, I had to invest in something that would cool me in the summer and warm me in the winter. That also means that I have no trouble adjusting and keeping the temperature in the chemicals, especially when I am developing film. That also means that I put my comfort above the chemicals' temperature so the room is always around 22-23C as I find 20C a bit too chilly.

I do have an RH timer, the StopClock Lite, the third most importand equipment in my darkroom. It's the "smallest" one but more than I need.

 

[john_s]

The Agfa pdf for paper developers list times for 20degC, 25degC and 30degC. The file is called

C-SW56-E13.pdf

and you'll have to search their site because it's elusive. (Are they really trying to stay in business?)

 

[ooze]

I'm with Lee on this one, in that I usually don't do anything about developer temp. I just try to keep it reasonable. I've always been able to pull a decent print out of the tray, that's why I don't really think about the temperature anymore. But a few years ago, back in my darkroom in Turkey, with outside temps > 40º and darkroom temps even higher, I used to fill up a condom with ice cubes and put that into the tray

 

[arigram]

I used to fill up a condom with ice cubes and put that into the tray

Ice cubes in a condom! Now that's a great idea!
(after all I do have lots of unused ones)

I wonder if the condom has an effect on the developing.
Maybe the flavored ones could spice up your prints?