PhotoFormulary Lodima paper developer

sergiob · Oct 1, 2011

Is this the same formula Michael Smith has on his website?

Here is the link.

Shawn Dougherty · Oct 1, 2011

Sounds like it but you'd be much farther ahead to mix it yourself. The mixing is done at room temp and it's very simple. That said I just bought some of PF's premixed Pyrocat HD in Glycol after mixing my own (less the Glycol) for years....... =P

sergiob · Oct 10, 2011

You are right. However I would like to know if it is the same formulary suggested by MAS. Thanks.

c6h6o3 · Oct 11, 2011

Take Doc's advice and mix it yourself. In addition to the doubt about whether or not it's Michael Smith's formula, I would also like to know about the amidol. If it's Chinese in origin, you'll be really turned off to the whole experience. And then there's the outrageous price.

Artcraft Chemicals will sell you 1/2 lb. of English amidol for $105.00, which works out to about $0.50/gram. The other chemicals in Michael's formula can be purchased all over the place dirt cheap. (sodium sulfite, KBr, citric acid). At 8 grams / liter of amidol, your cost per liter of working solution is around $5.00 if you mix it yourself. Compare this to the Formulary's price.

Michael A. Smith · Oct 12, 2011

We have the same Amidol the Formulary has--Chinese Amidol--for sale at only $85/pound. We just acquired it from someone who purchased a lot of it when it arrived in the USA.

Michael A. Smith

Zathras · Oct 12, 2011

Michael A. Smith said:
We have the same Amidol the Formulary has--Chinese Amidol--for sale at only $85/pound. We just acquired it from someone who purchased a lot of it when it arrived in the USA.

Michael A. Smith

Michael,

What is your opinion of the Chinese Amidol? A previous poster seems to have a low opinion of it, so I thought ask your opinion.

Thanks

Mikke Sullivan

c6h6o3 · Oct 13, 2011

Zathras said:
Michael,

What is your opinion of the Chinese Amidol? A previous poster seems to have a low opinion of it, so I thought ask your opinion.

Thanks

Mikke Sullivan

I should qualify my statement. A lot of people have a low opinion of the Chinese amidol because it's very nasty stuff to work with.

What I meant to convey to the OP is that if you're new to using amidol, the Chinese stuff might put you so off with its excessive staining, its opacity of working solution in the tray making it impossible to see the print come up, the necessity of filtering out the particulates in the working solution, etc. that you abandon its use after the first try. That would be unfortunate.

As foul a concoction as it is to work with, I use it because the blacks it yields seem denser to me. It's worth it to me to put up with the bad things about it to get more dmax in my Azo prints. So my opinion is both high and low. But I'm obsessive about print quality and brook no compromise for the sake of convenience. And you certainly can't beat the price of the Chinese stuff.

If Michael Smith uses it his opinion of it is very high. He won't use anything that won't yield the best possible print.

Shawn Dougherty · Oct 14, 2011

I agree completely. Chinese Amidol might (probably) will put a first time user off the stuff all together... Watching the print come up, and learning when to pull during water bath, are both more difficult. Plus, it's quite messy.

But like Jim says, if you've taken proper care the results are fantastic......

c6h6o3 · Oct 14, 2011

It also ruins the fixer so that I have to one shot my fixer now, doubling my fixer cost. But I have 50# of hypo laid in, so I shouldn't have to worry to much for a coupla years.

It also has much shorter tray life. I can't use it at all the next day like I can the English amidol.

sergiob · Oct 15, 2011

Michael, can you ship the amidol to Colombia? The main problem I have now is trying to get the amidol, as I finally found a source for KBr which was not that easy to find here. If you can I am interested in buying some.

Michael A. Smith · Oct 15, 2011

We can ship the Amidol anywhere in the world. Chinese Amidol.

As Jim and Shawn said, it is a bit messy and so dark it is hard to see when to take the print into the water bath (if you need a water bath for a particular print). but the price cannot be beat, and if you do not mind the inconvenience, the results are as good as can be.

The proof for these kinds of questions is always in the print quality. Jim is the nest printer I know and he uses it.

Michael A. Smith

c6h6o3 · Oct 16, 2011

Michael A. Smith said:
Jim is the nest printer I know and he uses it.

Nonsense. Your wife is the best printer you know.

sergiob · Oct 17, 2011

I can't seem to find it in your online store. Could you send me a pointer to order some? Thanks, Sergio.

JLP · Oct 17, 2011

Nonsense. Your wife is the best printer you know.

sergiob · Oct 18, 2011

For those who might be interested, I emailed Sherry at the PF, and yes it is the same as Michael's formula. However I will probably go down the route of mixing my own if I can finally buy amidol.

c6h6o3 · Oct 18, 2011

I get all the other stuff that I need for printing with amidol from The Chemistry Store. Great prices and they're pretty fast. They have hypo (sodium thiosulfate pentahydrate - rice crystals), sodium bisulfite, KBr and citric acid. Their price on sodium sulfite is the best I've found anywhere. (13# for $19, 25# for $31). Whenever I bought Kodak Na2O3S in the camera store it was about $10/#. I highly recommend them.

PhotoFormulary Lodima paper developer

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