Update / HARMAN Cooltone Developer :

[pentaxuser]

Thanks Simon. We can't ask for more than this.

pentaxuser

 

[Roger Cole]

Six months later, any updates? Reminded in another thread.

 

[Simon R Galley]

Dear All,

HARMAN Cooltone developer will not be re-manufactured as it would not reach profitability.

HARMAN Warmtone developer has indeed reached acceptable volumes and profitability and is and will remain in manufacture.

Sorry.

Simon Galley ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited :

 

[Steve Goldstein]

If there are no further plans for production, can the formula be released? Perhaps it would then be feasible for individuals to mix it at home.

 

[lightwisps]

Simon, Put me down for 2 or 3 bottles too. If only I could get Ilfochrome Chemicals I would be in heaven

 

[brianmquinn]

If there are no further plans for production, can the formula be released? Perhaps it would then be feasible for individuals to mix it at home.

It was pointed out that one of the chemicals used to make it is not available so the formula will not really help.

 

[zsas]

It was indeed put to the board, and was put on hold for me to feedback further information to them on projected market size, and mnfc cost v smaller volumes etc, I have to admit that I have been a little slow in doing that. I will catch up and advise ASAP

Apologies:

Simon ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited :

Simon this is heartbreaking news

Please consider selling whatever that special-Ilford/Harman-proprietary-chemical is so we can scratch mix up own own cold tone developer! It seems like such a travesty that this "eye of newt, and toe of frog" shall sit for thy eternity in the confines of a commercial laboratory whilst the masses scorn the injustice of said eternal confinement.

 

[rbender]

Simon this is heartbreaking news

Please consider selling whatever that special-Ilford/Harman-proprietary-chemical is so we can scratch mix up own own cold tone developer! It seems like such a travesty that this "eye of newt, and toe of frog" shall sit for thy eternity in the confines of a commercial laboratory whilst the masses scorn the injustice of said eternal confinement.

I second that motion!!!

 

[Roger Cole]

 

[brianmquinn]

Simon this is heartbreaking news

Please consider selling whatever that special-Ilford/Harman-proprietary-chemical is so we can scratch mix up own own cold tone developer! It seems like such a travesty that this "eye of newt, and toe of frog" shall sit for thy eternity in the confines of a commercial laboratory whilst the masses scorn the injustice of said eternal confinement.

I believe it was a specialty chemical made just for this developer. It is not therefore not sitting on any shelf in any lab. Making custom molecules is not cheap.

 

[aleckurgan]

Is it back? It's now (or still) available in two biggest analogue photo stores in Prague. I checked one of them, where the seller tried to convince me that it's fresh. The number on the bottle was 593801. According to Batch number decoder (http://www.palomarkovic.net/mobile/BatchNumberDecoder/) this was manufactured in 8/2009, which apparently makes no sense.

 

[pentaxuser]

According to Batch number decoder (http://www.palomarkovic.net/mobile/BatchNumberDecoder/) this was manufactured in 8/2009, which apparently makes no sense.

If it is an old container of Cooltone which I suspect strongly is the case why doesn't it makes sense? It just makes the seller mistaken about its freshness, casts doubt on his definition of what constitutes fresh or worse casts doubt on his honesty

If Pemberstone has resurrected Cooltone developer then I think we'd have seen something to that effect?

Maybe now is the time to ask the new owners to review the situation?

pentaxuser

 

[aleckurgan]

If it is an old container of Cooltone which I suspect strongly is the case why doesn't it makes sense? It just makes the seller mistaken about its freshness, casts doubt on his definition of what constitutes fresh or worse casts doubt on his honesty
pentaxuser

I meant the 8/2009 date. According to Simon none was manufactured between at least 2007 and 2013. So obviously the decoded date must be wrong. Could someone please help me with the real manufacture date based on that number?

 

[pentaxuser]

I meant the 8/2009 date. According to Simon none was manufactured between at least 2007 and 2013. So obviously the decoded date must be wrong. Could someone please help me with the real manufacture date based on that number?

I understand your point now and if you are sure you are quoting Simon Galley correctly in terms of dates then I cannot explain it. However are you sure about dates? Why doesn't Simon say "none was manufactured after 2007 instead of giving a start date of 2007 and an end date of 2013. If cessation of production of Cooltone has an end date of 2013 as in his quote then why haven't we seen any announcement or the re-appearance of it in most of not all markets?

I recall getting a free gift of CT at the end of the June 2006 tour of the Ilford factory. It just seems strange that production was stopped from 2007 onwards i.e. less than 6 months later although this is not impossible.

I take it you are sure that the Markovic site's decoder applies to chemicals and presumably all other material supplied by Ilford. I had only ever seen the decoder being applied to paper.

What I think is certain is that your CT is old and no new CT is being produced.

We would benefit from Ilford's input here but if there is no chance of CT's resurrection then I'd understand Ilford's reluctance to respond on APUG as it might excite interest which Ilford will not fufill

pentaxuser

 

[Gerald C Koch]

If you are willing to mix your own then there are several cold tone paper developer formulas available. Many years ago I used defender 54-D which produced very cold tones. However with the removal of heavy metals like lead and cadmium from paper formulas the new papers are not as responsive to these specialty developers.

 

[MartinP]

As an alternative, would one of the Moersch cold developers be an alternative? They make two developers and one developer-additive -- and they are current products, easily available in Europe.

 

[palec]

I meant the 8/2009 date. According to Simon none was manufactured between at least 2007 and 2013. So obviously the decoded date must be wrong. Could someone please help me with the real manufacture date based on that number?

Hi, as the Ilford batch number resets every 98 months (8+ years) the calculator gives only estimate date with listed other possibilities. If you know that no Cooltone developer has been made between 2007-2013 then the other closest date the calculator gives is 5/2001. As of seller’s claims of freshness of the chemistry, it does not suprise me at all. Having bought a bunch of old-stock expired papers and developers in the past I made the calculator to fight those false claims.

 

[Tom Kershaw]

As an alternative, would one of the Moersch cold developers be an alternative? They make two developers and one developer-additive -- and they are current products, easily available in Europe.

I did extensive tests into cool tone developers 10 years ago and came to the conclusion the Harman product was fundamentally unique, presumably down to the custom manufacturing mentioned by Simon R. Galley. The Moersch SE6 product is not equivalent in my experience.

 

[pentaxuser]

It seems to me that those who valued the uniqueness of Ilford CT developer should write to Pemberstone as I suggested in my last post more than 2 years ago.

It would seem that despite its qualities we were just not buying enough of it to make it viable. I doubt that things have changed but the Ilford CT afficionados need to at least ask the current owners about a review of its viability.

I would not fall into the category of potential buyers to anything like the extent required to make its production viable, if I am honest but I can say that Ilford CT developer combined with Ilford CT paper gave me a real cold look was amazing.

pentaxuser

 

[Tom Kershaw]

I would not fall into the category of potential buyers to anything like the extent required to make its production viable, if I am honest but I can say that Ilford CT developer combined with Ilford CT paper gave me a real cold look was amazing.

pentaxuser

There are so many products on the market that do virtually the same thing it is difficult to imagine how a unique product should suffer such a fate. It isn't exactly like asking Kodak to reintroduce Tech Pan in 8"x10" sheets as a stock item either.