What does glycin add to a developer?

Chuck - Depends on the specific paper and exactly how it has been exposed. Otherwise, I routinely dilute 130 1:3 for the daily session, and use approx standard 68 F temp or slightly higher (up to 72F). A particular exposure might hit DMax within 1 min, but it's far more typically 2 min - after that, for a warm paper like MGWT I might extend it up to 4 to 5 minutes or more to enhance its toning or split toning properties. But 2 - 3 min is most common. Depends on the outcome I'm seeking.

Premium quality papers have long had the characteristic of being able to control contrast a considerable amount through dev time only - up to about a full grade back when that terminology truly applied. The best VC papers are no different in that respect, unless you're trying to dramatically decrease their contrast by development alone, which can be quite disappointing.

Milpool said:

I have spent many years printing, and none of this has anything to do with semantics but nice try for the schoolyard win. You might as well have said your father could beat up my father. Incredible.

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As Drew mentioned it's in the look you're after printing....indignant posts such as yours won't make a difference in our choices of developers, papers or anything else. What I have said is your snide insinuations are the stuff of schoolyard bullies.

"More likely it’s unskilled (or skilled) printers regurgitating ancient history from darkroom cookbooks, books of pyro etc."

One valid question might be why Chuck needs 1:1 130 to achieve his target, while I get away with more dilute 1:3? Setting aside the esthetic variable, for the moment, there are at least three objective answers. One might be that we develop our respective negatives for a different contrast target or typical gamma. Another is that, apples to apples, bigger film retains more contrast in print fashion than small film due to less magnification, and maybe or maybe not our habits differ in that respect. Then third, there's the possibility of significant differences in enlarging light sources. I happen to be one of the few who uses a substantial narrow-band tungsten halogen RGB additive colorhead, which makes a distinct difference. Even my 12X12 cold light is a high output V54 blue-green unit, ideal in that category for VC papers (though great with the old graded papers too).

Well, there was at least one example of that in this very thread. For the last time, I don’t care what developer anyone uses. On that note, you win and I’m going back to the darkroom.

GregY said:

As Drew mentioned it's in the look you're after printing....indignant posts such as yours won't make a difference in our choices of developers, papers or anything else. What I have said is your snide insinuations are the stuff of schoolyard bullies.

"More likely it’s unskilled (or skilled) printers regurgitating ancient history from darkroom cookbooks, books of pyro etc."

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Tonight I mixed up some developer using one of the 130 kits minus Glycin. I mixed DuPont Defender 54D formula, and added 5ml of Benzotriazole to make the tone cooler. All I needed extra from the remains of the 130 kit was a bit of metol and sodium carbonate.

The prints look nice, no greenish cast on Ilford Multigrade IV RC like the Multigrade developer can sometimes give. I have not done any comparison to any other developer, but it gives nice clean blacks. It's a good use of the 130 kits where the glycin has gone bad I think.

Here is a quick and dirty flatbed scan of the print. Obviously the tones are much more subtle on the print.