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View Full Version : Ilford Multigrade and PQ Devs.


StuartR
20th October 2012, 12:19 PM
I am at present using Ilford Multigrade dev. for processing RC multigrade paper. Unfortunately I usually end up throwing half of it away as it seems to be only available now in 1L bottles and my usage is small and inconsistent. Has anybody used PQ, and would it be much the same? At present it comes in 500cc, which would be much better for me. Unfortunately there seems to be a trait now with manufacturers dropping the smaller quantity lines. Perhaps reflecting the reduced demand.
Thanks.
Stuart.

Tony Marlow
20th October 2012, 12:26 PM
I am now using PQ instead of Multigrade and find it at least equal to MG or perhaps better. It is thought that it gives cleaner whites and I wouldn't argue with this.

Tony

sbandone
20th October 2012, 02:15 PM
I have recently used PQ and RC MG Ilford paper - my PQ is a 5 litre pack 4 years old and is fine!
The results are are IMO better than Multigrade developer - it takes 2mins at 20C to develop which is a minute longer - it is a good developer for FB paper

Why not split a new pack into several full bottles first ensuring they are absolutely clean and have good airtight seals - I prefer to use brown bottles and then use Tetenal Protectan spray in the top of the bottle as you use up the concentrate it will last a while if you do this

Good Luck

Mike O'Pray
20th October 2012, 03:44 PM
The alternative to sbandone's suggestion is to decant it into cleaned out winebags. You can even get 2.25L boxes these days from Sainsburys instead of the 3L boxes and I think IL boxes from Asda but at this quantity the boxes are a little flimsy.

It isn't difficult to do. Just be a little careful when levering off the end of the dispenser tap. Patience is the key word. Once filled just press down on the bag until the liquid flows to the top then press the dispenser back in and replace bag in the box

I have been doing this for a couple of years now with great success. As the concentrate is dispensed the bag collapses as no air can re-enter. I have had it last for better than a year this way

In terms of PQ being better I have no knowledge but certainly some who have tried both believe so as you can see. I even met someone on the last Ilford tour who was so enamoured with PQ than he called himself that and was full of praise for it.

I think it gives a slightly warmer look to the prints from what I have heard and if anything is slightly cheaper to buy.

Mike

StuartR
20th October 2012, 03:57 PM
Thanks for the replies. PQ sounds good; I will order some in the week and give it a try. I do use a 'Dust Off' type product to to displace air in the bottles. These are usually Butane or Propane based; sometimes a mixture, and are effective up to a point. I must say that I tend to throw the dev. away as soon as it starts to brown, perhaps a little prematurely. Perhaps I should just do more printing!

Adrian Twiss
20th October 2012, 04:34 PM
Another feature of PQ developer is that when diluted at 1:4 rather than the usual 1:9 it behaves exactly the same as the now discontinued Ilford IFF high contrast paper developer. I got this from an Ilford technician.

Richard Gould
20th October 2012, 05:39 PM
Stuart, with print developers I use them very brown, it doesn't seem to make any difference to the results, I just use the bottle up, the only execption to this rule I have found is Fotospeed warm tone developer, which does seem to lose it's potency as it turns brown, but with standard MG type I never worry
Richard

vincent
20th October 2012, 09:29 PM
Stuart, with print developers I use them very brown, it doesn't seem to make any difference to the results, I just use the bottle up, the only execption to this rule I have found is Fotospeed warm tone developer, which does seem to lose it's potency as it turns brown, but with standard MG type I never worry
Richard

I used very dark brown MG Dev. last week and was very disappointed with the results. They looked very flat and lacking in contrast, when I dumped the developer and make fresh dev. from another bottle the results were totally improved. From now on when the dev. goes dark brown I'll dump it.

Richard Gould
21st October 2012, 06:45 AM
I used very dark brown MG Dev. last week and was very disappointed with the results. They looked very flat and lacking in contrast, when I dumped the developer and make fresh dev. from another bottle the results were totally improved. From now on when the dev. goes dark brown I'll dump it.

I wonder if they have changed the MG developer, I haven't used it for a few years now, but it used to be fine, These days I tend to use either Fotospeed WT10 which does go off when it starts to go brown, or the Patterson Acugrade, which I find keeps the best of all,
Richard

Lostlabours
21st October 2012, 07:08 AM
The Ilford PQ liquid developers chnaged from using Phenidone to Dimezone a few years ago although this makes little differance.

Multigrade developer was introduced to overcome very slight colour changes to the tones with Ilford Multigrade papers at differnt contrast grades. In practice I preferred PQ Universal but then we also used it for more specialist applications as well for some negative processing.

Ian