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  #1  
Old 30th September 2015, 06:39 PM
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Miha Miha is offline
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Default Your favourite print developer?

I must admit I have no preference here. My go to for the moment is Ilford Multigrade. There is also a 5 L pack of Bromophen waiting on the shelf.

I used to like Bromophen but Ilford is easily to get hold of locally.

Have you found a particular quality in a certain print developer?
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Old 30th September 2015, 07:09 PM
John King John King is offline
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Like you I use Multigrade and recently I discovered, well started using Multigrade 'Warmtone'. At AG it is the same price as standard Multigrade but very creates very subtle changes to the tone of Fineprint Kentmere matching the tone of Ilford Multigrade 4 paper.

In days of old when Kodak made that wonderful chloro-bromide paper called Bromesko, I used to use Kodak D163 for tremendouly deep blacks with detail and graduations right up to plain white paperbase. A superb combination.
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Old 1st October 2015, 04:53 AM
RichardWarom RichardWarom is offline
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I started using Bromophen a couple of years ago and haven't looked back I think it goes well with my favourite papers which are MG IV RC Satin and MG IV RC Warmtone Pearl.
Richard
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Old 1st October 2015, 07:11 AM
Paulographic Paulographic is offline
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I use Bromophen now in preference to Ilford Multigrade. It's fast working at the recommended 1:3 dilution which works well in cold weather too. In warm weather and If I'm in no hurry I dilute it further.
The fast working reminds me of the old Ilfospeed which I used in the past.
Is there a liquid concentrate with these qualities?
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Old 1st October 2015, 07:33 AM
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Miha Miha is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Miha View Post
I must admit I have no preference here. My go to for the moment is Ilford Multigrade. There is also a 5 L pack of Bromophen waiting on the shelf.

I used to like Bromophen but Ilford is easily to get hold of locally.

Have you found a particular quality in a certain print developer?
I should have wrote Eukobrom (from Tetenal) instead.
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Old 1st October 2015, 08:07 AM
Paulographic Paulographic is offline
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I've used Eukobrom only once. It was a dry powder concentrate that I was given with other things by a little photo shop closing down. It's now a liquid. I seem to remember liking it so I may get some on my next Silverprint order.
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Old 1st October 2015, 08:20 AM
Richard Gould Richard Gould is offline
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I used to prefer the Patterson mg print developer, but as that is now gone, I don't have any particular favorite, I am currently using a bottle of Ilford MG developer, which I use at 1/14, and I have a bottle of the Firstcall OB print developer, which is made by the same folk who make the Rollei range,
Richard
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Old 1st October 2015, 09:03 AM
Alan Clark Alan Clark is offline
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I began using Agfa Neutol WA in the 1980s. It worked very well with the old blue label Record Rapid paper. I used it for many years as it was also an excellent developer with with every paper I tried it with.
When Ilford brought out their warmtone developer they said it would give warmer tones on their warmtone fibre paper than Neutol WA. So I tried it and have been using it ever since. I don't think it did give warmer tones, but Ilford Warmtone fibre paper,selenium toned after being developed in Neutol WA , came out too purple for my taste, but prints developed in the Ilford warmtone developer, then selenium toned, came out warmer, which I liked.
But I have noticed with my latest bottle of Ilford Warmtone developer, that selenium toned Ilford warmtone fibre prints come out more purple than they used to. So I wonder if the formula of Ilford Warmtone developer has been changed?

Alan
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Old 1st October 2015, 11:07 AM
Alan Clark Alan Clark is offline
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A few years ago when I was a member of a local camera club, we played host to a well-known lecturer who had a fearsome reputation which had won her the nickname "The Welsh Dragon". After her talk one of the members showed her some of his black and white prints, and asked for an opinion. Now in my opinion, his prints were better than hers, technically and in every other respect. Perhaps she sensed that herself, because all she did was jab a finger at them and say "Your blacks aren't deep enough. Get some PQ developer."
So he did, and his prints didn't improve. Exasperated, he gave me the bottle to try. I gave it a fair test, against Neutol WA, using Multigrade 1V fibre paper. I still have the results, and yes, you've guessed it, the blacks weren't as deep as those done in the WA. The prints also lack a bit of sparkle , that the WA prints have.

This lead me to wonder if someone, somewhere would jab a finger at the Welsh Dragon's prints and say "The blacks aren't deep enough. You should be using Neutol WA." It would take some courage. More than I have!

Alan
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Old 1st October 2015, 01:52 PM
Lostlabours Lostlabours is offline
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I used Neutol WA but switched to Ilford ID-78 which was once available commercially, the results are almost identical to Neutol WA.

These days I make up my ID-78 more concentrated than the published PQ formula and replace the Sodium Carbonate with Potassium Carbonate and Sodium Hydroxide, this is how Ilford Warmtone and Neutol WA liquid are sold in concentrated form.

Neutol WA in powder form as an MQ developer while in Liquid form it's aPQ developer.

Ilford Warmtone paper becomes colder with age that may be the cause of your colour shift Alan.

Ian
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