Don't do what I have just done

[John King]

I was happily printing away with colour negs and was on the verge of printing a 12 x 16 masterpiece taken with my Bronica SQ a while back.

I always keep an accurate check on how much paper passes through the colour developer and I realised that I need to replenish the developer with 100cc's of Fuji's finest RA4 developer.

With the developer replenished and the exposure made for the 'masterpiece' dunked into the NOVA and it came out a lovely shade of light sepia! I had replenished the developer slot not with RA4 but with Ilford Multigrade. I keep the developers in 100cc bottles which are usually clearly marked but the MG developer somehow had the wrong label on. My error, no one else's

Who says you are not too experienced to make silly mistakes! ....Doooooh!

Mind you the shade of sepia was actually quite nice and had the appearance of a faded 19th C print.

[Mike O'Pray]

Originally Posted by John King

Mind you the shade of sepia was actually quite nice and had the appearance of a faded 19th C print.

John,you took the very words out of my mouth. If the durability of the modified RA4 developer remains as it would be in a "straight " RA4 you may be onto a winner with a faded sepia look

Mike

[Terry S]

Originally Posted by John King

Who says you are not too experienced to make silly mistakes! ....Doooooh!

Mind you the shade of sepia was actually quite nice and had the appearance of a faded 19th C print.

Well, for me, 1. One is never, repeat never too old to make mistakes, whatever version of them they are. I do them all the time, but rarely put my hand up to admit doing them though...

And 2. It sounds like a print that I at least, would like to see in the galleries - maybe even next to how it should have been printed??? Maybe a new gallery folder needs opening, to show off some of our (intended of course) mistakes.

Terry S

[John King]

Unfortunately the sepia tone was not even. Th MG developer had not fully integrated with the RA4 so I suspect had it done so I would have got nothing.
I am more grieved at wasting a 12x16 sheet of paper

[Terry S]

Originally Posted by John King

Unfortunately the sepia tone was not even. Th MG developer had not fully integrated with the RA4 so I suspect had it done so I would have got nothing.
I am more grieved at wasting a 12x16 sheet of paper

A shame all round John.

Terry S

[John King]

Originally Posted by Terry S

A shame all round John. Terry S

I rinsed out the tank slot and made a new batch. That Fuji RA4 appears to be quite stable because there was only a slight change of colour balance with the new mix, +5 yellow and magenta and....well... not quite the 'masterpiece' I was hoping for, but quite reasonable.