Category: The Positive

Prints and all their jazz

FOMATOL PW: warmtone developer

Posted on Posted in Getting Stuff, labnotes, The Positive2 Comments
FOMATOL PW .. MIXING (2017 directions)

Fomatol PW is my standard warmtone developer. I’ve mixed from scratch, bought magic potions, changed proportions many times of the 50 years in the darkroom. This is the developer that satisfies my need. The disadvantages are availability and storage life; it does not have a long shelf life, even unmixed. As a working developer it is slow acting and exhausts quickly. The tray life is just hours. It outlasts an amidol developer, but it is not Dektol (D-72) my other common black-and-white print developer.

My typical developer is Dektol for proofs and edit prints. After selecting work for finals, I use a two tray method of image tuning. Fomatol PW and Moersch SE20C CATECHOL .

The english instruction sheets seem to be a source of wide ranging opinion about the developer agents, as well as the use of this developer. In going thru past notes, downloaded pdfs and, a few online posts of others, I think the product has changed. This change may be because of environmental regulations throughout the world.

At first, it was: “Specially formulated, glycine-hydroquinone” developer.” More recently, it is: “Specially formulated positive developer.” According to the US retailer Freestyle, it does not contain hydroquinone: no need for special shipping tags.

Mixing Fomatol PW

The only odd part of mixing is in understanding that “Big part” means the heavier bag. Both bags are the same size, but are different weights. Mixing directions are otherwise vary clear and simple to follow.

Using Formatol PW

Early directions gave development times based upon dilutions of 1+1, or 1+3; currently, directions are for undiluted stock. Sometimes I use it at 1+1, and have tested it at 1+3. Diluting this developer increases the times into the ‘lith’ timesphere (7 to 17 minutes) without ever getting a strong black. Using this as a stock developer is expensive, but it is worthwhile for my work.

Stock for 4 to 7 minutes using Fomatone, or Retrobrom Sp papers.

Links:

Foma

Freestyle

if it is glycin based? I don’t think it is anymore (since 2016).

see my post on glycin

//TBD. ansco 130 notes : see this

Labnotes: shaping negatives

If changes to development time (rates) controls density peak and range, then highlight density control is achieved readily; a direct relationship exists between development and highlight densities. While controlling shadow separations is not as simple. Shadows are dependent upon the characteristic of Film-Developer mating. Working the exercise of making parametric curves illustrate these points.

The general formulation of developer: Reducing agent, preservative, accelerator, restrainer, solvent.

Restrainers make controlled development (reduction) possible. They can also alter the (size) color of silver in the print. Potassium Bromide making that “Dektol Green” tint. DuPont BB was often used to produce Blue Black (cold tone) of Brovira, Kodabromide papers. Kodak Anti-Fog No. 1 can be used as replacement, or as addition to potassium bromide. Restrainers (aka, anti-foggants) alter contrast of the image. More AF increases contrast of the print.

Characterizing Paper: Labnotes

Packaged developers can be modified. In the 1970s the following chems were used as addenda to Kodak, Ansco, Ilford print developers:

  • Hydroquinone, 4oz
  • Potassium bromide, 1-4 ounces
  • DuPont BB solution, or Kodak Anti-Fog No.1, also AF No.2
  • Elon (Metol), 1 pound
  • Sodium Sulfite, 5 pounds
  • Sodium Carbonate, 1 pound
  • Borax, 1 pound

1970s papers:

CONTRASTKODAK & GAFAGFA
very low contrast11
2
NORMAL grade23
34
high contrast45
5
very high contrast (bang)6
paper grade Rosetta.. convert to LER, ISO(R)

Paper brands:

  • Kodak Medalist (F1 -4), Kodabromide (F-1-4)
  • Agfa Brovira (111 -1-6)
  • GAF Jet (GL 1-4)
  • Ilford Ilfobrome (IB 0-5)
  • GAF Cykora (GL 1-4 ). an old warmtone friend
  • Agfa Portriga Rapid (111 1-4) the most used warmtone paper during Peak Silver printing age.

Contrast Control by Developer Dilution:

Brovira was processed in Dektol 1:3, this produced softer acting developer as adjustment to the higher contrast of Agfa Normal. Dektol (most paper devs) can be used at range of dilutions, that is, straight (stock) up to 1:4. Paper/developers of the silver age changed print tone, going browner (warmer) with increasing dilution. This was due to change in concentration of Hydroquinone/ Elon (metol) ratio. Ilford papers (2024) are built to resist such alterations. These changes make the paper less affected by developer exhaustion or mishandling in the small volume darkroom..

Pipeline to Prints: Darkroom

Posted on Posted in pipeline, the meta, The Negative, The Positive2 Comments

Don’t Let the Camera Block You

Photographic process pipeline – the way you get from camera to complete, can be simple or complex, of course, one persons complex can be another’s simple. I prefer to use the simplest approach to get somewhere. Sometimes that means letting the physical process of making a picture take me where it will. In such cases, I trust emulsions: film and paper.

labNotesFlow.001.png
making a photograph

Simple Approach

Reduce the number of technical choices by using one camera, one film, one developer. This is always a wise way of working. Most early practitioners don’t take this path, instead they believe that the picture they are after but aren’t getting is because they don’t have the right camera, or chemistry. They give up by adding things rather than ideas or pictures to their studio.

The simple approach means the direct approach – getting to a picture with the fewest side matters. Don’t let the Tech Blindfold you.

My approach is given in the above schematic. It depicts the camera steps – getting the negative; and the printing steps.

By way of specifying what I use for emulsion photography:

labNotesFil.001
my film + developer choices [2012]

Choices in film have dwindled over my time. So has developer ranges. This doesn’t mean that we have less quality available now than when I began. In fact two of my current developers, D-76 & Rodinal were in my cupboards decades ago. When young, I stumbled about trying to achieve unknown what by switching film + chemical combinations. That was time wasted, unless learning that it was a waste of time searching for pictures in the darkroom.

The new developer, DDX, is from Ilford/Harman, and it isn’t really new. I use it with Ilford films, SFX and Delta 3200 because it provides clean grain and short developing time with very good shadow detail. (makes it seem full ‘box speed’) In the chart I have listed the films in ascending EI, as I use them – acros (100)  > SFX (200) > Tri-X (400), Delta 3200 (800).

None of these films are color, although I use acros and tri-x as 2 color separation negative films.

These combinations give me a full choice of grain: grain as transformer or as transferer. Is it there, or isn’t it. Acros in D-76 at 1+1 provides me a negative with grain so fine it is difficult to see using a Peak magnifier (Koana system.)

I shoot, soup, sleeve, then store the negatives. My negatives are stored in clear sleeves and put into binders or boxes depending upon size of film. I make contact prints of all negatives. These contact prints (index) are what I use for first pass selection of what pictures I will use.

next: prints
continued…