Perceptol lives! [And more news from Ilford representative!]

[Andy K]

Thankyou Simon. I see no expiry date on the can's labels, the only other number is 'L81' off to one side on the front label. That could be the year of manufacture I suppose.
I'll have to test some. I don't know how well it was stored over the years, I do know for the last couple of years at least it was in a box inside a case in an attic. So it may give something or it may be useless. Only shooting it will tell!

Andy.

[ajuk]

Will Ilford be at PMA?

[antielectrons]

Just wanted to say that I have been using Perceptol 1+3 lately as per Barry Thorntons suggestions, with FP4+ (EI 50) and Tri-x (EI 200) and standard intermittent agitation. Got some really nice negs to print. Lovely. Long live Perceptol!

[Chazzy]

Just wanted to say that I have been using Perceptol 1+3 lately as per Barry Thorntons suggestions, with FP4+ (EI 50) and Tri-x (EI 200) and standard intermittent agitation. Got some really nice negs to print. Lovely. Long live Perceptol!

I'd be curious to know what times you use for that dilution and at what temperature. I wish I had bought that Thornton book.

[antielectrons]

Hi Chazzy,

For EI 200 I have used the Kodak time of 15 mins at 20ºC, and the massive dev chart time of 16 mins at 20ºC.

Barry recommended 20% less development than normal for EI 200 in his book but did not say what normal was. I cant find any data for Perceptol 1+3 and Tri-X at 400, so I use the Kodak and massive dev times for Tri-X at 200 which I what I presume you would get at anyway by taking EI 400 times and reducing by 20% as this is what most recommended times seem to do.

The basic point that Barry was making was that when diluted Perceptol at 1+3 reduced the sulphite content to below 100 mg/L thereby negating its fine grain effects, leaving just the metol to produce edge effects, etc. It looks good from my exerience.