B&W Print - Depth of Tone & Colour

[MurrayMinchin]

After many months of reading, navel gazing, episodic bursts of darkroom activity and experimentation, my quest for a pleasing colour balance and richness of tone for my B&W prints has ended

Everybody has a different answer to this of course, but here's mine;

------------------Ilford Multigrade IV FB glossy paper.

I loved the look of Ansco 120 developer, but wanted the depth, richness, and keeping qualities of Glycin, so I came up with what I call;

--------------------------12/15 Developer

750 ml...............................Hot-ish Water
12 grams............................Metol
36 grams............................Sodium Sulfite (anhydrous)
30 grams............................Sodium Carbonate (anhydrous)
45 ml.................................Potassium Bromide (10% solution)
15 grams............................Glycin
Water to make 1 litre of Stock Solution (S.S.)
Add 15 ml of 2% Benzotriazole per litre of S.S.

12/15 S.S. properly contained will easily last a year.
Dilute 1:3 for Working Solution (W.S.)
Use at 70 to 72 degrees F...warm Glycin is happy Glycin.

----------------------------Developing Time

Because I keep 12/15 W.S. for up to several months...depending how much it gets used...and because I want consistant print results over time I use the Emergence Time (E.T.) of the image in the developer, multiplied by a Development Factor (D.F.) to find development times.

This developer has a slow image E.T. so I use the E.T. of the negatives clear edge multiplied by a D.F. of 4.5 for normal development. An E.T. of 40 seconds multiplied by a D.F. of 4.5 equals a developing time of 3 minutes. When the E.T. gets to about 48 seconds it gets tossed.

Applying a larger D.F. doesn't result in an overall darkening of the image, but has proportionally more effect on the darker print values...a quality which I believe is unique to Glycin.

---------------------------------Stop Bath

30 seconds water stop

--------------------------Fixing - Toning - Washing

60 seconds TF-3 alkaline first fix.
20 seconds water rinse.
60 seconds TF-3 alkaline second fix, then straight into;
KRST 1:10 for about 3 minutes, or before it 'eggplants'.
Water rinse till end of printing session.
Wash for 1 hour.

While nice seen in daylight from a north window, they come alive under a daylight / tungsten mix, or under tungsten light at night. Something happens when the higher print values reflect proportionally more warm light than the cool, deep shadows...and the middle values spring to life. They are nicer than my selenium toned prints made on the original Zone VI Brilliant.

My quest is now at an end, and this post is like driving a sword into the heart of the dragon. Now for the grinding task of reprinting everything!

(OOPS...edit) Diffusion lightsource...Zone VI variable contrast cold light.

Murray

[Ray Heath]

yeh right

does it really make that much difference?

can you actually see, compose and present an interesting image?

[MurrayMinchin]

yeh right

does it really make that much difference?

can you actually see, compose and present an interesting image?

Oh Ray...why so surly? This forum is titled;

"Enlarging
Share your print making knowledge or ask for advice".

To answer your comments...

A) Thanks for agreeing...I think

B) Make your best print in Selectol Soft, make your best print in Ansco 120 and compare...you now have taken the first step.

C) Yup x 3...but not well enough to be close minded to the ways and views of others.

Murray

[Pragmatist]

yeh right

does it really make that much difference?

can you actually see, compose and present an interesting image?

Almost anyone given enough film to shoot will come up with some interesting, and in cases, remarkable images. Some of these will even straight print quite well. Others can find great content in any number of things of the world and record them on film with exceptional clarity; conveying that to the print with adequate range and depth can be challenging. There are those who can do everything well, from concept through master print. I am one of those who inhabit the middle category. I am glad to see that one of the luminaries of the latter group come to comment so charitably on we mere mortals. Thanks Ray.

Murray, thank you for sharing your process. I am about to embark on an Ansco/Formulary 130 adventure. It will be my first outside of Dektol/Selectol for paper. I can see that you have put a lot of thought into this, and that the Glycin is in greater amount. Perhaps this lends to the increased depth of the blacks? Once I get used to the 130, perhaps I will begin tinkering with the formula amounts as well.

[Donald Miller]

Murray,

Thanks for sharing the benefit of your experience.

[PhotoJim]

This sounds like an interesting formula. I happen to have some glycin that I need to use up, so I will give your formula a try.

[MurrayMinchin]

This sounds like an interesting formula. I happen to have some glycin that I need to use up, so I will give your formula a try.

Hi Jim,

A word of warning...a whole lot of nothing happens for the first minute, not much in the second, but things really kick into gear during the last minute.

Murray

[John Simmons]

How about posting an image developed in this creation of yours. I love to see the effects of different developers on print tone. Thanks for posting.

John

[MurrayMinchin]

How about posting an image developed in this creation of yours. I love to see the effects of different developers on print tone. Thanks for posting.

Sorry hand-me-down computer, no printer, and no scanner.

Murray

[Ray Heath]

hey guys, sorry to present as surly and superior, i keep forgetting that in general the posters here care little for considerations of what makes good art/photography/imaging