I am looking for a more cold tone in some of my prints. I would first like to try to achieve this without getting into tonning. I have read that the Burki and Jenny formula is a candidate. Anybody have any experience with this developer? My questions are, what is the best paper match for this developer? Must be a fiber base, glossy surface VC or graded. Currently using Ilford MGIV, Forte Elegance and Oriental Seagull "G". Open to any other papers.

Also could you recommend a starting point for the amnount of the 1% Benzotriazole solution to use?

I understand that with modern papers the effect will be very subtle. I am just looking for a little past neutral. Any other suggestions to get there or combinations appreciated.

As always, thanks for any and all answers in advance.

-- James Chinn (JChinn2@dellepro.com), April 10, 2002

Answers

James, Try Ilford Cold Tone paper and LPD straight. LPD is a great developer that with dilution you can go from cold tone to warm tone. Using it straight is a nice cold tone. I get the gallon bottle (premixed) but it also comes in powder form. As I recall on the Benzo/a 16x20 tray, a good start is 500ml.

-- Scott Walton (walton@ll.mit.edu), April 10, 2002.

Getting cold tones has typically been problematic with todays predominantly bromide or chlorobromide emulions. Print color is intimately related to grain size. The smaller the grain, the more in the red-yellow part of the spectrum is the color. As grains get larger, the color drifts towards neutral (and if one is lucky and emulsion charateristics allow, one might get a touch of frost). The problem is there really is nowhere to go beyond developing to completion. The effects of most developers on modern papers tends to be subtle. If you're contact printing, try Azo with Burki and Jenny, Defender 55, or an energetic Amidol formula with benzo. You'll easily get nice blue tones (without any kind of toning, just from developer variations). Among enlarging papers, I seemed to be able to get just that side of neutral with Oriental, especially with a little mild selenium toning. If all else fails, the only option might be to go with gold toning. Note that gold toning provides print color in a different way. The gold plates the silver grains and since light has to pass trhough this suspension, it changes the color. Good luck, DJ.

-- N Dhananjay (dhananjay-nayakankuppam@uiowa.edu), April 10, 2002.

I was at a photo store this morning looking at a bottle of Benzotriazol 1%. The bottle said to use 1/2 to 1 ounce per quart of developer.

-- eric williams (gldn@hotmail.com), April 11, 2002.

I'd second the recomendation of Ilford Cooltone. Wonderful stuff. I just use Dektol 1:2, but you might move it a bit in the cooler direction with other developers. Warm tone developers don't affect it much, so I'm not sure if it will go the other way. Personally, I've never seen much effect from Edwal's Liquid Orthozite either, but it's worth a try. IMHO, the paper is the most important choice when you want cold tones. With warm tone, everything matters. BTW, I don't like the term "cold tone". It has a emotional connotation that isn't always warranted.

-- Conrad Hoffman (choffman@rpa.net), April 11, 2002.

I actually never thought there could be a very significant change in image color using various paper developers. LPD at different dilutions does produce a noticable, but not very dramatic color change. Although, it is a very fine developer and one I always keep on hand.

However, recently I've been using AGFA Neutol Plus with Forte Elegance Neutral Tone FB paper. This is a very beautiful paper. It's tone is as neutral as anything I've seen, very similar to Kodak PolyMax Art. But developed in Neutol Plus, it yields the coolest image tone I've ever seen coming directly from a developer. And the combination of Forte Neutral FB paper is stunning. This combo looks somewhat like Ilford Cooltone, but with the richness of FB and with an even deeper coldness. If you want cold tones, short of gold toning, this is it.

-- Ted Kaufman (writercrmp@aol.com), April 12, 2002.

I recently developed some Azo contact paper in Fein's amidol developer, and this is far and away the coldest tone blue-black tone I have ever gotten on any paper, even Brovira.

-- Ed Buffaloe (edb@unblinkingeye.com), April 12, 2002.

Conrad, Scott, I thought Ilford Cooltone only came in RC. Have they manufactured the FB version ?

-- George Papantoniou (papanton@hol.gr), April 12, 2002.

Oops, you may be right. I use RC, but just assumed it was also available in fiber. When you assume...

Conrad

-- Conrad Hoffman (choffman@rpa.net), April 12, 2002.