Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/08/11
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]D Khong wrote: > > > > >Dan, it is time you tested your safelights! > > > >Regards, > > > >Robert > > > > > > The white borders remain pure white, so I should not be blaming the > safelight. Only the hightlights in the picture starts to get a wee bit > greyish. I suspect that even RC paper can get overdeveloped. > > Mark's suggestion about the additional Bromide restrainer might be the > antidote if I want to develop up to 2 minutes. From the various posts, 2 > minutes seem to be the optimum development time for cooler climates with > water temperatures of 20 degC. On the other hand I have just added a > metronome to my darkroom arsenal and I can now stop print development at 60 > seconds using my ambient room temperature of 27 degC. > > Dan K. The white borders will remain pure white even if your safelights are very unsafe. Yes!!!!!! I might have it!!!! Your darkroom is 27c/80f degrees!! Time to switch to Dektol!! Dektol loves those kinds of temperatures. Phenidone based developers like you are using don't. They Fog. Bromide won't help defog them as much as Benzotriazole but if you are printing at 27c/80f degrees you should be using a M/Q developer: Metal Hydroquinone like plain vanilla Dektol. Responsible for most I'm sure of the great prints made in the second half of this century! Your chemical fogging days will be over. This reminds me of that old "Gus" column in Popular Science or do I flatter myself? Mark :-) Rabiner