I've run out of my "stash" of variable contrast papers and need to restock. I'm looking for a very neutral paper that will tone cool purple in selenium and a warm based paper that will stay slightly warm when selenium toned. Please give me your thoughts on current paper/developer combinations. Thanks.
Thanks,
Kirk
at age 73:
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep"
I'm partial to ilford warmtone, it's not the warmest out there compared to foma for example but it has a great look IMO using regular old dektol and krst. For that purple look you might try oriental, it goes quite purple in krst with a longish time in the toner or perhaps the new ilford cool tone paper might fit your criteria but I have no experience with it yet. I think we are spoiled at the moment with a good variety of multigrade options.
As Erik I am also partial to Ilford warmtone, it just have the right amount of warm tone without being completely brown.
The new offerings from Ilford sounds very interesting. The classic MGIV IV has been reformulated to accept toners better and is now called Classic and in addition, a new Cooltone paper is also available from Ilford.
They just became available this last week except for those priviledged to have been testing these new papers.
Any result will of course depend somewhat on the choice of developer and time/concentration of toner. I am not a fan of selenium toner, so can't help you there. Not to say I have not used it from time to time. That said, I have been using the Adox 110 for the past few years and would rank it at the top of my list. The Ilford Warmtone works for some things and certainly should be among your choices.Originally Posted by Kirk Gittings
The new Ilford papers (Cool & Classic) I have just received and will be testing before the year is out. My initial test developer will be phenidone based but will also try my standby choice of many years, the old Ansco glycine developer 130. I plan to tone both papers with selenium for my own education. Check out the Adox paper if you haven't already.
Best to you and yours in the coming year, Kirk.
Merg
Adox MCC 110 for me too.
Oriental paper tones very well in selenium.
Foma Fomabrom Varient - Slightly warm of neutral, bright white base, tones very nicely (Selenium 1+10, 2 minutes), Glossy (surface 111)
Adox 110 - Bright white base, slightly warm of neutral, very nice surface, tones great (same as above)
Oriental VC FB - Neutral to cool tone, bright white base, tones cooler and will be slightly purple, (Selenium 1+10, 3 minutes)
Arista EDU Ultra - Very nice paper, bright white base, slightly warm of neutral, tones quickly to warmer, can go red if to long, Selenium 1+10 - 1-2 miuntes, well priced and on sale, see Foma above
Ilford Warmtone - used to be my primary paper, deep rich blacks and tones very well, slower than some papers, great for some things but a bit too warm for my current taste, expensive
Ilford MGFB IV - well known, neutral, doesn't tone overly easily in Selenium, high quality and a little expensive
Ilford Classic - Like Merg, I just got 100 sheets and will be testing this next week, according to Alan Ross it is a very nice paper that tones well, told me "it is an excellent paper"
I develop either in Clayton P-20 at 1+6 for 2 minutes for a more neutral tone or in Ansco 130 for 2 minutes for a slightly warmer tone one these papers. I have used several thousand sheets of the Foma and Arista papers and like them very much. I have also used a lot of the Adox and enjoy it as well, I find it similar to the Foma / Arista. For my recent work, I went back to Ilford MG FB IV as I wanted a more neutral tone in the sky and clouds and it has worked great, I also am developing it in Dektol 1+2 for 2 minutes, so pretty much a classic approach with that paper.
I am looking forward to testing the Ilford Classic and if it tones in a way I like, I can see using it much more.
Nice breakdown Eric...
With the Oriental product, it will tone a little cooler but not go purple if you dilute 1:31. There is a tonal shift after just 3 minutes or so, but it is suble. If you have an untoned print in a tray of water next to the one you're toning, then you will see the effect clearly. It is a very nice paper. I have to try the Ilford Classic.
I was using and really liked the VC Kentmere, but that is gone now. Luckily, I tried the ADOX MCC110 right before Ilford cancelled the Kentmere paper. I love that paper, and it was going to replace the Kentmere in my arsenal anyway.
The MCC110 has very nice deep rich blacks and depending on the developer the blacks can go warm or neutral/cold. It was nice in Zonal Pro Warmtone, and I love it in AGFA100, which I mix based on the recipe in the Darkroom Cookbook. I tone it in very dilute selenium toner, so I don't know how purple it will go.
The Oriental VC is also very nice, as is the Arista.EDU Ultra. I have examples of all these papers hanging near each other, as well as examples of Ilford MGFB. My favorite is the MCC110. I am interested in trying the new Ilford paper, but mostly out of curiosity. I really like the MCC110. (Have I mentioned that?)
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