I am in Phoenix and would like to see the difference between Hypo & Potassium cyanide on my wet plate images. My whites are a bit lame and I was wondering how to improve them. Please don't lecture me about the dangers, I am a grown man and a professional, and not an idiot.
So if there's any way to shoot a few plates and see the difference I'd really appreciate it, for it is a $200 investment and I want to talk myself into or out of the expense. I would also buy a ready mixed liter of that's easier.
I am a long ways from AZ, so I cant help. The difference is subtle, but if you end up buying some you will wonder why you waited so long. Tried developer w/ potassium nitrate yet?
KCN will only very marginally improve your highlights over hypo. All else being equal, the differences are so marginal that it may not be worth the trouble to switch. Of course, all other aspects of one's chemistry and technique need to be spot-on to get the best results.
Actually, hypo will give you more of a "white" than Kcn (and there are ways to improve upon that and get a truer white) as the latter gives more of a creamy color. There are some techniques to get better highlights that almost make switching over a bit pointless. I use Kcn but if I couldn't get it, it wouldn't bother me at all.
Can you send me a scan of some of your plates? Maybe I can make some recommendations that will improve the highlights.
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