Ilford Galerie Fiber dev'd w/ Ansco 130, Neutol WA, or Dektol, thoughts?

[Corran]

Thanks for the continued responses and techniques.

I was looking at gold toners, out of curiosity, at PF. $137.50 for a 2L kit (Nelson), ouch! I see it lasts for a long time but still...and I am down to my last few milliliters of Pyrocat, Rodinal, and other developers. Anybody want to buy a print??

[interneg]

Thanks for the continued responses and techniques.

I was looking at gold toners, out of curiosity, at PF. $137.50 for a 2L kit (Nelson), ouch! I see it lasts for a long time but still...and I am down to my last few milliliters of Pyrocat, Rodinal, and other developers. Anybody want to buy a print??

Nelson's is quite different from the other more 'normal' gold toners - Paul Strand used it (I think) & it works rather differently & gives quite a useful range of interesting colours from what I've seen. Definitely on the 'to make & try' list - it's also replenishable which is quite attractive.

Wish Galerie gr4 still existed.

Same here, Gr1 Galerie would be nice too sometimes - as much as I like the MG papers, it does offer usefully different characteristics. Anyone want to do a custom order with Ilford?

[Drew Wiley]

Galerie seems to be expensive to make. They seem to use even a different kind of paper and coating. Note the minimal drydown shift. And they seem to sell relatively little of it compared to their VC papers. Last of the premium graded papers on the market, it seems. ... But as far as gold toners are concerned, most formulas and recommendations waste gold like crazy. It doesn't actually take much concentration to do the trick. $75 worth of gold chloride easily lasts me a year, and I'm mostly doing 16X20 and 20X24 prints. It's perfectly effective at considerable dilution. But Nelson's is indeed an odd duck and never appealed to me personally.

[Corran]

The brown/sepia colors ascribed to the Nelson product interested me. Other gold toners mention blue tones or reddish hues which are not something I am looking for at the moment.

[Roger Cole]

Good to know Roger. I have 4 old cans of the stuff, never tried it. I found them this week.

As soon as I can find everything else, as I just moved and I failed to mark 100 boxes properly. LOL, I was in a hurry.

Today I found the big paper safes and paper. While looking for strobes.

For some reason, I packed my strobes without their receivers. Needle in a haystack...

Its long life (as I said, I don't normally stretch it THAT long...) was one thing that really appealed to me since I print infrequently and often not that many prints. But I've come to prefer it for most papers. Tonality is much like Dektol, maybe less of the slight green tinge (though it's supposed to change tone rather than contrast with different dilutions I admit I've never tried that and just use Ilford WT developer for MGWT) but with vastly better tray life and none of that awful blue color on everything in sight I get with Dektol. I have to say this about Dektol - it will prove to you that you are actually splashing or dripping small amounts of developer in places you never would have thought you were. It's not really a stain as it wipes right up, it's just oxidized developer and I suppose a case could be made for that being a good thing since it shows you were you didn't clean it up and need to - but heck, I really like LPD. Have for decades. First tried it in high school circa 1980 or so.

[Merg Ross]

I really like LPD. Have for decades. First tried it in high school circa 1980 or so.

You are in good company. Brett Weston switched to LPD after he stopped using Amidol. Still got beautiful results.

[Doremus Scudder]

... Wish Galerie gr4 still existed. But if you want sheer punch, I stumbled onto an old Brilliant bromide print I never toned, and treated it with gold. Wow!

I use Ilford Galerie paper- digital paper but basically a grade 4 and I have used dectol and the Ilford Multigrade I like them both..

Would the digital paper Bob Carnie uses work for projections enlarging? Bob?

Doremus

[Tin Can]

You are in good company. Brett Weston switched to LPD after he stopped using Amidol. Still got beautiful results.

Mr Ross, you have sold me! I now plan to use LPD on my gifted AZO.

I see B&H sells it in bags of powder and Freestyle as liquid.

Good news. Thank you and Mr Cole.

[Roger Cole]

Mr Ross, you have sold me! I now plan to use LPD on my gifted AZO.

I see B&H sells it in bags of powder and Freestyle as liquid.

Good news. Thank you and Mr Cole.

Note that the powder and the liquid are different concentrations. The liquid is twice as strong as the stock you mix up from powder. It works the same if dilution is adjusted accordingly - follow the instructions on the container. The powder is way less expensive, especially if shipping isn't free since you're paying for shipping the weight of liquid.

I have no experience with Azo, with LPD or otherwise, but it's always worked well for me with the usual enlarging papers.

[Roger Cole]

Actually Freestyle has the powder too. Comes in a can - at least what I've bought always did and that's what they show:

https://www.freestylephoto.biz/12164...loper-1-Gallon

Hm, I see B&H does list the powder in bags, as well as liquid. And they'll ship it - B&H is funny about that.