Out of curiosity, I'm going to try some of this paper but, am leary about using Amidol considering it's toxicity and staining (I use PMK Pyro film developer though, is it any worse than that?).
Has anyone had any luck with anything else?
Oh, I'm hoping to find a non-Metol recommendation. I have to save what's left of my fingers.
thanx!
I'd guess that Amidol is less toxic than Pyro, but it sure stains. It has turned my sink black/brown in just a few applications. You should wear clothes that you will later tie-dye.
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Thanx Eric. If I had a dedicated darkroom, I wouldn't mind so much but...
Amidol stains everything except glossy surfaces.
I didn't find this to be such a big problem, though. My sink is ceramic (read: "very glossy") and doesn't stain, while the plastic trays I'm using are glossy, too. The only stains I have from amidol are a few small splashes on the counter, which has a coarse surface.
I make the developer solution in a glass beaker and use a glass mixing rod. No plastics. Glass doesn't stain.
Now I've discovered a great way of defending against splashes around the developer tray. I don't know how these are called in English - a kind of absorbent blankets, about 60x90cm, which are made of the same stuff as diapers. They're used for covering the table when you change the diaper of a baby. I put such a blanket under the developer and stop bath trays and throw it away at the end of the printing session. No more stains.
Of course, it goes without saying that I always use gloves. I never put my bare hand in an amidol solution.
Lodima works fine with any developer, but it has a tendency of going warm very quickly. You'll need a very energetic developer with little potassium bromide to get neutral tones with it. I've tried it with home-made ID-20, which is a neutral-to-slightly-warm kind of developer, and it gave extremely warm, olive tones. Also, the blacks were not as deep as the ones I got in amidol.
I've read that some people get good results with Lodima in Dektol or Ansco 130, but I haven't tried these myself.
I do not believe Amidol is any more toxic than Pyro. I wear a glove on one hand while developing prints in Amidol. I wear gloves on both hands while tray developing negatives in Pyrocat. I wear a respirator when mixing either Amidol or Pyrocat from the raw chemicals.
When ever I just need to proof a few negatives, I develop my Azo/Lodima in Neutol WA. I've tried Dektol with Azo and did not like the print color. I have NOT tried Lodima with Dektol. Anytime I expect to be making fine prints or have a lot of negatives to proof, I mix up Amidol.
Some folks whose opinion I trust tell me they like the look of Azo/Lodima in Ansco 130. I have not yet tried this combination for myself.
Have fun,
I got print stains with rapid fix and amidol on a wide variety of papers, including Azo. No stains with regular fix.
Bruce Barlow
author of "Finely Focused" and "Exercises in Photographic Composition"
www.brucewbarlow.com
I've used TF-4 and TF-5 (both mixed with distilled water) and only once in 5 years and over 2500 sheets of Azo, have I ever had an issue with a print staining.Originally Posted by Bruce Barlow
My routine is to process my prints in TF-4, wash and dry. Once I've accumulated a big bunch of prints, then I selenium tone. My toning routine is to put the prints in water for 5 minutes, fix in plain hypo, tone, wash and dry. I only tone prints two or three times a year.
We call them "chucks."
http://www.crownmedicalsupplies.com/...ID=59&LangID=0
Yup. That's the stuff.
Excellent for avoiding amidol stains. I also use them when developing film in trays, since drips of developer around the tray seem to be unavoidable when working in total darkness. ABC Pyro doesn't stain like amidol, so it wouldn't be such a great problem anyway, but it's still nice not to have to wash the counter every time.
Less expensive than "chux" are pet pads; intended to be used by your pet to pee on.
Politically, aerodynamically, and fashionably incorrect.
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