Terry
Silver gelatine paper - this apparently is news to you - is available in
different contrast grades. or you can even buy Multigrade!
Put your grade 0 filter in your enlarger (or dial in 170 Y) then do a
contact on silver gelatine multigrade paper (or Grade 0 paper if you have
some). Count the steps and come back and eat your words!
Of course if you want more steps than this from silver gelatine there are
ways to get them - for example using a low contrast developer. If you make
your own silver gelatin emulsion you can get even more. We don't normally
bother because it does not lead to any improvement in print quality.
Whatever process you use you need to work back from the step wedge to
determine the negative range required, then work from this and the subject
contrasty to determine the development required to achieve this. I spent a
long time with you doing just this (and I'm sure so did Richard Ingle) but
unfortunately it seems that neither of us managed to convey to you what we
were doing.
Peter Marshall
Pictures on Fixing Shadows: ----------- http://fermi.clas.virginia.edu/~ds8s
Future Press and elsewhere... E-Mail: petermarshall@cix.compulink.co.uk