I think the problem of developer exhaustion is of a similar order of magnitude
in practical terms as it is in the development of silver gelatin prints - you
need to be aware of roughly how many prints you can put through a given volume
before quality suffers. A little replenishment may be possible of course.
Prints made by this process are in any case relatively cheap and making one
which did show signs of developer exhaustion is not a great problem. I never
put enough prints through to find problems, but then I was experimenting with
these processes rather than using them to produce an edition.
Other people can experiment for themselves. I liked being able to use a
single sensitiser for several processes by varying the developer. The formula
I used for most of the time was similar but not identical to that posted (not
sure without looking back a long way through badly organised notes - probably a
simplified version - probably as you suggest without gum.)
I hope you and the others who have asked for copies have all been able to read
them - and will find them interesting or useful to experiment with.
Peter
<< Peter said:
»Carlos - it doesn't work like this. The reaction simply slows a
little as the
»silver ions get used up - there isn't a variation in the prints
produced as
»the reaction is taken more or less to completion. Of course like most
other
»developers you don't use it for ever.
I am sorry Peter, but it does. At least with some developers.
If you are not careful with the silver replenishment of the developer,
you have inconsistent results, jcmjohn@ix.netcom.com (density loss and uneven development).
Again it may not happen as easily with one developer as with another.
Of course you have to replace developers in due time. The question is
not *if* but *when*. And when may not be apparent until you have ruined
a print. >>
Peter Marshall
On Fixing Shadows, Dragonfire and elsewhere:
http://faraday.clas.virginia.edu/~ds8s/
Family Pictures & Gay Pride: http://www.dragonfire.net/~gallery/
and: http://www.speltlib.demon.co.uk/
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