What does the Phosphate do?

Makes sense ... is there a warm-tone using just phenidone, sort
of a POTA for Paper?

September 21, 2007, from Lloyd Erlick,

It was the only formula I could find with
Glycin as the only developing agent.

I have been using Metol as the sole
developing agent in a print developer for
some time (Ansco 120 formula, with potassium
salts instead of sodium). I've used Glycin in
the past (actually managed to use up a bottle
of it before it spoiled). So when I got the
urge to buy some more Glycin this time, I
thought I should use it alone in a developer
to get a real feel for its action.

I swap the sodium salts in the original
formula for their potassium counterparts.
This yields a noticeably warmer result that I
find very rewarding, as Adams would phrase
it.

It's a relatively low activity developer. I
use a three minute development time. For
about the first forty five seconds there is
close to no density observable. Of course,
it's under dim light, so there probably is
some slight density, but basically for the
first minute the image is barely visible. I
use a lot of black backgrounds in my
portraits, and of course it's the black areas
that appear first. They take roughly a minute
before significant density appears.

Effect on paper speed is hard to say. I've
had a bit of a struggle with some Forte PW-14
Warmtone lately. That paper is definitely
slow (at least double the exposure I give the
same negative on Ilford MGW). I've made no
scientific measurements, but it seems to me
the paper (Ilford MGW) responds very
similarly in my usual 120 Metol and the 102
Glycin formula.

Recently someone remarked that they were
looking for a developer that would yield warm
print results with no need for toner. (This
might have been on the PureSilver list, or
maybe APUG, sure glad all this still exists!)
Anyway, it seems to me there is a bit of
pleasant warm glow of Glycin in the freshly
developed and fixed but not toned print after
development in the Glycin 102 developer. As
I've commented before, my color perception is
not exact (they let me drive cars but not fly
attack helicopters ...), so maybe the prints
are even warmer than I think after
development.

However, the real thing about this developer
is the result of selenium toning on the
print. I know I'm prone to all the usual
psychological effects of color and looking
too much, but I really, really like the
result of ten minutes in KRST that is fairly
concentrated, and maybe even warm, too. Skin
tones have a lovely golden glow, and blonde
hair looks radiant. I wonder if anyone has
made scientific observations of Glycin
results? The lore has it that Glycin gives a
certain 'glow' to print tones, and I have to
admit I think I see that. I'm sure it could
be wishful thinking, but in any case, the
prints are very beautiful.

regards,
--le
________________________________
Lloyd Erlick Portraits, Toronto.
website: www.heylloyd.com
telephone: 416-686-0326
email: portrait@heylloyd.com
________________________________
--