Easy lith 200 |
What
the instructions say:
The
lith developer comes in two bottles marked A and B. the former has
Hydrochinon and the latter Potassium Carbonate.
A
and B can be diluted from 1+15 to 1+50 or any combination of the two.
For example 1+25 = 40 ml of developer to 1000 ml of water. (20 ml A
+20 ml B +1000 ml of water)
You
should over expose your prints by 1 to 4 stops. The amount of over
exposure and the strength of the developer influences the interaction
between the two, e.g. with a small over exposure you should use a
stronger developer of say 1 to 15 dilution, with a larger over
exposure you should use a weaker developer of say 1 to 50 dilution.
Reaction when you add part A and B together |
If
you are using variable contrast papers (VC) you should use white
light as contrast is controlled by a combination of exposure and
development time.
Short
exposure equals higher contrast, underdeveloped middle tones and
minimal colour.
Long
exposure equals softer and colourful high lights.
It
does not matter what combination of exposure or dilution you use it
can take between four to twelve minutes for the image to appear
whether RC or FB paper is being used. When in the developer it is
recommended that the print is agitated continuously and that the
emulsion side should not come into contact with the surface of the
tray as it will damage it.
The water added in this case was at 26 degrees. as you can see the milkiness disappears |
You
can vary the relationship between part A and B. Different affects
will be achieved by doing this. More part A equals more colour and
harder prints but runs out of steam more quickly. More part B equals
a softer print that appears more quickly relatively speaking and will
produce more prints before it is exhausted.
It
is suggested that by increasing the temperature of the developer to
around 26 to 28 degrees centigrade it will reduce development times
by 30 to 40% but by doing this it will soften the gelatin making it
easier to damage.
The
instructions above are not verbatim as they are translated from
German but contain all the most important bits.
Some
thing’s to think about before you start:
Oxidized lith developer after 24 hours |
Collapsible bottle. |
It
also states that the developer oxidizes quickly when used in a tray
and that you should only mix enough for the session and when finished
throw it all away. I found that if you pour the unused developer into
collapsible bottles it will stay fresh for at least 48 hours. A slot
processor slows the oxidation down but not to the extent that it will
keep over night.