does or has anyone used a developer other than amidol with kodak AZO?

what happened? what did you like or not like? what sort of color tone did you get? contrast? development times?

i always hear about amidol with this paper and wondering what other alternatives others have tried or use.

-- James Luckett (jl@Mollymail.com), October 11, 2001

Answers

Greetings,

I've used Kodak Polymax-T and ethol LPD, both worked well yielding the AZO characteristic blue/black tone. Selenium helped cure the bluish tone and I hear that Amidol would work even better, but I haven't had time to give it a try yet. The contrast of Grade 2 AZO is more like Garde 1 in other papers, but that's what people like about AZO - its long tonal scale. I used it as an enlarging paper with 4x5 negs and a bright light source and got exposure times in the 5 to 9 minute range. I fully intend to play with AZO more using 8x10 negs and contact printing.

Regards,

-- Pete Caluori (pcaluori@hotmail.com), October 12, 2001.

I have used some other developers, including Dektol and Ansco 130, but I wasn't all that impressed with the results. It might have been that my toner was exhausted at the time--I'm not sure, but I didn't try Azo again for a long while. Recently (with all the publicity from MichaelandPaula.Com) I tried the Peckham Amidol formula at 1+1 dilution and I recommend it. It is the cheapest amidol formula I have found and gives beautiful results with Azo. But I'm sure there are other developers that will give good results too--it seems to me that several people have recommended LPD in the past.

-- Ed Buffaloe (edb@unblinkingeye.com), October 12, 2001.

I use Azo and find that Amidol developers look very good with it. Ethol LPD works fine but in my darkroom I mix it up & let it oxidize for at least 24 hours in an open tray before using as it gives me a warmer print this way, not the blue Dektol and some others give. One problem some have is that they creep up on an exposure in small increments rather than making a large time adjustment when exposing, using a lot of time & paper in the hunt for a good exposure. Guess for a starting time & then go more or less, depending on whether the first exposure was too dark or light, and then fine tune from there. Be very aware that Azo is single weight paper and crinkles easily. IF the print is important be sure to make more than one so you don't have to go back after you pick it up wrong & ruin it.

One real advantage of the amidol developers is the reduction potential. I have a few prints that get 10 seconds in the Amidol and 50 seconds in the water bath. Excellent shadow detail, good blacks & the snow covered barn out the window in the image has detail as well. Very long contrast range which water bath development in Amidol works well with. I have tried it in 3 other developers & can't get the same image. If you really are going to work with it plan on shooting & developing your negatives much like you would for platinum or carbon printing. Azo works very well with negs that have more 'beef' to them.

And, Michael and Paula sell Azo in 100 and larger batches. I sell it in 50 sheet boxes in 4x5, 5x8 and 8x10 as well as pre-measured Amidol formulations you mix & use. That is the end of my commercial announcement.

If you do like Azo in amidol, be aware that Amidol works very well with Bergger warm tone papers. A look I can't get with Dektol, Neutol WA or LPD. With Forte (this is just in my darkroom with our hard Utah water) I get better & deeper blacks with Dektol.

-- Dan Smith (shooter@brigham.net), October 12, 2001.