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PPPD
Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2016 1:03 pm
by JB Harlin
Anyone else using PPPD (Pyro Plus Paper Developer) formulated by Donald Miller? I use a modified version that has proven to work very well with Azo. Just curious if anyone else has experimented with this Pyro-based paper developer?
PPPD
Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2016 10:28 pm
by sanchell
You should contact Michael A. Smith and Paula Chamlee,
http://www.michaelandpaula.com. They are perhaps the number one experts when it comes to AZO.
PPPD
Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2016 7:33 am
by JB Harlin
sanchell wrote: You should contact Michael A. Smith and Paula Chamlee,
http://www.michaelandpaula.com. They are perhaps the number one experts when it comes to AZO.
I have used their Amidol formulas and others. Had mixed results. Azo does not do well in some developers. It likes to turn green. Amidol is such a nasty chemical. . . stains everything and it is expensive. Back 8, maybe 10 years ago there was a shortage and we ended up buying half a pound of the Chinese Amidol. Nasty red stuff that was really unusable for us.
I went on a quest to find something better. The original PPPD formula that was published by Donald Miller was something I tested and did not like. Then a friend told me about his version, which replaced the Pyrogallol with Citric Acid and with a little tweaking. . . Bingo! This formula works exceptionally well with Azo and every other paper we have tried. We have used it exclusively ever since and love the way it works. This is a cold tone developer formula, where the original formula was more of a warm tone developer. It does not stain everything in the darkroom, including your clothes. . . lasts all day in an open tray (the original formula did not last long once mixed). . . yields great results with every paper we have tried, even Azo. . . and is not expensive, nor are the chemicals difficult to obtain. This is a two part developer that is mixed in equal parts to use. The two stock solutions have kept in full bottles for well over a year once mixed. My wife prints mostly on Ilford Multigrade FB Warmtone paper and the results with this developer is amazing.
You will find the formula we use here under PAPER DEVELOPER. . .
http://jbhphoto.com/blog/formulas-updated-07142015/