Topic: Leon's Trip To Ilford

[Susan B.]

Read all about it...

http://darkroom-tales.filmwasters.com/?p=13

[This-is-damion]

is it just me who cant scroll down on that article???  very strange managed it eventually...somehow, bl*8dy computers......


but   really have to echo leons comments about Ilford being a company that needs supporting, its not often a company or business comes across as 110% passionate about what they do, but when i went onto the Ilford stand atteh Focus on Imaging show in Brum ealrier this year thats excatly what happended, you came away just wanitng to buy the products to make sure they stick around. Its not ofetn a company will go out of thier way to find out excatly what it is they can do for you and work with you, rather than just trying to flog you more stuff.

I was really impressed with them and now try and buy Ilford whenever i can!.

[outofcontxt]

Yeah, I try to give Ilford my business as much as possible, especially with b&w film. I've always been consistently pleased with the results. For my homemade lens contraptions, I use Pan F and FP4. For the toycams, it's HP5 and Delta 3200, tho I'm not beneath using XP2 when I get lazy and and feel like giving my local lab some business... ;-)

[FrankB]

Yay! You wrote one! 

Nice write up, Leon. The things that came over to me from the day was the great and positive attitude of all the staff we met and the willingness of senior directors and staff to give up their time to show us around. It was great to hear that Ilford made a profit last year and in Q1 of this year but, having seen the equipment, resource and skill that is required to turn out high quality / high consistancy B&W products and the committment to quality of everyone we met, those using the products (that's me for one!) really need to step up and support any company committed to their production.

This is not something you can do well in a garden shed!

(I will also confess to a recurring dream about backing a long-wheelbase Transit HiCube into that warehouse one dark night and...!  )

One small correction to that article - the coating machine's drying section was said to be 100m long. The machine's total length was around twice that!

A great day. Ta, Druid! 

[Skorj]

tho I'm not beneath using XP2 when I get lazy and and feel like giving my local lab some business... ;-)

Ha! I've been going through the XP2 like it was Polaroid film lately. More than a few rolls a week. Great for motor-wound fun!

[dave miller]

It seems a long time ago now, but I do still have that goodie bag to open, maybe at the weekend. I've got 50 APUG postcards to print, so may try the Ilford cooltone developer. I wonder if they will mind if I use my stock of AGFA paper before I try the Multigrade that we were given?

Anyway thanks again for organising it Leon.

[FrankB]

I tried the Harman Warmtone dev on MGIV FB recently. I was trying to get a little warmth into the shadow detail of a waterfall shot without having the highlights affected by the cream-coloured base of MGWT.

Result!   

Noticeable warmth in the shadows (although not as much as with MGWT paper), nice clean highlights. Job done!

Haven't tried the Cooltone soup yet, but I have a neg in mind to try it out...