Evaluation: Printing on an Azo-like Emulsion

[donbga]

My estimated cost for 1 kg of the soft emulsion is about $100. It will coat about 90 sheets of 8x10. I'm still costing it out though. It keeps for at least 6 months in the refrigerator, but should not be melted over and over so it should be divided up into working batches of about 100 g. The user will have to add the surfactant and hardener of choice to the final mixture.

That is what I have been able to come up with as a first cut. IDK who would be interested in buying the emulsion though. Its much more fun to make it from scratch.

PE

Perhaps Bud at PF would consider doing some special order kits to allow potential enthusiasts to test the water.

[Jerevan]

Maybe doing a package: a bottle of emulsion with the coating blades, just to get people going with how to coat could be an idea?

[Alex Hawley]

Here's an update to my original post. I had the opportunity to print on a second batch of the hand-coated paper. I got ten good prints, three on Strathmore base and seven on baryta base.

All were made from the same negative, the Cola sign, one that I tested with originally. All of the paper was the soft grade.

The results on this second batch were fully consistent with what I attained with the first batch. I was able to use the exact same exposure and development times. I think this is very significant because it shows a wholly acceptable level of consistency is attainable. Remember, this is home-brew emulsion and hand-coating.

I printed most of the sheets with amidol using the MAS azo formula. As I reported earlier, the development in amidol was very fast. Emergence time is about three seconds, full development by thirty seconds. This takes some getting used to but since I knew what to expect this time, I was able to cope with it and get prints consistent with what I had done before.

The last three sheets were developed in PF 130, 1:1 dilution. The emulsion behaved much better in this developer. Emergence was about seventeen seconds, full development by sixty seconds. Much easier to work with. And, I cannot see any discernible difference between the amidol prints and the PF 130 prints. Maybe someone with sharper eyes could see a difference, but I sure as heck can't.

The bottom line is that this home-brew emulsion and hand-coated paper works and entirely consistent results can be attained from batch to batch. As with everything in photography, there is a learning curve involved with making emulsion and hand-coating. Ron is probably as experienced in doing it as anyone is. But I can tell you, this stuff works.

[juan]

Salivating.
juan

[rmazzullo]

Hello Alex...

Great news, and very encouraging. Fabulous results!

Thanks,

Bob Mazzullo

[highpeak]

Thanks Alex for the report and update. Ron, congrats, you are my idol now

This paper is still not for enlargement though, right? In that case, I will just get myself a bigger camera then.

Best luck,

Alex W.

[Photo Engineer]

Alex;

I have an enlarging paper that is similar to Kodabromide/Brovira as well. It is as fast as Ilford MGIV. I have not given samples but do teach it and show samples at my Workshops.

Sorry we didn't meet when I was in Brooklyn last fall. I stayed in a place near Union and Smith.

PE

[highpeak]

Ron,

I have to attend one of your workshops if I have time. I'm going to be busy for a while.

Alex W.

[David A. Goldfarb]

I just took a look at what I'm guessing is one of Alex's prints using Ron's emulsion on Strathmore from this second batch, and it is STUNNING. Ron and Alex are both to be congratulated on this really fine work. If anyone needs an argument for coating your own, this is it.

Thanks, Alex, for including it in the portfolio!

[Alex Hawley]

Thanks for that very nice compliment David. I placed that print in the portfolio to provide an opportunity for people to see what Ron's home-brew paper can do.