Dupont R-surface?

[Paul Howell]

From the Wards 1954 Photographic Catalog
Velour
DL Velvet White
Y White Silk
B Semi Matte
T Glossy White

Varigam
R Clossy White single weight
A White Semi Matte Single weight
Y Cream White Double Weight
DL Velvet Grain White Luster double weight

25 sheets 8X10 R cost $1.90, in 2007 dollars about ?

25 sheets of Kodabromide 8X10 cost $1.99.

Any one use Halobome?

[Charles Webb]

Hmmm Paul, nice listing, however Dupont Velour Black R2, R3 etc. was not Varigam. Varigam was a variable contrast paper that used filters exactly like Polycontrast from Kodak. The numbers R2, R3 etc. indicate that it is a fixed contrast paper.


Charlie................................

[Paul Howell]

Hmmm Paul, nice listing, however Dupont Velour Black R2, R3 etc. was not Varigam. Varigam was a variable contrast paper that used filters exactly like Polycontrast from Kodak. The numbers R2, R3 etc. indicate that it is a fixed contrast paper.


Charlie................................

From 1954, the numbers and letters may have changed over the years, you are right Velour was a fixed grade paper the catalog states that you needed to order by contast grade, Wards sold grade 2 and 3.

Varigram is listed as variable contast paper the filters were listed at $4.75.

Velour glossy was T, Varigram glossy was R. I have no idea why DuPont did not use the same catalog system like Kodak did, F was glossy across textures.

[Paul Howell]

[

25 sheets 8X10 R cost $1.90, in 2007 dollars about ?

$14.76 in 2007, Wards listed a Contax for $440 or $3879.80 in 2007 dollars.

[maxbloom]

Dupont R-2 is a glossy surface and usually single weight.
In my opinion it is the finest glossy paper ever made. I have not in the past 50 years found anything even close enough to compare it with. This opinion is based on the use of many thousands of sheets of it. I sure do miss it! I used Dektol 1part to 2 parts water 68 degrees. Indicator Stop bath and Kodak fixer diluted 1 to 2.

Charlie...................................

Thanks so much for this. I'll be sure to post results if it isn't fogged to hell.

[Paul Howell]

I forgot to mention that if you are printing on Varigram, Dupont's contrast filters are somewhat differnt from modern filters, the grade 9 and 10 for grade 4 are almost blue and very dense. I dont know how modern filters will work with Varigram. I have a set of Dupont filters, only just retired, that work fine on modern paper in the lower grades but #9 and 10 are useless.

[Charles Webb]

Paul,
I am afraid I still disagree with the Wards catalog. The Dupont Velour Black paper came in a red/orange box first, then later the color was changed to green. Each box carried a black and white label clearly marked with
R2 or R3. A "T" was never part of the label of the thousands of boxes of D V B I purchased over a 30+ year period.

I am sure I have prints stored in many of those old boxes, I'll try to locate one and post a pic. Dupont did not have nearly as good quality control as Kodak one emulsion number at times did not exactly match another.
To circumvent any variation I purchased a 5 thousand sheets at a time all with the same emulsion numbers. The color and tone never varied, but the speed did from batch to batch. If my dealer could not supply the total amount I needed, I was at times forced to buy less untill another run was available. I never even tried the Varigam papers mostly because I never needed a veriable contrast paper, The same with Polycontrast.


Charlie......................................

[Jim Noel]

I guess at 78 I am a geezer. I loved Velour Black. As I remember, "R" designated a glossy surface and I spent a lot of time keeping my chrome plates clean so the paper would gloss smoothly without spots.
I still like DuPont papers and have a nearly full box of 500 sheets of Varigam which requires only minute amounts of benzotriazole to purify the whites. I often use it when I have negative with blown out highlights because the paper is essentially pre-flashed.
Jim

[maxbloom]

Paul,
I am afraid I still disagree with the Wards catalog. The Dupont Velour Black paper came in a red/orange box first, then later the color was changed to green. Each box carried a black and white label clearly marked with
R2 or R3. A "T" was never part of the label of the thousands of boxes of D V B I purchased over a 30+ year period.

It appears that Paul is correct. See here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...TODAY.m238.lVI

[Charles Webb]

Maxbloom,
The proof is in the photograph it did exist. In more than 30 years using thousands of sheets of DVB I never saw a blue package used for continous tone photographs. But then again, there are lots of things I haven't seen.
I will send you a photograph of the old boxes I have as soon as I can get pic's of them. Don't have one of them electronic cameras so will have to do it the old fashoned way. What I can guarantee is the Dupont Velour Black that I used was not varigam and most deffinitely was R not T. When you open the package you have be sure to let us know what surface it is. Have fun! BTW, one of the main reasons I used and loved the R surface was due to the wonderful gloss finish you could achieve when Ferotyping them.

Charlie..................................