First attempt at reversal processing B&W paper....

[Existing Light]

... was a failure

I tried printing a black and white slide of my (now deceased) golden retriever just a little while ago. It's a slide of her out in the snow.

The print was a test print, made in 5 second intervals

My process:

Develop in Dektol 1:2 for 2 minutes

5 minutes in potassium permanganate bleach

3 minutes in sodium metabisulfite clear bath

Rinse

Re-exposeed about a foot away from a 100watt bare bulb for two minutes on each side of the paper

Redeveloped in dektol for 3 minutes


The print came out black. There was a lighter area where the dog was standing, but the rest of the frame was black (the rest of the frame was snow). The side with the less exposure was lighter, a dark grey, but still same phenomenon

I think this might be solarization from too much exposure during re-exposure. Any ideas?

[Gerald C Koch]

You may have experienced a problem that people new to reversal processing experience. Everything works contrary to normal processing. If the print or slide is too dense then you have to correct this by increasing the exposure. Remember too that if you use an easel the print borders will be black. Most people have to stop and think before each print. Soon it will become second nature.

You can also skip the re-exposure and use a fogging developer to get sepia tones.

[Existing Light]

Thanks for the reply. I've reversal processed black and white film before to project, but I've never printed it before. I did make a few more prints, and i'm getting a negative of my positive when I reveral process my paper. The ony things I can think of are I'm re-exposing too long, causing the positive image to solarize an cause it to become a negative or I'm not exposing enough when printing. Of course, I could be, and most likely am, completely wrong

[tkamiya]

Can't you just scan it and reverse it?

.... runs for cover and ducks behind a boulder

[mrred]

The print came out black because it was not exposed / developed long enough. Going by the development times, it is way too short.

Unlike most pan films, you can develop by inspection (safe light). Keep it going. With Dektol / Film, I need 12 mins - and that's with iso 100. Paper is, about 6?

[Existing Light]

Can't you just scan it and reverse it?

dont have a film scanner

.... runs for cover and ducks behind a boulder

No need to hide from me. If I had a good film scanner (that Imacon whateveritscalled or something similar/better), I'd have no problem with your idea

It's an intelectual thing, too, I guess. I got to wondering how well a black and white slide would look printed. I mean, if color printers can get good prints from color slides with the Ilfochrome process, I see no reason why us black and white folks should be "stuck" with transparencies projected on a screen (not that I'd have a problem with that).

I used the last bit of my sodium bisulfate today, so I gotta get this right tonight or I'll have to wait till I order from Photoformulary again

[Existing Light]

The print came out black because it was not exposed / developed long enough. Going by the development times, it is way too short.

Unlike most pan films, you can develop by inspection (safe light). Keep it going. With Dektol / Film, I need 12 mins - and that's with iso 100. Paper is, about 6?

With film, I need about 12 minutes constant agitation in paper strength Dektol. I had no idea paper required more development than usual as well. I'll give that a try and see what happens. Thanks for the tip

[Roger Cole]

dont have a film scanner




No need to hide from me. If I had a good film scanner (that Imacon whateveritscalled or something similar/better), I'd have no problem with your idea

If you really want to do it in hybrid mode you only need a print scanner. Just make a print on paper and develop normally. Then scan the negative print and invert digitally.

Or to keep it "pure" be sure to use paper without markings on the back and contact print the negative print onto another sheet, exposing through the back.

Better yet do what folks did with color slides before direct positive papers and just make an internegative on black and white film. I'd think it would pick up contrast so you may need to develop it flat and/or print on soft paper but it shouldn't be too hard.

[mrred]

With film, I need about 12 minutes constant agitation in paper strength Dektol. I had no idea paper required more development than usual as well. I'll give that a try and see what happens. Thanks for the tip

The same rules apply. You know when you develop too much when the highlights get blown. Too dark, is not enough.

[Existing Light]

If you really want to do it in hybrid mode you only need a print scanner. Just make a print on paper and develop normally. Then scan the negative print and invert digitally.

Or to keep it "pure" be sure to use paper without markings on the back and contact print the negative print onto another sheet, exposing through the back.

Better yet do what folks did with color slides before direct positive papers and just make an internegative on black and white film. I'd think it would pick up contrast so you may need to develop it flat and/or print on soft paper but it shouldn't be too hard.

I dont think there's going to be a need for a hybrid process or use of a paper negative. I've got a print; however it's probably the worst looking print I've made since my first printing session in my first darkroom class, but I do have a positive print from a black and white slide. It's a bit contrasty, but I expected that; it's a dog in the snow, and the snow was overexposed so much that I lost most of the detail in it except for her shadow.

I used Arista VC paper, so I guess next step is to perfect the exposure and use a contrast filter to get the contrast how I like it. I'm getting tired (mostly from thinking so much ), so I might wait till my next order of chemicals from photoformulary to finish tweaking and perfecting.

Thanks for talking me through this, folks. I needed the apug breaks to learn, clear my mind, and talk this process through with people who actually know what they're doing