Light for contact printing

[jasonhall]

THANKS to ALL,

Leave it to me to make things harder than they need to be. Ok, so simple light buld, dimmer, and a switch. I bet I have all of that hanging around the house, well, maybe not the frame. I will certainly be on the look out for some used gear Guillaume....when my personal economy recovers.

Now the hard part, learning about papers. Mostly hard because I can not just buy a bunch and play around with it. I think I should check with the one and only truely film store around to see if they have some old stock they would like to get rid of....cheap. Oddly enough, they are the only film store around, but they have only been open for a little over a year. Started by a couple of college students who wanted to keep film alive in the area.

Jason

[CBG]

... the one and only truely film store around to see if they have some old stock they would like to get rid of....cheap. Oddly enough, they are the only film store around, but they have only been open for a little over a year. Started by a couple of college students who wanted to keep film alive in the area ...

Any chance you could offer up the name of the analog based photo store? Do they have a web site? I suspect there might be a couple of folks on this forum interested in supporting such an enterprise.

And, on the subject of which papers to start with, just start with one. Maybe something very mainstream like an Ilford paper.

[jgjbowen]

Michael, don't start that all again.... ;-) Many reasons to use enlarging paper for contact printing. Variable Contrast for a start. Very easy to use Multi Grade filters on an enlarger source or light bulb in fitting to take advantage of MG papers. Lith for another. Don't know if you paper Liths. Now there's an experiment to try. Anyone know any reason why it shouldn't Lith?

Keeds,

We silver chloride paper users vary the contrast with a water bath. No advantage to MG papers there.....unless you need a grade 5!

Silver chloride papers have a very long shelf life.....advantage silver chloride

The OP is using a 6x7 negative, so a 100 sheet box will do for what, something like 1000 prints. Today's MG papers will likely go bad before they are used up. Just something to consider.

I've never tried lith, so I can't answer your question there.

Best,

[Photo Engineer]

Many MG papers out there are chlorides and keep well!

PE

[jgjbowen]

PE,

I don't want to come across as a wise ass, but can you name 3 such papers for me. I did a google search for "chloride photo enlarging paper" and came up with nada in terms of stuff I could actually purchase. I have a box of 5x7 Polymax II RC in my darkroom dated 5/06 that was badly fogged in early '08. The Polymax Fine Art purchased about the same time was still useable last I attempted (about a year ago).

Thanks!

[Photo Engineer]

Well, John, to start with I suspect that Ilford MGIV is almost a pure chloride, but the Kentmere near equivalent was a Bromide. Kodak's now extinct Polycontrast IV was almost a pure chloride and of course the famous Kodak Endura color and Fuji CA II papers are almost pure chloride in all 3 layers.

I say almost pure in the sense that they use epitaxy in some cases with Iodide to gain speed. I stay away from sulfur or sulfur + gold or tellurium sensitization of these to gain speed due to difficulties, but if I did, I could gain about 3 - 5 stops with my good old Azo type contact paper formula! Some of them even have a small quantity of bromide. In some cases, the other halides are there due to addenda such as Methy Mercuric Iodide (not that that is used, but that is a useful example. )

Of course, the grains are huge being 1 - 2 microns across to gain the speed needed even with those finishes. But, who cares about grain in paper?

Now, do you really think that you would find that on the internet?

PE

[Photo Engineer]

Oh, that was 4 papers. Sorry.

PE

[Peter Schrager]

non developer incorporated papers keep just fine in a deep freezer...I have a stash of many such as oriental; forte;older kodabromide and I believe the emaks is likely the same...for contact printing starting off with a graded 2 or 3 paper will fit the bill...or of course the mas azo type paper...don't forget to put the light in some sort of cone enclosure to have the light more directional..
I think it about time we start a thread of currrent non-developer incorporated papers...this would be very useful and well worth the time and money spent on these products!!
best, peter

[jasonhall]

Any chance you could offer up the name of the analog based photo store? Do they have a web site? I suspect there might be a couple of folks on this forum interested in supporting such an enterprise.

By all means, should have done that to start with.

The F Stop
936 Harden St.
Columbia, SC
(803)771-2732
E-mail: info@fstopcamerashop.com
Web: www.fstopcamerashop.com

[jgjbowen]

Well, John, to start with I suspect that Ilford MGIV is almost a pure chloride, but the Kentmere near equivalent was a Bromide. Kodak's now extinct Polycontrast IV was almost a pure chloride and of course the famous Kodak Endura color and Fuji CA II papers are almost pure chloride in all 3 layers.

I say almost pure in the sense that they use epitaxy in some cases with Iodide to gain speed. I stay away from sulfur or sulfur + gold or tellurium sensitization of these to gain speed due to difficulties, but if I did, I could gain about 3 - 5 stops with my good old Azo type contact paper formula! Some of them even have a small quantity of bromide. In some cases, the other halides are there due to addenda such as Methy Mercuric Iodide (not that that is used, but that is a useful example. )

Of course, the grains are huge being 1 - 2 microns across to gain the speed needed even with those finishes. But, who cares about grain in paper?

Now, do you really think that you would find that on the internet?

PE

Thanks PE,

95% of my darkroom photography is contact printing 8x10 or 7x17 on Azo. But, occasionally I'll shoot candid portraits of my friends kids with 35mm. On those occasions it would be nice to have a box of MG paper around to use for such prints without having to worry the paper will go bad prior to going through 1/4 box.

I guess I'll have to put a box of MGIV on my shelf.

Thanks again,