Retrophotographic POP!

[Ole]

I just got my hands on some of the "newest old stuff" from Retrophotographic - their POP paper. I've been playing with this over the last few days, trying different ways of making prints with it.

I used a weak solution of sodium thiosulfate as fixer, and Tetenal Gold Toner.

When toning before fixing, the prints turned warm brown, with slight increase in density. When toning after fixing, however, the tone progresses rapidly through brown and cold brown to blue, giving various splits on the way. The density also increases dramatically on drying.

I'm going to buy more of this stuff

[mobtown_4x5]

Ole-

You would be a good person to ask this question-

I've been wondering what is the difference between POP and regular paper? Is it true that prints on POP only last a few days?

Matt

[cjarvis]

Hey, Baltimore, I'm in Hagerstown. I have a box of 11x14 Centennial POP in my fridge. Wanna try it out?

[Ole]

The difference is that regular paper requires developing; POP does not. It is exposed to strong light in contact with the negative until the shadow areas (light areas on the neg) turn dark. It is then washed of excess silver nitrate.

At this stage the image is a rather peculiar plummy puplish-brown, which is how the entire picture will look after a few days unless it is fixed and/or toned. In the fix it turns more yellowish brown. Toning can be done either before or after the fixing - when POP was common, there were special "toning fixers" to be had.

Gold toning normally gives a colder image, in the case of this specific combination fixing first gives greater effect than toning before the fixer.

I have a POP print in my "collection" which is well over 100 years old and still fine. When I tried htis new paper, I recognized the tone of the prints from my wife's grandparents' wedding photos - they are quite likely to be POP as well, and they've been hanging on the wall in good light since 1929...

A toned POP print will not fade any faster htan a "regular" print. Untoned and unfixed prints won't fade eihter, they'll just go black...

[Deniz]

I am dying to try some POP paper.
I've read You can use regular fix but rapid fixer bleaches the image. Does selenium toner work on the POP paper?

[Ole]

Originally Posted by Deniz

I've read You can use regular fix but rapid fixer bleaches the image. Does selenium toner work on the POP paper?

I only had 10 sheets, and now I've used 5. I've used a 10% sodium thiosulfate solution, since I didn't have any ready-made "regular" fix.

From experience with similar systems (van Dyke and salted paper), I'm quite certain that "rapid" fix (ammonium thiosulfate) will bleach the print. Kodak Rapid Selenium Toner containg ammonum thiosulfate, and bleaches far quicker than it tones.

I'll give Viradon (old) a go on one of my remaining sheets - I'm interested to see how that works. Old Virdon was a combined sulfide and selenium toner, but without thiosulfate or other bleaching components. I just happen to have some left

[gma]

I keep offering information from the previous millenium. I think that is what I know best. When I was young (1950's) the five & dime stores sold packages of cartoon character negatives and a few small pieces of POP. We would expose in bright sunlight under glass (not furnished). It seems like there was a common household product that was used to "fix" the image to a limited degree, but the images lasted only a few days or weeks as I recall. Secondly, I remember that portrait studios made proofs on POP because they were cheap and not long lasting.

[lee]

When I was a young boy I remember bringing home proofs from the school portraits that were purple or eggplant color. These I believe to be POP proofs so that if the parents did not buy the photos or return the proofs they would just disappear.

lee\c

[livemoa]

Back in the old days Kodak, (and others no doubt,) made a paper called, I think, "Studio Proof" which was Printing Out Paper. The photographers of the day used this for proofs to give to their patrons. They of course gave it to patrons unfixed.

Now, here is a thought, develop an inkjet that fades in a few weeks as opposed to a few years....

[mobtown_4x5]

Ole-
thanks for the info-



Cjarvis-
Check your PM