Barite high lustre with fog (blooming?)

freemp · 2010-01-27T17:51:52+00:00

Hallo Fotolaborforum, ich habe am Wochenende meine ersten Gehversuche mit Barytpapier (Ilford MG FB Warmtone) unternommen und bin von dem Endergebnis nicht...

freemp

Hello Photo Lab Forum, I took my first tentative steps with baryta paper (Ilford MG FB Warmtone) at the weekend and I’m not really impressed with the end result. After drying (approx. 15 mins at approx. 60°C) in the toaster (Bächer drying press with Bächer high-gloss film), the prints have a sort of fog in the shadows, which drastically reduces the maximum density. Despite the high-gloss drying, the image looks as if it were matt or semi-matt. Through experimentation, I’ve found that this fog can be removed by very lightly re-moistening the dried surface. But that can’t really be the answer. After a bit of research, I found a few relevant posts describing similar phenomena. They refer to this as ‘blooming’. It’s possible that I’m experiencing the same effect. My question is: has anyone here had similar experiences, or knows what can be done about it? I’d be grateful for any advice.

MirkoBoeddecker

Achieving a high-gloss finish is no easy feat. Without a wetting agent/gloss enhancer, a good roller squeegee and plenty of patience, it rarely works on films on the first attempt. The film must first be spotlessly clean and mirror-like. Rub it down with methylated spirits if necessary. Then the paper must be soaked in a wetting agent. Afterwards, press it with a good roller press and dry it at a temperature higher than 60 degrees. I would start with 75–85 degrees. Wait until the paper is completely dry and peel it off carefully, otherwise it will tear. If it hasn’t worked, try again with more wetting agent, a different temperature, etc. Instead of wetting agent, you can also use a diluted gelatine solution (ADOX photographic gelatine). If necessary, add a little wetting agent to the gelatine solution. Good luck!

freemp

First of all, thanks for the tips. So: High-gloss drying, 2nd attempt: 1. I cleaned the high-gloss film thoroughly with methylated spirits (even though it wasn’t actually dirty at all). 2. I then soaked the paper in Mirasol and pressed it firmly and evenly onto the film. 3. I first dried it at approx. 90°C, then later, using a different paper, I dried it again at approx. 75°C. Beforehand, I set the fabric tension on the drying press to the maximum possible setting. In both cases, the papers came away from the high-gloss film without any problems after drying. Only... unfortunately, the result is still more of a matt image than a glossy one. I must still be doing something fundamentally wrong...

MarcS

Also as a reference to my thread ( http://www.fotolaborforum.eu/index.php?showtopic=2249 ) here are "my" results.... The papers must be at least a few centimetres smaller than the film, otherwise they’ll all stick. The Fomabrom sticks even with a protector, and the Ilford MGFB is also more sensitive to temperature and the cleanliness of the film in my experience. I achieved the best result (a beautiful, clean high gloss) with ADOX Variotone, even without a cover, but unfortunately I don’t think the paper is that great. Approx. 15–20 minutes at 90 degrees The fact is: Anything you can still see on the film after cleaning (held up to the light) will also appear on the print, even the tiniest streaks...... so make sure you polish the film beforehand, polish, polish, polish...... It really is quite a lot of work.... Regards Marc ps...thanks also to Henning for the tips