MichaelL
Hello everyone,
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I recently came into possession of a large, unopened pack of Labaphot Multiscal II M 310 PE, and some experimental testing has shown that this paper, which is probably more than 20 years old, should still be perfectly usable. Surprisingly, however, the pack contained neither an instruction leaflet nor any other documentation on how to use it, and I have so far searched the internet in vain for a data sheet.
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I would very much like to learn more about this paper (e.g. recommendations on the use of contrast filters, developers, etc.). If any of the knowledgeable and experienced analogue enthusiasts on this forum are still familiar with this old paper, I would be grateful for any information.
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Oh yes... I should, of course, have introduced myself first: my name is Michael, I live in Copenhagen and have been pursuing analogue photography as a hobby for 40 years.
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Best regards,
Michael
Wolf_XL
... there’s not much to learn here – it’s just your run-of-the-mill SW multi-contrast paper. It might have softened a bit over time. To choose the contrast, just use your usual filters and dip the paper in your standard paper developer. After more than twenty years of storage, you can forget about any specifications in the data sheet anyway... "Trial and error" is the way to go...
jonny
Hello Michael,
Welcome to the forum. In my opinion, Wolf has hit the nail on the head. One might add: there are old baryta papers (dating back to the 1970s) where it’s worth experimenting with leftover stock, simply because there is nothing comparable today in terms of type and quality, and the shelf life of these papers was, in some cases, exceptionally good. On the other hand, I consider spending time and energy on old PE paper, especially multigrade, from 20 or 30 years ago to be a complete waste, because apart from the poor shelf life of PE papers (keyword: stored developer), the quality of the papers available today is simply in a different league to what we had available in the 1980s!
MichaelL
Thank you both very much for the explanations and the good advice.
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I was, of course, prepared for the fact that the old paper was hardly suitable for ‘serious’ purposes. Strangely enough, I had never come across Multiscal paper before, and after my initial, cursory observation that it was obviously still in good condition and produced haze-free prints, I simply became a bit curious. The packet stated, for example, that the paper should not be processed under standard darkroom lighting (Ilford S 902), but only under red light, and that led me to the naive conclusion that special contrast filters might also be necessary. I have, in fact, worked very little with VK papers so far and am really only familiar with traditional baryta papers.
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By the way, I can only agree that it’s well worth working with and experimenting on old baryta papers. I have a lot of different Orwo papers, which can still be used to make very good prints today.
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Thank you for the warm welcome (and please bear with me if I occasionally break the rules of German grammar).
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Best regards, Michael
grommi
Dear Michael, with multi-contrast paper, it is not unusual for only red darkroom lighting to be permitted. If in doubt, a veiling test will help. That’s why I’ve made myself some orange LED lighting. It’s much more pleasant than the red light and doesn’t cause veiling with the papers I’ve used so far. The old dark green doesn’t work, because the gradient is controlled by blue and green light.
