william5
I bought a pack of ADOX Easyprint PE Glossy Neutral Tone 24x30 in the shop today. I’d processed the last few sheets from the previous pack yesterday. So I got straight to work with the new pack a little while ago and noticed some significant differences:
- The most obvious difference is the much less glossy surface. It’s more of a semi-matt finish. It looks a bit messy, streaky I’d say.
- The exposure time is significantly longer than before. I do expect some variation when changing the emulsion, but not up to double the time.
- The image development time is also longer
- I can’t seem to achieve a rich maximum black either
- The unexposed white is purer than in the other batch
Here are the exact details from the packaging:
Older material (from a few months ago)
ADOX, VarioClassic, PEG, 50/24x30.5 cm, Em: 510581
New material from today
VarioClassic, PEG, 24x30.5/50, Em: 408038
Has anyone else noticed such differences? Have you changed the manufacturer at FOTOIMPEX? I’d really like to get to grips with this material, but it just isn’t getting any easier :( I don’t want to rule out the possibility that I’m doing something wrong, but I can’t think of anything.
Best regards, Jens
MirkoBoeddecker
Hello William,
Please check your pack again.
The shop only stocks emulsion number 510581.
The 4 EMU is from the spring and has actually been sold out for some time.
I would therefore assume that you bought the 5 EMU yesterday and the 4 EMU is a later version.
The surface should be the same as in the summer – the base paper hasn’t been changed.
However, there are slight differences in exposure time between glossy and matt paper due to surface scattering.
All in all, I’m afraid I can’t make sense of your story at the moment.
None of the effects you’ve described should be as you describe them.
It all points more towards exhausted developer.
Streaks, long exposure time, no DMAX, longer image trail time: these are all indicators of exhausted developer.
I don’t want to pin anything on you here. It just ‘smells’ a lot like that at first glance...
Please do check that out.
Regards,
Mirko
william5
Hi Mirko,
Yes, sorry, I mixed up the details for the old and new materials. This is the correct order:
Here are the exact details from the packaging for each:
Newer material (from a few months ago
)
ADOX, VarioClassic, PEG, 24x30.5/50, Em: 408038
New material from today
VarioClassic, PEG, 50/24x30.5 cm, Em: 510581
I can rule out the developer as the cause with relative certainty. After running two sheets through, I continued working with Polywarmtone. And that behaved as expected. The blacks came through, the exposure times were right, and so were the development times... By the way, when I mentioned streaks, I wasn’t referring to the image tone or the density, but to the surface. It looks like a dull, unpolished pane of glass.
What made me suspicious right from the start was the lack of reflection on the surface. And I noticed that as soon as I unpacked it in the darkroom. At that point, the paper hadn’t seen any chemicals or light yet :)
I’ll prepare a fresh batch of developer tomorrow, just to be on the safe side. Otherwise, I’d be happy to pop round to the shop with the paper.
Best regards, Jens
MirkoBoeddecker
Jens,
I’ll have to take a look at that.
Unfortunately, I don’t know what to do about it at the moment.
Please return the pack to the shop and write your customer number on it.
Best regards,
Mirko
william5
Mirko, I take almost everything back. Sorry. After running the paper through a fresh batch of N120 S at the same time, I got a perfect 1a. But why the developer doesn’t show signs of exhaustion with the Polywarmtone RC remains a complete mystery to me. Is it even possible that the Warmtone doesn’t react as strongly to an exhausted developer, or shouldn’t all papers essentially react in a relatively similar way? Anyway, sorry for the inconvenience.
What remains, however, is the genuinely different, significantly less glossy surface, despite it actually being the same type of paper.
Regards, Jens
MirkoBoeddecker
Jens,
I can’t explain the issue with the PW – unless you’re using Foma, Kodak or Ilford paper.
That’s because it contains residual developer substances and would therefore still work even with depleted developer.
The high gloss, even with PE papers, depends on the drying process.
That’s why, for example, professional developing machines have an infrared drying unit, which produces a better high gloss than, say, hot-air drying.
The calcium content of the wash water also plays a small part, as does whether you’ve used a wetting agent and/or whether you’ve wiped the paper dry.
I’d suggest trying a wetting agent, wiping the paper dry, and using Mum’s hair dye to see if there’s any difference.
Best regards,
Mirko
