PhilippReichmuth
Hello,
I’ve now had a go at Adox Easy Print Vario Classic PE and Polywarmton PE. I quite like the papers, but unfortunately both curl quite badly in the smaller sizes, with the emulsion facing outwards; otherwise, you could simply pull them over the edge of the table. The paper curls up in the tray, and you either need more chemicals (2 litres for 13x18 in a 24x30 tray) or have to hold the paper down constantly. I get the impression that the paper came from the ‘inside’ of the roll and/or that the black light-protective bag was too big, so that it gets cramped in the pack.
Is this generally the case with Adox papers? Is there any way I can correct the curl? Otherwise, I’d leave it out of future orders, as the paper is lovely, but the processing is a bit of a nuisance.
Philipp
Gast
Hello Philipp,
I’ve had exactly the same experience. The ADOX Warmton paper has a beautiful tone – exactly what I was looking for. But the 24x30 paper has been crammed into the box and (perhaps as a result) is badly warped.
What annoyed me most, though, was the small box. Why can’t they make the box 1 cm bigger in both length and width? The competition manages it, after all. It’s a real faff trying to fit the large bag into the box that’s too small. Perhaps Mirko has a solution for this :-)
Because I certainly don’t want to be without the ADOX Warmton any longer :-)
Regards,
Martin
cfb_de
Hi Philipp,
What kind of enlargement frame do you use? Even with stubborn paper (old Orwo roll baryta, as thick as cardboard), I don’t have any problems with my Versamasks. Paper that curls outwards on the emulsion side goes into the tray upside down; place the pliers in the middle and that’s it.
Best regards,
Franz
PhilippReichmuth
Hi Franz,
My frame (an ancient three-mask steel frame with a hammered finish and all that) isn’t a problem – it stays flat. I haven’t tried it in that frame with a 24x30 or thereabouts yet.
It’s the tray that’s bothering me. It warps with the emulsion side facing outwards. If I place it with the emulsion side facing up, the centre rises, so I have to leave a pair of pliers on the emulsion in the middle, which I don’t really like – the chemicals should be able to reach everywhere. Holding it down at the edge doesn’t work very well, because then the other edge rises, so you need two pairs of pliers, and then it’s difficult to agitate. With the emulsion side down, on the one hand I can’t see the development results, and on the other I also have to place pliers on both edges.
Well, it’s not exactly a huge deal, but it’s just a bit of a faff; whereas with other paper I can just pop it in, give it a bit of a stir and wait whilst keeping my hands free, here I have to hold it down the whole time. Normally I’d just use more chemical, but a 13x18 sheet curls up by three to four centimetres, which makes it look like a paddling pool in my 24x30 trays. If only the tray were a few millimetres bigger for the paper and the bag, that would be a big improvement; then it would probably curl less.
Philipp
cfb_de
Hi Philipp,
Emulsion facing down, two pliers on the edge and you’re good to go. Moving the tray every now and then is enough – just to put your mind at rest; it doesn’t really matter for the development process.
Since paper is, as we all know :-) developed to completion, you don’t need to worry about the progress of the development. Just try it out to see after how many minutes nothing is happening anymore, and then use that time. That way, you’re absolutely on the safe side.
Two tongs aren’t the end of the world. Agitation is rather irrelevant, and besides, certain baryta papers have been warping much more severely for decades. Likewise, without users immediately suffering heart attacks as a result. Agfa Lupex (long since off the market, but I still like to use it for 6x9 high-gloss contact prints) warps easily into a semicircle as a 7x10 paper.
The fact is, a multi-layered system with varying degrees of absorbency is bound to warp a bit. That’s all part of the fun in the darkroom. And if you don’t like it, then just use a different paper (e.g. Ilford MG IV... but please don’t complain afterwards that it doesn’t ‘crackle’).
After all, there are various papers with different properties. Thank goodness. Even though I really regret the discontinuation of the Agfa papers. Never mind, in future (thanks to Mirko!) larger sheets will only be available as baryta. It doesn’t make much more work either. 1)
Mirko, that was a not-so-subtle hint that – if I like the Vario on baryta with the emulsion I’m already familiar with from PE – you’d like that stuff to be available annually as a 30.5cm x 85m roll :-)
Best regards,
Franz
1): It goes into the drum anyway, takes two minutes longer, goes onto the press and is baked dry. Taken out crooked, then soaked again within the next week and dried flat. So what? A PE print hangs annoyingly in front of the fridge on Monday mornings when I want to get my Tupperware lunch boxes out. Annoyance factor: equally high for PE and baryta.
Or alternatively: stick the baryta paper into the frame – one frame, two prints. I can manage four in the evening, then that’s fine. No annoyance in the kitchen; they’re on the bathroom wall and don’t get in the way.
Gast
Agfa papers are being discontinued – what do you mean?
PhilippReichmuth
Hi Franz,
Basically, you’re right – it’s not exactly a game-changer. I pulled an all-nighter again yesterday, used up the rest of the paper, and in the end it’s not such a big deal after all – it’s a lovely paper for standard prints.
It’s just a shame that the box size is rather tight (Mirko, are you listening?), so you’re always having to squeeze it in and the paper gets creased easily. You get the impression the packaging was designed by people who either do the processing of rolls anyway or repackage their paper straight away into paper safes. ;)
I hadn’t heard about the discontinuation of Agfa papers. Agfa-Photo is more or less insolvent, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything; other manufacturers have been insolvent for years and still carry on producing happily.
Philipp
Gast
Hello,
It seems the story about the Agfa documents is true; I’ve read something similar myself, so my question above – the one where I forgot to sign – is now a non-issue.
Roland
cfb_de
Hello Roland,
Exactly. Tomorrow, the employees – still – at Agfaphoto are due to find out which ‘restructuring plan’ will go ahead and whether a Mr Sill has managed to push through his plans.
I initially found the press release interesting, as it denied that any service contracts had been terminated at all. It became particularly interesting after a phone call to the marketing department of this chemical park and the question I asked about their main customers for silver-contaminated/silver-at-risk wastewater.
One of the two parties clearly had no idea what they were talking about. Was that worded carefully enough?
Best regards,
Franz
