Processing baryta paper in the university laboratory...

kindgottes92 · 2013-07-09T22:49:58+00:00

Hallo erstmal, da ich schon immer von den alten Barytabzügen in den Familienalben fasziniert war und diesen zeitlosen Look einfach liebe, würde ich das gern...

kindgottes92

Hello there, As I’ve always been fascinated by the old baryta prints in family albums and simply love that timeless look, I’d like to have a go at it myself. I’ve already gained a fair bit of experience with PE paper and developed a bit of a routine. I’ve also had good support from our lab engineer at university. However, he isn’t familiar with baryta and actually advised me against it, saying it’s too complicated. Nevertheless, I’d still like to give it a go ;) As I don’t have my own darkroom and have to rely on the university’s existing equipment, I’m still a bit unsure about the methods. As far as I understand, the workflow up to the fixing stage is the same, though the processing times may differ. (?) As there are discussions in various forums about rinsing methods, I’m a bit unsure: is a standard rinsing tray, which I connect to the tap and then leave the print in (for how long?), sufficient? Or does it need to be more thorough, e.g. rinsing it under the tap first, etc.? Then regarding drying: The darkroom is very well equipped for PE; we’ve even recently acquired a continuous-feed dryer. I think it’s by Ilford. It looks a bit like a laminator and dries the prints using heat. A PE print comes out quite warped at first, but flattens out as it cools on the table. Does anyone know whether this dryer is suitable for baryta? Will that curl up too, or is that down to the plastic coating on the PE paper? Or do I need to press the prints afterwards to make them flat? Or is this machine completely unsuitable for that? If so, I’d have to resort to air-drying, which isn’t really an option as I don’t have the space, and others want to use the darkroom too. As my budget is very limited, I’d be very grateful for your help before I take the plunge and order some paper. ? Regards, Chris ? P.S.: Are the differences between expensive and cheap baryta paper very significant? With PE, I wasn’t really any less satisfied with the cheaper Foma than with the Ilford.

piu58

> Not recommended, because it’s too complicated. ? It’s not complicated, just time-consuming. - It needs to be soaked for a long time. - Drying large formats without them warping is a science in itself. ? On drying: I’ve tried everything: a dry press (only suitable for small formats), wet adhesive tape (leaves huge tensions in the paper that are just waiting to ‘release’) and a drying book http://www.fotoimpex.de/shop/fotolabor/delta-1-trockenbuch-19x24-inch-ca-50x60cm.html?. The latter works well, but the images must be pre-dried and should only be placed inside whilst still very slightly damp. Between two Duka sessions, the drying book must be given time to dry out itself. Replace drying books every few years, as fixing residues build up.

TR

I always mount my baryta prints using wet adhesive tape. This ensures the photographic paper lies flat, just as it came out of the box. On the subject of affordable photographic paper: Foma baryta paper is a very good choice. So far, I’ve only compared it with older Ilford paper, and in that case I actually preferred the Foma slightly more. € On rinsing: the paper must not be left ‘motionless’ in standing water. The water should be changed gradually and the paper should always be moving slightly. I would rinse for about 45 minutes. If you want to build your own tray for this, make sure that the fresh water flows in at the top and the drain is at the very bottom. The chemicals collect at the bottom. The soaking time can be shortened by using a “soaking accelerator bath” after a short soaking period of about 10 minutes. In the simplest case, this consists of a soda solution (a small heap in the palm of your hand to 1 litre) and the print is soaked in this for about 3 minutes. Afterwards, it goes back into the washing, which will now work more quickly. Shorter rinsing times can also be achieved by preventing the fixer from penetrating too deeply into the paper fold beforehand, using two more concentrated fixers with a very short fixing time, as described here: http://www.fotografie-in-schwarz-weiss.de/sw-fotografie/kolumne/100-wollstein02.html We have plenty of free water at uni. My baryta prints are happy to float around in the tub for up to five hours. € You could also pre-rinse the prints at uni and then rinse and dry them at home. But it’s certainly advisable to use the free water at uni for this. You could also let your baryta prints dry partially there first, then soak them again at home and dry them properly on a glass pane using wet adhesive tape, for example. Here’s a very good link on this, in case you don’t already know it: http://www.fotografische.de/fotolabor/baryt-trocknen € Incidentally, the PE drying machine in your lab won’t be suitable for baryta paper, as it’s much thicker. It contains far more moisture than PE paper. Furthermore, less moisture will penetrate the PE paper itself, as it is, so to speak, ‘sealed’. There is (or rather: was) also paper-weight, very thin baryta paper, which was much easier to dry. But I assume you mean ‘proper’, card-weight baryta paper. € Best regards, Thomas

kindgottes92

Thanks for the quick replies; wetting won’t be a problem – we have various wetting trays for all sizes at the university, where water is poured in at one end and runs out at the other. For large formats, even the sink has a built-in flow-through system. I think I’ll give Fomabrom a go. As no weight is specified, I’m guessing it’s 180 g/m² like the other Foma papers (?) or at least a medium-weight cardstock. As for drying, I’ve now had the idea of giving the continuous dryer a go, even if only for rough pre-drying on a low setting, provided it can cope with the thickness of the paper, and then trying to press the damp prints somehow. I’m very excited; as I prefer larger formats (24x30), this is likely to be quite an experiment, but you’ve got to treat yourself sometimes...

Morte

It’s not really all that ‘experimental’. But I can still clearly remember my early days with baryta paper. The extra time isn’t just down to the rinsing, but also to the longer processes (3 minutes’ development instead of 90 seconds, etc.). With baryta, I find it takes about 7 minutes per image, measured after exposure, of course. If you do this with every test strip and need several prints to achieve the desired result, it can really be a test of patience. You really have to take your time with it. If you have deadlines or need/want to get results quickly, PE is the less nerve-wracking option. If you can take the time, baryta is a wonderful experience – not least when it comes to the prints. All in all, I’d say: PE is no different from baryta, just faster. Don’t let lazy/clueless/new-tech-addicted engineers put you off – you’d be missing out on a fantastic experience that enhances your quality of life! Last but not least: I can highly recommend Fomabrom. Both for the price, but also and above all for the look. I now actually prefer it to ADOX MCC – please forgive me here in the forum. It air-dries well, and for flatness, simply mounting it on glass plates works a treat. I was a bit wary of the tension at first – but now, with 24x30, I only tape down about 5–6 mm to make the most of the paper. I’ve never had any problems.

piu58

>Leave only about 5–6 mm on the 24x30 to make the most of the paper. I’ve never had any problems. ? ? 24x30 is no problem. From 30x40 upwards, the tension in the adhesive paper becomes so great that it often tears. Then you have to start all over again: wet it down, stick it back on and hope for the best.

effzwonull

The problem of tearing can usually be avoided by allowing the paper to dry a little after peeling it off before sticking it down.

TR

I’ve never had any trouble with 30x40 prints (using Fomabrom and my adhesive tape). It’s always worked out fine. Occasionally, the adhesive paper does tear – but by that point the paper is almost dry, and this tearing actually makes it easier to peel it off the backing. I’ve also managed to dry 40x50 paper successfully without any problems – it really is as flat as if it had never seen water.

Morte

Perhaps it’s down to the adhesive tape. There are certainly different types. Just like with paper tissues. But have problems ever stopped us from taking photos …?