Fomatone no longer litho-compatible in future

michael-kielgmxnet · 2012-07-06T12:16:53+00:00

Hallo zusammen, auf der Internet-Präsenz von Herrn Moersch habe ich heute eine Mitteilung gelesen, dass die aktuelle Charge des Fomatone MG nur noch bedingt...

michael-kielgmxnet

Hello everyone, I read a notice on Mr Moersch’s website today stating that the current batch of Fomatone MG is only partially suitable for lith printing. Does anyone know any more about this? I hope Foma hasn’t quietly changed the emulsion, meaning that one of the finest lith printing papers has disappeared from the market. Best regards, Michael

SxDx

I can neither confirm nor deny that at the moment. I’m still using Batch 03 at the moment, which, according to Moersch, is still fine. My next packs will be Batch 06, so it might be the case, or it might not.

MirkoBoeddecker

...that Foma has quietly and secretly changed the emulsion...

Just a side note on that. We (the manufacturers) constantly have to change things ‘quietly and secretly’. But rest assured, we don’t do it on purpose :-) Because whether it’s done ‘loudly and openly’ or ‘quietly and secretly’, any ‘tinkering’ with a silver halide system is highly risky, expensive and makes absolutely no commercial sense. In that respect, I am quite certain that the folks at Fomate, if they really did tinker with something, had no choice but to do so. But that’s really just a side note and not an answer to your actual question (to which I can’t contribute at the moment due to a temporary absence from Lith). Best regards, Mirko

michael-kielgmxnet

Hello Mirko, I can certainly see your point. After all, there are more than enough restrictions imposed by the EU, regardless of whether they make sense or not. As there is no official statement from the manufacturer (at least not on their website), I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see.

sputnik

But that’s really just a side note and not an answer to your actual question (to which I can’t contribute at the moment due to a temporary break from Lith). Best regards, Mirko

And in the standard developer, does the new batch behave like the old one? Regards, S.

MirkoBoeddecker

And does the new batch behave the same as the old one in a standard developer?

According to Foma, it does. That is why no change has been announced. Understandably, a test for lith behaviour is not part of the standard test programme for a batch. Best regards, Mirko

MirkoBoeddecker

After all, there are more than enough restrictions imposed by the EU

Yes, that’s one thing, and then one supplier after another is going under. We’re on a mission to achieve self-sufficiency... but we have to make compromises. Best regards, Mirko

Rotti

In any case, that’s one more reason to press ahead with the development and production of Polywarmtone paper... and to make sure it’s suitable for lith printing ;-)

MirkoBoeddecker

In any case, that’s one more reason to press ahead with the development and production of Polywarmtone paper... and to keep an eye on its lith suitability ;-)

That’s right. We’re pushing ahead as best we can. I spent Sunday programming a new control system for the filling computer.... It has to be ready by next Monday (not the one coming up) ;-) Best regards, Mirko

Tandemfahren

Hehe, Mirko, want to bet my oak rowing boat will be finished before your Polywarmton? I even started after you... A little bit of motivation :-) If you do win, I’ll buy 10 extra boxes of 24x30; if I win, you buy the rowing boat, deal? You’d better get a move on... Best regards Frank

MirkoBoeddecker

Hehe, Mirko, want to bet my oak rowing boat will be finished before your Polywarmton?

I reckon so. That’s an unfair contest -_- To make it a fair comparison, you’d have to: - Build the boat in complete darkness :ph34r: - Introduce the following difficulty: The boat needs 25 nails. There is a 50% chance that each nail is made of water-soluble material, but you don’t know which ones. The only possible outcomes are: a. The boat sinks to the bottom and cannot be salvaged if even one nail was water-soluble. b. The boat only floats if all the nails were good. Every boat that sinks must be rebuilt. Any insight can only be derived (or rather, deduced) from the above outcome :) Good luck ;) Best regards, Mirko

Urnes

Well, that’s a bit of a cheat, Mirko! :-) Just throw the nails into a bucket of water and then take the ones that haven’t dissolved. At the moment, when I take a packet of PW out of the freezer, it’s like opening a bottle of fine wine. An irresistible feeling. Good luck!!! Regards, Sven.

Tandemfahren

Yeah, well, Sven, no, hang on, I’m not allowed to do that now, am I? Oh come on, Mirko, I do like it a bit unfair (when I know I’ve got the upper hand). Come on… So we’ll have to haggle a bit more over the terms; my nail supplier says he doesn’t stock any water-soluble nails at all. And nailing in the dark (yes, pun intended)? I don’t even know if I’ve got that much blood in me? Well, fit for work or not, I’d even row to Berlin for PW; so what I wanted to say is: Get on with it! Fire up the boiler and get scrubbing! Best regards from Frank

sputnik

Just got back from the shop. Fomatone still develops without any problems. It’s just a bit different somehow. So it seems they’ve ALREADY tweaked something. I like the colour tone EVEN better now than before. Both in the Easy-Lith and the Rollei Lith. Batch used: 063248/07. So it’s brand new. I’m chuffed. :rolleyes:

TR

Batch number used: 063248/07.

Can the approximate date of manufacture be deduced from this information? 2007?

sputnik

Batch number used: 063248/07.
Can the approximate date of manufacture perhaps be deduced from this information? 2007?

No. That has absolutely nothing to do with it! The last two digits are irrelevant anyway. They only relate to the slicing into different formats.