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  #1  
Old 16th July 2013, 04:20 PM
Richard Gould Richard Gould is offline
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Default Kentmere Fineprint gone

Just Read a post on apug from Simon Galley that Kentmere Fineprint paper is being withdrawn by Harman, so yet another fine paper will soon be lost,and from what I read Bromide is being wound down, so I wonder how long there will be any Kentmere paper products left, it seems that the RC papers are safe for the time being, but for how long ?
Richard
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Old 16th July 2013, 04:55 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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It just looks like the demand for this one FB paper which was only available in "Glossy" has dropped below production viability level.

A pity if that's your paper and none of the others are close in qualities but that may be the extent of the seriousness of its loss

One thing for sure is that unfortunately we will only learn more by consulting APUG.

It will be interesting to see if a big enough "shock/horror" reaction in the U.S. market makes any difference to Harman's position on its discontinuance.

Mike
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Old 16th July 2013, 06:19 PM
Richard Gould Richard Gould is offline
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Personally I won't miss it, the Kentmere paper I really miss is the Fine Print warm tone paper, and if the VC Select goes I would miss it, but I don't use FB Paper much these days, and when I do I tend to use the Foma papers, but the loss of any paper these days is sad, but we still have a good choice
Richard
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Old 16th July 2013, 08:27 PM
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Miha Miha is offline
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I won't miss it either, but I was lucky enough to try their Art document paper - a single weight rough watercolour-like paper from the pre-Hraman days and that paper was really something!!
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Old 16th July 2013, 08:48 PM
Paulographic Paulographic is online now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Miha View Post
I won't miss it either, but I was lucky enough to try their Art document paper - a single weight rough watercolour-like paper from the pre-Hraman days and that paper was really something!!
That I would have liked to try. I did on an unopened pack on ebay a couple of weeks back but missed it. I did get a pack of Agfa Record Rapid though.

Yesterday I finished a box of Ilford Plastika Grade 2 10x8. Original price was on it 34/11. I got it for £10 unopened on our flea market last year. Lost speed, needed benzotriazole and will need some D-max boosting with Selenium but worked without difficulty. Also some Kodak Bromide DW stipple grade 2, three packs of 10, whole plate for a pound. Each originally costing 6/2. Worked well, no loss of speed or contrast.

Now working through a box of Agfa MC FB Matt bought ten years ago. OK, slightly warm which suits me and have a lot of Ilford Multigrade FB (no number a green label) whole plate to get through, given years ago by a retired pro with his darkroom bits. That's good, cooler than the Agfa.
Like I wanted the Kentmere for the prints will be for toning and possible hand tinting.


Clients, when I get them get MGIV Glossy fresh stock.

Fun.
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Old 16th July 2013, 11:12 PM
alexmuir alexmuir is offline
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I was given a box or two of Ilford Plastika some years ago. It produced very rich prints. I assume it had a lot more silver than current papers?? Alex
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Old 17th July 2013, 03:58 AM
Paulographic Paulographic is online now
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I was given a box or two of Ilford Plastika some years ago. It produced very rich prints. I assume it had a lot more silver than current papers?? Alex
I had noticed using it and other old FB paters that the developer dish was stained black more than usual. The Plastika was relatively cool for a chloro-bromide paper even using Ilford Warmtone. Worked nicely in Bromophen a developer I like and dilute more than Ilfords recommendation. The Agfa has a nice warmish tone.
Last winter I used some old Kentmere RC warmtone with Ilford Warmtone developer. Very warm indeed as though toned but perfect for the subject matter. I've just used the last few sheets of an okd box of Kentmere Fine Stipple (that was re-badged as Barclay Lustre). Lovely surface but no more.

I generally black out and print in winter on RC paper but am using up my stocks of old FB papers while the tap water is warm enough to wash it efficiently and before it goes too far out of date. They are still producing images though unlike some MGIII RC which had base fog that benzotriazole wouldn't shift. I'm fixing it out and washing it, there must be some use for 200+ sheets of paper.
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Old 17th July 2013, 10:38 AM
John King John King is online now
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Fortunately I have stocked up with FB Fineprint a few months ago so That will last me a while. I could always go to Ilford Multigrade, but I don't find it has the 'punch' of Kentmere and is so much slower.
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Old 17th July 2013, 10:58 AM
John King John King is online now
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Default Loss of Kentmere Fineprint FB

I have just posted a reply to Simon from Ilford/Harman on the APOG site as below

Simon. I use both Kentmere and Ilford papers although I prefer Kentmere FB as opposed to Ilford Multigrade FB for two reasons. The first being it is faster and secondly, takes less exposure and it has more 'Punch' than Ilford. By that I mean I can print Kentmere with no filtration and get a pretty decent print with a full range of contrasts, but with the Ilford version I have to use a grade 3 or even a grade 3.5 filter value to get the same result.

As Harman apparently own both Kentmere and Ilford would it not be possible to tweak the Ilford variant so that it is more like the Kentmere. Or reading between the lines as you own both companies, running two similar lines together at the same time, is counter to what the 'bean counters' (AKA Accountants) have said and the less used version has to go.

I submit the Kentmere version was a better product

I sincerely hope you are not going down the line that Jessops took in UK by swallowing up the smaller photographic outlets and closing them down one by one so reducing competition.
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Old 17th July 2013, 11:35 AM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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John, it will be worth "watching that space" as they say. I'll be especially interested in what reaction your reply gets both from Simon Galley and other U.S. APUGers


Mike
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