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  #1  
Old 11th June 2011, 08:53 PM
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David Brown David Brown is offline
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Default Testing old paper

Generally, I have found the consensus on old paper is that it will last a long time if reasonably stored. One exception to that consensus is that two years is the limit. Well, maybe.

The solution, of course, is to test.

Anyway, the situation is that through a combination of circumstances, I have a collection of mostly Ilford papers, both RC and FB that are at least two years old, and some of unknown age (that I got when I "bought out" a commercial phtotgrapher "gone digital" a while back.)

Does this seem like a reasonable method:

http://jbhphoto.com/blog/2011/06/07/...ing-paper-fog/

Disclosure: I have met the authors of this blog, but don't really know them. We just live in the same area.
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Old 11th June 2011, 09:40 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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Well that is what I'd do as well. I''ll add that I'd have no concerns about 2 yr old Ilford paper. In cool( but not frozen or even refridgerated) conditions I'd expect Ilford paper to last much longer without signs of fogging. Secondly I have found benzotriazole to be very effective even with paper that was appreciably fogged.

Mike
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Old 11th June 2011, 09:48 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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I should have added a "caveat" While in the U.K. ambient temp qualifies as cool or coolish for almost the whole year and positively cold in a darkroom that's only heated when actually used, ambient or room temp in North Texas is another matter.

Santa Anna could have had the Alamo with my good wishes if I had had to endure Texas temps . I'd have borrowed Jim Bowie's knife to cut chunks of ice and stuff down my shirt and trousers

Mike
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Old 12th June 2011, 12:10 AM
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Thanks; I really needed that advice as I use some really old papers.
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Old 12th June 2011, 06:18 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike O'Pray View Post
Santa Anna could have had the Alamo with my good wishes if I had had to endure Texas temps . I'd have borrowed Jim Bowie's knife to cut chunks of ice and stuff down my shirt and trousers

Mike
This is a snapshot of our friend and colleague Les McLean near his house at Christmas 2006. My wife and I, of course, were wearing parkas!
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Old 15th June 2011, 04:20 PM
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Hi David,

If you have ilford or kodak paper you can check the date of manufacture from the following:

http://www.palomarkovic.net/mobile/BatchNumberDecoder/

Link works with firefox, safari, google chrome and IE 8 *javascript enabled*

Ilford paper if stored correctly, it can be good for about 6 years. I recently picked up some special offer Multigrade 4 RC Satin that was listed made in 2005 and it printed fine, no issues.

All the best.
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Old 29th June 2011, 12:32 PM
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I think Simon Galley from Ilford stated at least 5 years was fine.
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Old 25th May 2014, 10:26 AM
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Don't know if this a good thread to place my question...

I'm going to test an old batch of paper — Negra Negtor Bromene BRD.1, fabricated in Barcelona around 1950. This is the first time I try to develop a paper that old, so I'm a bit lost.

What developer do you think I should try to process this paper? I prepare my own developers, so I have some chemicals — but not Benzotriazole.

Thanks.
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Old 25th May 2014, 05:15 PM
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Domingo - My copy of L. Duch Guerau's Fotografía (Palma de Mallorca, 1952) has this:

"Papel al bromuro de plata... Todos los reveladores para placas son buenos para papeles al bromuro... Optima es la siguiente que contiene metol-hidroquinona...

Agua hervida 1.000 partes
Metol 5 partes
Hidroquinona 5 partes
Sulfito de sosa cristales 120 partes
Carbonato de sosa 100 partes
Bromuro de potasio 3 partes

No es necesario exagerar demasiado el revelado porque la imagen, al secarse, aumenta de intensidad y ciertos detalles, primero invisibles, aparecen precisamente cuando la copia está seca".

He gives other formulae which I'd happily scan or photograph for you, if this is telling you anything you don't know already.
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Old 25th May 2014, 06:17 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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Domingo, it might be worth getting benzotriazole for paper this age. It doesn't work miracles but has been effective for me with some old Agfa paper but it wasn't 64 year old paper like yours

Try developing and fixing an unexposed piece of paper and then just fixing another unexposed paper. The difference in greyness will tell you how much it has age-fogged. If it is noticeably grey then use benzo and don't be afraid to use quite a lot of it to remove the greyness.

I imagine that 1950 paper is a single grade? If so you may have to put up with the fact that it will have lost contrast as well.

You could try a high contrast developer but I have no idea if it will work.

In fact you may have to spend a lot of time and some money to get this 1950 paper to look anything like fresh stuff and still fail

The nice thing is that it might be an interesting experiment. Just don't expect too much.

Mike
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