Recent content by kevs

Yes, you have light leaking around the edges of your negative carrier. The neg should be held tightly to keep it flat. There should be a lever on the enlarger near the lens stage to tighten up the neg carrier. It's possible you have the wrong negative carrier for your enlarger. What make and...

In that case, I recommend you inform Ilford's QC department about the problem, though you'll have to wait until early January for any response. They will replace any faulty products like-for-like (BT; DT). Be sure to keep prints you made on the faulty paper, and the remainder of the box, to send...

It is not fogging, it it staining caused by developer being carried over into the fixer due to inadequate stop bath (short stop) time, strength or both. The acidic stop bath neutralises the alkaline developer to prevent staining and prolong the fixer's life. The solution is: a) use fresh...

Thanks Lachlan; if only they made it in matt finish... *sighs* TBH, I'm mostly out of photography these days so I don't see myself buying more paper in the future.

I came to appreciate MGIV for its unique (as far as I know) quirk of turning a subtle shade of cold blue in selenium toner. When split-toned with sulphide, it gave prints an effective 3D look, and was not too "on the nose" either. The "Classic" replacement doesn't do that. Each to their own, I...

I second Nicholas here; your stains are coming from developer being carried over into the fixer. You should always use fresh, strong stop bath (short stop) with fibre-based papers to ensure developer is not carried over into the fixer. Take your time, make sure your print is fully immersed in...

Photograph the neg on a phone or digicam; you might be able to invert the tones in an app or something. Or upload to a computer and use imaging software (PhotoShop, GIMP etc.) to invert the colours. In GIMP, go Menu --> Colours -->Invert. If you need a purely analogue method, you could make...

Thanks Matt, that shows how long I've been out of the darkroom! :) As you were! :)

It was mostly done to allow quick machine processing of RC papers, IIRC. Best to check data sheets. According to this listing https://www.emsdiasum.com/microscopy/products/photographic/paper.aspx Ilford Multigrade IV RC isn't developer-incorporated. Presumably the new MGRC isn't either. It's...

From memory, many modern RC and PE papers are developer-incorporated for fast machine processing, which may skew your tests results if you're using only RC / PE papers. Non-developer-incorporated FB papers might give a more accurate result. I don't which or if any modern FB papers incorporate...

No problem, I'm glad you found them useful. :) Yes, they do kick out some heat, and that could be popping your negatives. Mine has a Varicon head, which originally had a 150 watt bulb but I've since converted to LEDs. The 504s my Uni were fitted with Multigrade heads, which were great because...

Hi FL at CC, I had the same problem with my 504, I ended up using old pennies and shilling coins as shims! You could check the lens panel and the negative stage are parallel and that the negative carrier is holding the negative flat. The 504 head *and* negative stage can be independently...

Plenty of B&W photographers sell prints; not only through brick-and-mortar galleries but on websites like Etsy, through arty cafes, craft markets and other arts-and-crafts events. Some people make products like greetings cards using small prints. Check out any arts organisation near you that...

Well, one must use a combination of techniques to create one's photographic style but who said all photos must be sharply focussed, have a full range of tones and be an accurate representation of reality? There's far more to photography than what's dictated by the so-called "experts" on YouTube...

So many questions already... Whose government, yours or mine? There's more than one government. No. I don't think it's likely. Film is now a very niche market whereas fossil fuels are ubiquitous. It would be more effective to ban the landfilling of electronic waste than to ban film. Mind you...