Agfa photo-paper blast from the past!

[joho]

I am looking to find a paper that gives this results -
photo was made on Agfa brovira-or Portiga Rapid [?]
the film was FP4-in ID-11 ____DATE [1972]

 

[DREW WILEY]

Portriga was unique. There's no current equivalent. I was one of those classic graded papers which disappeared once cadmium was banned from the emulsions. But I have simulated some of the "feel" of Portriga highlights using Ilford MGWT in combination with subtle pinkish sulfide toning. But the greenishness of the dark tones in actual Portriga would be hard to preserve that way. Brovira was a neutral black graded paper.

 

[joho]

..."once cadmium was banned from the emulsions"... how was cadmium used ????

 

[Peter Schrager]

Foma 132 glossy or matte is a killer paper...can't we just learn to love what we actually have....

 

[DREW WILEY]

Trace amounts of cadmium were allegedly the secret sauce to both the original Oriental Seagull G and Portriga emulsions. Once that ingredient got banned, these papers were never the same. The ban itself, and its timing, is well documented. Oriental had to comply because so much of its paper was being shipped to Europe, just like how the ban on thorium affected lens glass manufacture. Cadmium was soon highly restricted in the US as well (but ironically, not in batteries, which use far more of it). But specific emulsion formulas were well guarded secrets; and in that respect, all that many of us have to go on is the most probable rumors of the era.

 

[DREW WILEY]

The issue with past Portriga or current Foma retro-look products, or even my multi-toned MGWT prints, is how much longer will my remaining little bottles of SpotTone olive shade hold out? It doesn't take much in comparison to the "neutral black" and "selenium brown" shades, but I'd hate to be without it.

 

[koraks]

can't we just learn to love what we actually have....

Quite so.

Also, I'd put up for consideration that the magic of a photo is maybe 0.5% in the choice of paper. Why fuss over that tiny aspect if you can control the other 99.5%?

 

[Carnie Bob]

Portriga was unique. There's no current equivalent. I was one of those classic graded papers which disappeared once cadmium was banned from the emulsions. But I have simulated some of the "feel" of Portriga highlights using Ilford MGWT in combination with subtle pinkish sulfide toning. But the greenishness of the dark tones in actual Portriga would be hard to preserve that way. Brovira was a neutral black graded paper.

I believe nick b from GEH knows how to make Portriga emulsion, I saw samples there years ago and I think he still coats paper for himself.

 

[Paul Howell]

If you are in the E.U you might be able to find Slavich papers still (or was) made in Russia, their warm tone was close.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Having the best particular paper and development, toning,etc. to fit a particular type of image has been the name of the game for me. And there was a time when nearly all the classic graded papers were disappearing, but VC options not really ripe yet, when b&w printmaking became pretty frustrating. It's like depriving a chef of good ingredients.

Now we do have some excellent VC papers to choose from, with their own range of possibilities and certainly convenience, but that still leaves a void in what the old classics could do so well in their own right. Glad to have made a good number of prints with those, to still look at at least. Going forward, we make do as needed.

 

[Vaidotas]

If you are in the E.U you might be able to find Slavich papers still (or was) made in Russia, their warm tone was close.

Just curious what you have in mind.
As I recall none of soviet / russian / ukrainian photo papers were marked as warm tone.
Grade, weight, surface were marked.
There were different brands, almost all of them with mixed bromide / chloride emulsions and warmest was Bromportret - that one?

 

[mshchem]

Foma 132 glossy or matte is a killer paper...can't we just learn to love what we actually have....

AMEN TO THAT! support Ilford and Foma.

 

[mshchem]

Just curious what you have in mind.
As I recall none of soviet / russian / ukrainian photo papers were marked as warm tone.
Grade, weight, surface were marked.
There were different brands, almost all of them with mixed bromide / chloride emulsions and warmest was Bromportret - that one?

And they shall hammer their swords into really excellent fiber photo paper! Pray for Peace.

 

[Paul Howell]

When Slavich was available in the US, last to have it was B&H I found that it was close to 70s vintage Agfa. I only used one package of the warm tone, but it was very nice. At the time Slavich only made graded FB papers, seemed to be throw back to the 60s and 70s.

 

[Peter Schrager]

When Slavich was available in the US, last to have it was B&H I found that it was close to 70s vintage Agfa. I only used one package of the warm tone, but it was very nice. At the time Slavich only made graded FB papers, seemed to be throw back to the 60s and 70s.

never saw a Slavich warm tone paper...only what looked like to me a slightly cold tone
graded paper can be bent and shaped to do different things.
looking for a formula to make a nice grade3 paper....I even have the cadmium!!

 

[GregY]

never saw a Slavich warm tone paper...only what looked like to me a slightly cold tone
graded paper can be bent and shaped to do different things.
looking for a formula to make a nice grade3 paper....I even have the cadmium!!

Yes. the Slavich paper i used maybe 10 yrs ago was distinctly cold tone.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Dye transfer paper contained mildly radioactive Thorium. Too bad a Geiger counter can't be used to evaluate the quality of black and white paper in advance, while it's still in an unopened box.