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Are We Really Stuck With Ilford MGFB? Where Are the Magic Papers of the Past?

The Spiratone ad pages were the most fascinatingly unattainable parts of the old Photo magazines of my youth.
Import something in them from New York? How could teenage me expect to do that?!!!
 
I'm still using all of them as I strip the emulsion off and recoat with my POP emulsion
you have to realize that one of the major differences are the paper BASE. they certainly had an amazing variation of these and I believe that was partially responsible for the quality of these papers not just the emulsion itself
 
Slavich was a nice graded single weight paper. I believe they still make holographic plates
 
Here to the South, Freestyle carries most of Foma's line up of papers and sells Foma under their house label, Arista.
 
Peter Schrager said:
Slavich was a nice graded single weight paper. I believe they still make holographic plates
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Slavich papers can (seemingly) still be bought, but they only seem to have normal graded paper, and it's not exactly cheap either...
Well, I say "papers" as if there are several, but it's really only Unibrom in a few different sizes
 

I don't think my photography and printing skills have yet reached the limits of what Ilford Multigrade FB can do. as soon as that happens; I'll look for other papers.
 
I was an Agfa Classic Matte guy for years. So inexpensive, so wonderful!
 
Has anyone succeeded in making Ilford MG or MGWT look more like a long-remembered paper by altering the paper developer? Maybe Ansco130?
 
I think it is more than just tones, it also the paper base, not sure if a different developer can replicate a paper base, the depth of the emulsion or the amount of sliver and other chemistry in the emulsion that might be banned.
 
Well, one can achieve sorta looks-like effects with MGWT by jockeying around the developers and toners, but not in my experience really replicate classic older papers.
 
john_s said:
Has anyone succeeded in making Ilford MG or MGWT look more like a long-remembered paper by altering the paper developer? Maybe Ansco130?
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W Ilford, I get get best prints on Warmtone in Ansco 130 or LPD......not that Classic & Cooltone are bad, but warmtone has more depth. When i can get it I prefer Foma Variant 111.
 
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Brendan Quirk said:
I concur.
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So do I, but it’s not really the point. It was exciting - or at least fun - to try different printing papers. Their impact on the appearance of a photo was surprising. Although Ilford MG papers are incredibly flexible, they can’t cover for all those lost ‘looks’. But thank heavens that there is Ilford.
 
This sums it up, I think. Going into stores and seeing shelves of different papers, films, developers (or seeing things in magazines) not to mention darkroom equipment and cameras was fun, trying different things/experimenting was exciting, as was using materials or chemicals the greats used. It was part of the hobby for many.
 
Last time I walked into our local camera store, the buyer there didn't even know that fiber based paper existed. He does order a lot of RC for school darkrooms (probably never tried any kind of paper himself). Darkroom supplies were down to a tiny set of shelves. Completely different than how that business started out. They still sell a lot of film and used film cameras, however.

It would be a 2-hr round trip to where one can still find a large retail selection of darkroom paper and related supplies, so I now order online.
 
Tempe Camera sells both ILford RC and FB multi grade, ASU stills offers a degree in Photography though the Art Department and course work analog photography is required, or was last I looked. As I use Foma and Multitone I order from Freestyle and B&H.
 
There’s more paper variety than even some camera stores recognize!

When I walked into Seattle’s largest camera store the other day and asked if they could order me some Ilford Cooltone, the (otherwise welcoming and friendly) chap behind the counter sneered and said they would ask their buyer if “Ilford would consider making such a product”.

I ordered a box from Freestyle on my phone before I left the building.
 

Enlarging paper has become such a niche product...& camera stores in general are in business to sell cameras. Thanks to B&H & Freestyle for their continued existence....
 
As a total heathen (without running water in his darkroom), I've stuck with Kentmere vc select (mostly fine lustre), with very occasional use of MGRC (I bought a couple of small packs to try).
I don't think my photography, printing skills, or eyesight is going to go beyond it for a very long time.
 
There is no such thing as the best paper. When we had more choice 20 years ago you could match a graded paper to a negative to get best results. Through the years it was disappointing to learn a paper then have it end production. Polywarmtone Plus, Elke Emaks, and Galerie were past favorites. When Ilford formulated new improved paper emulsions I standardized on Ilford papers as the firm likely to be the last manufacture standing.

MGWT is my base paper. I appreciate how I can move from RC to fiber using the same settings. You can work out the slower MGWT factors to print on Classic. If you want a different look explore toners. Standardizing on WT and deluxe/classic speeds up my printing.

Although I seldom use Foma I recently printed with 2 year old Fomatone MG Classic 131. 5x7s held in the hand look very rich and different than Ilford WT.

Thank heaven for Ilford’s quality paper and Foma. Just wish we had 2021 pricing.
 
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2021 pricing?? How about 1980's, when one could manage to afford even a box of Brilliant Bromide graded. 16X20 MGWT has gone up from around $225 to almost $500 a box in just the last few years. I don't even bother to look up the price of 20X24 anymore. But it's a damn good paper.
 

Currently printing with a pack of 25 Ilford Ilfospeed grade 2; with visually good results!
I still have Galerie and 10 year old Ilford Multigrade fiber base to play with.
 

Relative to average wages, 50 sheets of Zone VI Brilliant would cost nearly 700 USD today.

And compared to a pack of Kodak Ltd's Bromide from the early 1970s that still has its price sticker, Ilford Multigrade Classic FB today is still about 30% cheaper, again relative to average wages.
 
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