Bergger VC Fiber Warmtone Problem

[Saganich]

I just purchased a bunch of Bergger Warmtone fiber and I'll be damned but it fuses itself to the canvas of whatever dryer I put it in. The graded Bergger I normally use doesn't do this, nor did any other paper I've ever used. Anyone have experience with sticky paper? I'll talk with John at Bergger later and Post his comments.

Chris

 

[Bob F.]

Yup: Ilford MG-IV Warmtone fibre does the same thing. I dried some between blotters (trying to reduce curling) and it stuck. Luckily I could just soak the paper to get them unstuck. Other time I put some still damp (didn't realise) in a press between mount board - stuck again.

The Ilford spec sheet does say they will stick, but I hadn't read it before I tried it ...


Bob.

 

[Saganich]

Sounds like a warmtone fiber issue. I haven't ever seen this with cold tone papers.

 

[Ole]

It's very simple: Dry it face up on screens or similar. It's a great paper...

 

[Bruce Osgood]

Chris;
When you say "it fuses itself to the canvas of whatever dryer I put it in.", sounds like you are using a dry by heat method. If so I have found that any paper that is prone to stick will do so under normal heat, but when the heat is reduced to less than 120 F it will not stick. I have a very old drum dryer that has temperature and speed control. I use it just a tad over 100 F and a moderately slow speed (6 on a dial of 1-10). Works very well on MG IV VC FB Warmtone - glossy, without over glossing as you might expect from ferrotyping and the prints flat and dry.

 

[Will S]

I dry it on a screen face down then press between sheets of watercolor paper to flatten. I just posted an image in the critique gallery using this paper. I'm sure it is my imagination, but it seems to get more warm (aka "brown") as it dries.

Best,

Will

 

[Saganich]

Thanks, I'll try the reduced heat. I wish I had the option to screen dry. I'll have to work on that for the future.

 

[jandc]

I just purchased a bunch of Bergger Warmtone fiber and I'll be damned but it fuses itself to the canvas of whatever dryer I put it in. The graded Bergger I normally use doesn't do this, nor did any other paper I've ever used. Anyone have experience with sticky paper? I'll talk with John at Bergger later and Post his comments.

Chris

This is most likely a result of new production paper which has not aged long enough. With the factory closed for several months all the paper being put out is fresh paper. Paper needs to age in order to properly harden. In normal times the bulk rolls would sit in the factory for months before being cut. The good news is that the paper will age in the box just fine and the problem will likely go away over time.

 

[John Cook]

There may, indeed, be some sort of problem with the paper being fresh. JandC is certainly the expert with Eastern European photo products.

But, back in the days (1968) before RC paper was invented and we all printed on Kodak Medalist and DuPont Varilour, improperly hardened prints always used to stick to eachother and to the Arkay dryer apron.

This is what hardening fixer was invented to prevent by hardening emulsions.

Fixing was tricky in those days. Too little time in the fixer meant soft, sticky prints. Too much time in the fixer caused brittleness. Print emulsions would craze like the glaze on old pottery.

Temperature was not a factor. I once printed all night to get a portfolio ready for an art school judging. I dried the prints on an Arkay flat dryer and then piled them under a heavy weight to flatten. When I returned after class, that two-inch pile of prints had bonded into a solid brick. I had to reprint the whole thing.

Unless there has been some major improvement in the way fiber paper is made, I would still recommend a hardening fixer.