Carbro

[CowboyBill]

Good day, I became a member after view questions about the Carbro process. Sorry to say, the question was dated 2022.
So I'm a couple of years late. About the silver bromide paper, should be matte finished with no super coating. A supper coating will dull the image.
Because the process is a chemical process not a light process.. Your silver image should not be quote 1/2 stop darker, but lighter. If you are using this means of measurement.
The developing agent should be amidol. Contrast of the image can be control with the sensitizer. A cleaner image is achievable by using sodium bichromate.
If this assists some one great, Thanks, William Horeis view: williamhoreis.com

 

[Sirius Glass]

Welcome to Photrio!

 

[koraks]

Welcome aboard @CowboyBill and thanks for sharing these hints about carbro! I've read a bit about the process here and there, from time to time, but never tried it. Regular carbon, yes, but not carbro.

As to papers, are there specific papers (still manufactured) that work particularly well for this process?
I'm surprised at your mention of printing lighter on the original bromide print since that indeed goes counter to what the other sources say.

 

[CowboyBill]

Good day, At the time of my work with Carbro. I was using a matte finish double weight bromide paper made my Kentmere of England.
Keep in mind, there are variables related to all processes. As to papers of today. Not sure who is making what ??? Just have to look around.
Check out Freestyle... Ok, here is another little known fact. IF you store Carbon tissue, for an [extended] length of time. In a gas home heated environment, This will cause the tissue to fog., Giving a poor image. Visit my web site: williamhoreis.com.
Enjoy...

 

[DREW WILEY]

This kind of query should really be addressed to a dedicated forum, since it's basically an arcane process now. What I do know is that during it's heyday, a variety of special bromide papers were made for sake of Carbro exclusively, and that today nothing suitable exists.
The last available non-supracoated papers I'm aware of disappeared maybe two decades ago. But again, I'm not a specialist at this, and am relating things second-hand. I do own, and have read, certain old manuals.

There is an article by Richard McCowan on the Digital Truth site how to make your own Carbro paper.
More recent literature includes Sandy King's, The Book of Carbon and Carbro. I don't know if his Carbon Forum is still active or not.

 

[koraks]

At the time of my work with Carbro. I was using a matte finish double weight bromide paper made my Kentmere of England.

Right, hence the question; I was under the impression that none of the presently manufactured papers are suitable for carbro due to the heavier supercoating @DREW WILEY refers to.

IF you store Carbon tissue, for an [extended] length of time. In a gas home heated environment, This will cause the tissue to fog

That's possible if there's a source of e.g. formaldehyde. Note that modern gas heaters are isolated from the in-home environment, as actually required by law where I live. Our in-home heater sure as heck doesn't fog anything as it doesn't exhaust anything into our home. Even old heaters shouldn't! Only very, very old gas-burning hearths might. And of course gas stoves for cooking will discharge exhaust into the air. Again, never noticed that this fogged carbon tissue. I suspect that your observation doesn't relate to the gas heating, but to sources of formaldehyde such as MDF used in furniture or finishing.

More recent literature includes Sandy King's, The Book of Carbon and Carbro.

It's replaced by his newer book co-authored by Nelson & Lockhart. It mentions carbro only passingly without going into any specifics or materials. They appear to view it as too arcane to spend any time on discussing it.

I don't know if his Carbon Forum is still active or not.

It is; never saw much carbro discussion on it during the few short (but recent) years I participated. Recently it seems to have died down to a trickle of interactions with long periods of silence. But Sandy and a few others still do post from time to time.

 

[DREW WILEY]

The last manufactured paper without the supracoating, if I recall correctly, was a transient Russian product, or perhaps East European. I can't recall the brand. A few people interested in Carbro did try it, but with somewhat disappointing results.

 

[koraks]

Slavich, maybe?

 

[DREW WILEY]

I do think it was Slavich made (blue package), but didn't want to state that merely from memory. I never tried that product itself, but do recall reading the specs and ad which stated how it had a different "surface" kind of look due to the absence of any supracoating. It was briefly offered for sale in this country.

I joined the Carbon Forum rather early, simply because I'm interested in these things, and personally enjoy the look of carbon prints.
But I never was a practitioner, other than coming up with an advanced set of CMY process pigments potentially useful for the color version of it, due to me having easy access to a range of industrial pigments which traditional printers are unaware of. As per Carbro,
our great West Coast practitioner of the color version of that, Richard Kaufmann, passed away a few years ago. But he had already transitioned over to dye transfer once commercial Carbro products were no longer available, and in later years was involved in the development of commercial quad carbon innovations, none of which were long-term commercial successes.