Dark red safelight for Adox Fineprint paper?

mrtoml · Apr 4, 2008

I am about to start seriously experimenting with fibre based papers for the first time. I ordered 3 types. One of them is 'Adox Fine Print Vario Classic'.

I realise now that this paper requires a 'dark red' safelight as it has a higher than average silver content. I have a Paterson red/orange safelight. Will this be OK? Has anyone used this paper and experienced any problems?

I don't think Paterson make a dark red dome for this light although they do list a 'copper/brown' version.

Any advice appreciated.

Cheers.

rwyoung · Apr 4, 2008

1) Dim the light you have somehow. Point to a wall or cover with a thin red cloth (watch out for heat).
2) In the DARK, pull out one sheet, tear it in half (or smaller). Put 1/2 back in bag. Put rest down on enlarger base board and put several large coins down in a pattern.
3) Turn on safelight.
4) Every couple of minutes, remove a coin (remember the pattern or mark with pencil). Try and do this for at least as long as you expect to have the paper out when working. Lets say 10 minutes.
5) With the safelight OUT, develop both halves. Inspect after fix.

Look for fogging. Even though we didn't pre-flash this paper, you can get an idea if trouble is ahead. If the time seems quite long, say 10 minutes or more before fogging. Go back and test again but this time pre-flash the paper to simulate what could happen during an enlargement.

Fraxinus · Apr 4, 2008

I've just started using this paper also (see (there was a url link here which no longer exists)) and I've stuck with Kodak No.2 Dark Red over the dev dish and Kodak No.1A indirect lighting elsewhere.
I've been turning on the overhead yellow/amber (Kodak 0C) for brief periods towards the end of development to get a better idea of the print. This doesn't seem to cause any problems, but I've not done the thorough safelight test given above - let me know if you do!

mrtoml · Apr 5, 2008

Thanks for your replies. When the paper arrives I will do some tests and post the findings.

Anton Lukoszevieze · Apr 5, 2008

I've never had any problem with fogging on this paper with an orange safelight. Nice paper

ath · Apr 5, 2008

Mark, as far as I remember Mirko said that there is quite a tolerance with the sensitizing dye(s) used (whatever this means and whatever the root cause is). One batch might be OK with orange, the next one not. See the spectral sensitivity curve here.

Eric Rose · Apr 5, 2008

I found that the ADOX FB I use does not like the orange light I have so I only turn on the red one.

Jim Noel · Apr 5, 2008

SOme students are using this in our darkrooms lit with a Thomas safelight and having no fogging problems.

john cowie · Apr 6, 2008

You can also try printing without a safelight. I started doing this when I was printing color and just got used to it. It is handy to have a small flashlight with a red filter. Good luck.

mrtoml · Apr 7, 2008

Thanks for all your replies. Very useful. The paper is due tomorrow so I will be able to give it a try.

Curt · Apr 7, 2008

Even though I have a Thomas safelight I just use a single red safelight turned away from my work area.

dancqu · Apr 7, 2008

mrtoml said:
One of them is 'Adox Fine Print Vario Classic'. I realise now that
this paper requires a 'dark red' safelight as it has a higher than
average silver content. I have a Paterson red/orange safelight.
Will this be OK? Any advice appreciated. Cheers.

Silver content has nothing to do with a paper's spectral
sensitivity. Your Vario is green and blue sensitive. The
red/orange may do. Depends on how long the paper
is exposed to the safelight's level of illuminance.

Any color, even white, will do so long as the paper's time
of exposure and/or the level of light are so little as to allow
working with the paper in a practical manor. I work in a quite
brightly lit darkroom processing Graded paper. Graded allows
a high level of darkroom lighting because it is for all intents
and purposes blue only sensitive. Yellow through orange
are a good choice for Graded. Dan

mrtoml · Apr 7, 2008

dancqu said:
Silver content has nothing to do with a paper's spectral
sensitivity. Your Vario is green and blue sensitive. The
red/orange may do. Depends on how long the paper
is exposed to the safelight's level of illuminance.

Thanks for the reply. So is this information from Retro where I bought the paper wrong?

"NOTE: Due to the very high silver content only use this paper with a RED safelight which is some distance away, fogging may occur otherwise. For the same reason the paper needs at least 3 minutes in the developer to ensure correct image development." Retrophotographic.com

The ADOX site also states:

QUOTE:
"Safelight: dark red only
This paper is very sensitive to safelight fogging. Please make a fogging test bevore (sic) use.

Spektrale (sic) response: 380 - 580 nm with Peak at 540 nm.

Please use dark red safelights only !"

CBG · Apr 7, 2008

mrtoml said:
Thanks for the reply. So is this information from Retro where I bought the paper wrong?

"NOTE: Due to the very high silver content only use this paper with a RED safelight which is some distance away, fogging may occur otherwise. For the same reason the paper needs at least 3 minutes in the developer to ensure correct image development." Retrophotographic.com

The ADOX site also states:

QUOTE "Safelight: dark red only
This paper is very sensitive to safelight fogging. Please make a fogging test bevore (sic) use.
Spektrale (sic) response: 380 - 580 nm with Peak at 540 nm.

Please use dark red safelights only !"

The problem with certain combinations of sensitized materials and safelights relates directly to the spectral sensitivity of the sensitized materials and the spectral output of the safelight. Too high a light output at a wavelength where there is a correspondingly high sensitivity limits the safe exposure time.

Silver content is not necessarily an indicator.

C

Dark red safelight for Adox Fineprint paper?

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