Do multigrade filters wear out?

tomfrh · Mar 21, 2016

I'm about to buy a filter kit online. Many kits are used. I read that these filters can wear out after a few years.

What does this entail? How can you tell if they're worn out?

goros · Mar 21, 2016

They do, but it also depends on where they are placed. For years I used them over the negative, just under the hot lamp. As the filter I used more was grade 2 1/2, it became softer and softer with the years. Now I use below the lens filters and, although I do split-grade printing most of the time, they seem to stand much more better.

paul ron · Mar 21, 2016

the gels fade over time. but it takes quite a few years. also keep them out of the sun.

my set is 10 years old, use above the neg but with a cold light head.... no issues with grades.

pentaxuser · Mar 21, 2016

I recall, I think, that Simon Galley, formerly of Harman, recommended changing the filters every 5 years or so if they are used regularly. I cannot recall if he defined "regularly.

How does one test regularly used filters in order to decide if the need changing?

pentaxuser

Luckless · Mar 21, 2016

pentaxuser said:
How does one test regularly used filters in order to decide if the need changing?

When they stop giving you the contrast results you're expecting of them? They are after all tools to achieve an end result, so it is the end result that matters more than the tool itself. If it is still working well enough for your needs, then I would have to guess that it is "Still working".

But I do hope someone can post a more serious and technical answer, as I'm curious about it as well.

Rich Ullsmith · Mar 21, 2016

Have to print out step wedges on a new set of filters then compare years henceforth. Mine are at least 20 years old and the gradations appear correct. They have spent all their lives under a cold lamp, with a yellow correction filter in the lamp housing. That is probably the guy that needs R&R, soaking up all the blue light.

kal800 · Mar 21, 2016

what about mg filters in variable enlarger heads - do they wear out too?

RalphLambrecht · Mar 21, 2016

pentaxuser said:
I recall, I think, that Simon Galley, formerly of Harman, recommended changing the filters every 5 years or so if they are used regularly. I cannot recall if he defined "regularly.

How does one test regularly used filters in order to decide if the need changing?

pentaxuser

change them when you don't get the contrast you used to grt.

carioca · Mar 21, 2016

My old set of filters is about 20 years old, I recovered them from a lab that used to work with them on a daily basis for a year. I have used them for an average of 30-50 printing days per year, since.
Recently, I thought it was time to buy a new set. I have a color densitometer and checked the values of the old compared to the new, the difference was surprisingly little.
Those filters last a long time if kept dry in a dark place. (light source in both cases: cold light)

MattKing · Mar 21, 2016

kal800 said:
what about mg filters in variable enlarger heads - do they wear out too?

Most are dichroic filters, which don't really wear out. They tend to be adjusted mechanically or electrically, and those parts can wear.

In addition, dichroic filters can get dirty, which makes them work less well.

Photo Engineer · Mar 21, 2016

Yes, all dye based filters wear out. Many others do not.

PE

Roger Cole · Mar 21, 2016

When I took up photography again in 2010 (darkroom in 2011) after not doing any darkroom work since the mid 90s my Multigrade filters had faded badly. I recall I posted here about it and may even have posted comparison photos. The mid grade filters, even though used the most, seemed ok, as did the soft ones. It was mainly 3 - 5 that were very, very badly faded. Always used above the lens in the filter drawer of my D2, laying on top of the first condenser actually. They had worked fine when I last used them so the fading seems to have been dark fading. They were in my parents' basement back in TN generally pretty cool but quite damp.

bvy · Mar 22, 2016

MattKing said:
In addition, dichroic filters can get dirty, which makes them work less well

And they can easily get wet, which, from my experience, is the kiss of death.

AgX · Mar 22, 2016

How can dichroic filters get wet ?

-) these filters are not used as loose filters of various grades, but as sets of 2 or 3, built into the enlarger or a subassembly of it

-) they should withstand plain water for a while

bvy · Mar 22, 2016

AgX said:
How can dichroic filters get wet ?

Yeah, that would be bad. My mistake. I was referring to the loose multigrade filters.

DREW WILEY · Mar 22, 2016

Everything is affected by heat and UV. It just depends on how much for how long. Even dichroic filters can spall off flakes of their coating over time and lose efficiency; but compared to dyed sheet filters, they are far more durable.

Do multigrade filters wear out?

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