DuraTrans.. anything like it in B&W?

kb244 · Sep 24, 2007

I'm told there was an emulsion with a white plastic backing called Duratrans, I am curious though if there was anything like it made as a B&W emulsion, or if I should just contact print a 4x5/8x10 to another B&W to make a positive and put behind it a thin white plastic base?

richard ide · Sep 24, 2007

IIRC Kodak used to manufacture a product called projection print film which I think was acetate base. Dupont manufactured a variable contrast product called Cronapaque. I still have a roll. Probably NFG but will try some day with anti fog. I prefered the dupont product as it was much whiter and was available in rolls.

kb244 · Sep 24, 2007

richard ide said:
IIRC Kodak used to manufacture a product called projection print film which I think was acetate base. Dupont manufactured a variable contrast product called Cronapaque. I still have a roll. Probably NFG but will try some day with anti fog. I prefered the dupont product as it was much whiter and was available in rolls.

I guess you have no plans on getting rid of any of it even if for experimentation purposes.

richard ide · Sep 24, 2007

Karl,
I only have about 10' of 30" and it is at least 15 years old. I am tight for time for about 10 days but after that I will test it and let you know what happens.

Photo Engineer · Sep 24, 2007

This is WAY off base for APUG, but the only current material for B&W that I know of is made for digital printers. I'm not even going to name it as that would be inappropriate IMHO.

I don't recommend this, I merely mention that the translucent products for B&W use have pretty much gone out of fashion. Everyone wants them for color. So, Kodak and Fuji both make a color material on translucent support.

PE

kb244 · Sep 24, 2007

richard ide said:
Karl,
I only have about 10' of 30" and it is at least 15 years old. I am tight for time for about 10 days but after that I will test it and let you know what happens.

15 pft, most my recent B&W were 30 to 40 years old

kb244 · Sep 24, 2007

Photo Engineer said:
This is WAY off base for APUG, but the only current material for B&W that I know of is made for digital printers. I'm not even going to name it as that would be inappropriate IMHO.

I don't recommend this, I merely mention that the translucent products for B&W use have pretty much gone out of fashion. Everyone wants them for color. So, Kodak and Fuji both make a color material on translucent support.

PE

What's "Practical" and what I want to do, do not often coincide. I wouldn't be happy with the digital process of making a transparency (which I can do), just wouldn't feel the same.

But even if theres nothing current (which I suspected) I figured the brains that make up apug would know of ways to get to that result using existing materials (second hand or otherwise).

richard ide · Sep 24, 2007

Karl
Another alternative if you process colour at home is to buy a few square feet of duratrans from a lab (it is not cheap) and process in RA4 chemistry. The right filter pack will give an imitation B/W.

Phillip P. Dimor · Sep 24, 2007

Richard, I'd like to know how it fares. I had a really large roll, like 50" full. Weighed a real lot. Never used it, a shame. I'd like to know if it's still good. Too bad it's at my parents house, 1200 miles away.

matthewbetcher · Sep 24, 2007

I don't know if this is what you are looking for or not, but why not ortho lith film? enlarge and develop it as you would normally with a slightly diluted developer - my experimentations took quite some time to get the right tone and contrast out of the developer, but in the end, it can result in quite a decent positive image on film able to be mounted then to a choice of backgrounds. for my purposes, i have mounted 40 x 60 inch panels onto a gold leaf backed glass for my "fauxrotones" of the los angeles river.

if your intending to put them in a light-box, i'm not sure the lith film would be dense enough without getting way to contrasty to yield good dark blacks. (again, a project i am working on involves light boxes and i'm getting interesting results with some different papers).

just some thoughts - if you need some info on the lith film, look into freestyle or pm me.

matthew

Ian Grant · Sep 25, 2007

I used a B&W material similar to what you are looking for about 30 years ago, it came from a company called John Blissen in London. His son Chris is still around but I think the company changed its name.

The material was made in Europe, the same manufacturer made Photo-linen as well as bromide paper on various coloured bases, (similar to Kentmeres Kentint).

Ian

richard ide · Sep 25, 2007

I think the company (French) stopped manufacturing around 1995. Nice papers. One interesting product was a coloured base coating on a very shiny RC base. With high contrast images, you could bleach the image then remove the base coat which gave you a colour/white image.
Made some really nice prints on a silver base paper.

psvensson · Sep 28, 2007

matthewbetcher said:
I don't know if this is what you are looking for or not, but why not ortho lith film?

I agree: enlarging onto sheet film and then backing that with a translucent sheet of plastic is probably the way to go. If you're comfortable working in the dark, it doesn't have to be ortho film, which is expensive. I recently enlarged a color negative onto 8x10 Efke 100 film and developed in paper developer in complete darkness. I've hung the resulting positive in my window. It looks great without backing.

Akki14 · Sep 28, 2007

I was thinking this too. I'm doing enlarged negatives onto fomapan 100 in complete darkness and the interpositives are lovely Neat way to get around the more complex slide film process.

epatsellis · Sep 28, 2007

ultrafine continuous tone dupe film, comes in 8x10 and 14x17 .007 thick. Handles under a red or yellow safelight, ortho reponse. Develop in D76. Relatively inexpensive, as well. (also makes a great film in camera)

erie

DuraTrans.. anything like it in B&W?

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