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Fogged Photo Paper? Hey, It Doesn't Look All That Bad ? ! ? !

DF

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'Opened, an old unopened box of Ilford "Rapid" paper, and to my dismay, after development, could tell something was wrong. It was old and became "fogged", but, as I looked over the entire print, didn't seem so bad. The edges which are usually white, were grayish silver, and the print itself, being a nightshot of the entrance to the Wrigly Building in Chicago, different as it was, seemed acceptable. Does anyone save and use fogged paper?
 
20 May 2014

DF:

I have been using some very old paper for some time for "work prints" and have noticed fogging. The best way to salvage a fogged paper, as long as it is not to fogged, is to add 15ml/L of 0.2% benzothiazole (BZT). Process a print without any BZT as a reference, then add BZT to the developer and make another print and compare. Repeat this process until you see a change in the degree of fogging. This will not eliminate fogging, but will reduce the amount of fogging. Steve Anchell's book "The Darkroom Cookbook" has a little section on this process.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Darwin
 
I've done the same by adding Potassium Bromide. You'll get to a point where enough is enough and more won't make any difference. Your print might end up a little warm, but I like a warmer look for some things anyway. JW
 
'Not interested in improving the fogged paper by way of chemistry, but just continuing to use it as it is. Like I asked, anyone do this? Seems like such a waste to throw out.
 
I have some perfectly evenly fogged Kodak Bromide Star paper which expired in August of 1946. I never got around to "rescue attempts" and simply use it as is:
 

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