How to DIY photographic paper

[Pinholegz]

Hello
I m new here. I ve been reading for a while about pinhole cameras and other related techniques. I want to do my own photografic paper. Any tips? I don't want to expend many money, because I m a beginner ans probably first tries will go bad.
I read that beet is good for Anthotype. Is also good idea to use in a pinhole camera or in a solargraphy?
I was thinking what about to do a mix of lemon + salt. I prefer natural ingredients.(Silver nitrate looks dangerous ).
Thank you.

 

[NedL]

It will probably be too slow for a pinhole camera, or almost any camera. If you can find some low cost photographic paper, you can do solargraphy. With some developer and fixer, you can get started with pinhole photos!

 

[MattKing]

For clarity, "too slow" means not sensitive enough to light.

 

[koraks]

I read that beet is good for Anthotype. Is also good idea to use in a pinhole camera or in a solargraphy?

No. Your exposure would take many months. In that timeframe, the paper treated with beetroot would likely degrade by other means (e.g. fungus/rot etc.)

I was thinking what about to do a mix of lemon + salt.

That won't yield a light-sensitive compound.

(Silver nitrate looks dangerous ).

It's not very dangerous, per se, but it tends to leave very nasty stains.

There are several recipes for making a photographic paper (based on silver nitrate) online. A good resource to start reading is here: http://thelightfarm.com/
You'll also find several recipes in this sub-forum here on Photrio: https://www.photrio.com/forum/forums/silver-gelatin-based-emulsion-making-coating.93/

I m a beginner ans probably first tries will go bad.

The best way to start is by buying some ready-made photo paper. It'll be easier to use, faster than anything you can DIY (which matters a lot with pinhole) and it'll be cheaper than acquiring the equipment and ingredients to make and coat your own emulsions. The technical quality will also be infinitely better.
A pack of e.g. Fomaspeed RC paper in a small size (10x15xm or 13x18cm) isn't very expensive, neither are a small bottle of paper developer and fixer.

 

[selyfriday]

Alternatively you might also be able to find people selling their old stockpiles of darkroom paper for lots cheaper than fresh new boxes. These are pretty good still for trial and error starting out I've found. Also for developing said paper you could also perhaps use caffenol (a mix of instant coffee powder, washing soda and vit. c powder).

 

[Pinholegz]

It will probably be too slow for a pinhole camera, or almost any camera. If you can find some low cost photographic paper, you can do solargraphy. With some developer and fixer, you can get started with pinhole photos!

Thank you I was looking on the internet but It cost like 30€. ..

 

[Donald Qualls]

Also for developing said paper you could also perhaps use caffenol (a mix of instant coffee powder, washing soda and vit. c powder).

And you can easily make your own fixer from sodium thiosulfate sold in pool & spa suppliers as chlorine reducer. It's pretty cheap that way, too. By easy I mean 240 g of thiosulfate per liter of water, use it one printing/developing session or one day, and discard. Or you could buy some sodium sulfite from an Amazon seller and add 30 g per liter of that, and use the fixer for up to 30 8x10 prints (or 120 4x5).

There are many cheap ways to do this. They aren't always the best ways, but they'll work fine until you get some experience.

 

[Donald Qualls]

I was looking on the internet but It cost like 30€. ..

Look on eBay for new old stock or expired photo paper -- it should be a good bit less. There's a small risk of getting paper that's badly fogged, but mostly it'll have only a very light fog if any, and you can work with that for pinhole negatives, at the least.

 

[Pinholegz]

No. Your exposure would take many months. In that timeframe, the paper treated with beetroot would likely degrade by other means (e.g. fungus/rot etc.)



That won't yield a light-sensitive compound.



It's not very dangerous, per se, but it tends to leave very nasty stains.

There are several recipes for making a photographic paper (based on silver nitrate) online. A good resource to start reading is here: http://thelightfarm.com/
You'll also find several recipes in this sub-forum here on Photrio: https://www.photrio.com/forum/forums/silver-gelatin-based-emulsion-making-coating.93/



The best way to start is by buying some ready-made photo paper. It'll be easier to use, faster than anything you can DIY (which matters a lot with pinhole) and it'll be cheaper than acquiring the equipment and ingredients to make and coat your own emulsions. The technical quality will also be infinitely better.
A pack of e.g. Fomaspeed RC paper in a small size (10x15xm or 13x18cm) isn't very expensive, neither are a small bottle of paper developer and fixer.

Thank you! I ll take a look to that webs. . Do you recommend me any online shop to buy any of that? In my area looks difficult to find a local shop that sells any of that.

 

[Pinholegz]

Alternatively you might also be able to find people selling their old stockpiles of darkroom paper for lots cheaper than fresh new boxes. These are pretty good still for trial and error starting out I've found. Also for developing said paper you could also perhaps use caffenol (a mix of instant coffee powder, washing soda and vit. c powder).

I didn't think about that. Yes the caffenol was my idea for developing. It looks like can work nice. Thank you.

 

[Pinholegz]

And you can easily make your own fixer from sodium thiosulfate sold in pool & spa suppliers as chlorine reducer. It's pretty cheap that way, too. By easy I mean 240 g of thiosulfate per liter of water, use it one printing/developing session or one day, and discard. Or you could buy some sodium sulfite from an Amazon seller and add 30 g per liter of that, and use the fixer for up to 30 8x10 prints (or 120 4x5).

There are many cheap ways to do this. They aren't always the best ways, but they'll work fine until you get some experience.

Thank you. I m a bit lost. But now I have many things to read and try

 

[Pinholegz]

Look on eBay for new old stock or expired photo paper -- it should be a good bit less. There's a small risk of getting paper that's badly fogged, but mostly it'll have only a very light fog if any, and you can work with that for pinhole negatives, at the least.

I took some pictures with a 15 years old expired film and the pictures after the developing were quite better than I expected so for pinhole can be ok. I m not expecting to take really god quality pictures. It looks interesting to use some techniques from the past and let's see what I can do.

 

[Donald Qualls]

I've got some pinhole pictures I'm very happy with that were made on some pretty old film.

Fixer-Upper #2

• Donald Qualls
• May 3, 2021

A different angle on this falling-in ruin.

 

[koraks]

Do you recommend me any online shop to buy any of that?

I'm sorry, I'm not very well aware of the shops in Spain, specifically (or perhaps Portugal if you'd like to order from just across the border).
I do know that @hiroh has fairly recently moved to Portugal and has been sourcing materials lately. I think he also did some forays into the Spanish market, so perhaps he could comment. We have some more members especially from the east coast, but the names evade me at the moment.

 

[Pinholegz]

I've got some pinhole pictures I'm very happy with that were made on some pretty old film.

Fixer-Upper #2

• Donald Qualls
• May 3, 2021

A different angle on this falling-in ruin.

Congrats! Really beautiful picture.
I m definitely going to get some paper. First try was as I expected, a disaster. But at least I learn how to develop with caffenol.

 

[Pinholegz]

I'm sorry, I'm not very well aware of the shops in Spain, specifically (or perhaps Portugal if you'd like to order from just across the border).
I do know that @hiroh has fairly recently moved to Portugal and has been sourcing materials lately. I think he also did some forays into the Spanish market, so perhaps he could comment. We have some more members especially from the east coast, but the names evade me at the moment.

So do I. I live in the north west Spain (Galicia) Portugal is really close. But if analogic photography is not that popular I guess with pinhole technique there are even less people.Thank you for the tips!

 

[Dan Dozer]

If you want to make your own photo paper and make silver based prints, you have to use Silver Nitrate and you have to look at the cost for that. You can use pre-mixed liquid emulsion (like Liquid Light or from FOMA or Rollei) but that is somewhat more expensive as well. However, those products are very easy to use and produce very good results. The least expensive normal photo process is probably cyanotype and it's pretty easy to do. For making your own silver based paper, I recommend either Denise Ross's book "The Handmade Silver Gelatin Emulsion Print" or Martin Reed and Sarah Jones book "Silver Gelatin". Hope this helps.

 

[Kino]

Hello
I m new here. I ve been reading for a while about pinhole cameras and other related techniques. I want to do my own photografic paper. Any tips? I don't want to expend many money, because I m a beginner ans probably first tries will go bad.

I don't want to sound unsympathetic or like a jerk, but you need to expect failures to learn how the materials work. Doing research, taking good notes in the field and in the darkroom will help minimize your failure rate, but photochemical photography always has a certain level of uncertainty that is overcome with experience; good and bad.

The main thing is to persevere and don't get discouraged because failures also give you very valuable information that instant success would not otherwise provide.

 

[koraks]

But if analogic photography is not that popular I guess with pinhole technique there are even less people.

No, but in the end, it doesn't matter what other people are using the paper for. Also, I'm sure there wil be one or two online shops that can ship some paper to you at reasonable cost. It's a fairly common product and not necessarily very expensive. Again, I'd recommend starting with something like Foma Fomaspeed, although Kentmere paper would be fine, too, or Adox EasyPrint. Start with an RC/PE paper, not a fiber-based baryta paper.

 

[Pinholegz]

I don't want to sound unsympathetic or like a jerk, but you need to expect failures to learn how the materials work. Doing research, taking good notes in the field and in the darkroom will help minimize your failure rate, but photochemical photography always has a certain level of uncertainty that is overcome with experience; good and bad.

The main thing is to persevere and don't get discouraged because failures also give you very valuable information that instant success would not otherwise provide.

Don't worry, is ok. I was busy. But hopefully I can start soon to try. It s really difficult to find the paper. I asked to some local shops and they were like oh are you going to try that kind of photography? . They don't sell paper. And films b&w are like almost 20€...

 

[Pinholegz]

No, but in the end, it doesn't matter what other people are using the paper for. Also, I'm sure there wil be one or two online shops that can ship some paper to you at reasonable cost. It's a fairly common product and not necessarily very expensive. Again, I'd recommend starting with something like Foma Fomaspeed, although Kentmere paper would be fine, too, or Adox EasyPrint. Start with an RC/PE paper, not a fiber-based baryta paper.

I looked for that in wallapop and omg really expensive. The sellers may think they are selling vintage paper. But I ll Keep looking. Otherwise I m going to have to do my own with the original materials

 

[Kino]

Don't worry, is ok. I was busy. But hopefully I can start soon to try. It s really difficult to find the paper. I asked to some local shops and they were like oh are you going to try that kind of photography? . They don't sell paper. And films b&w are like almost 20€...

You can shoot X-ray film in 8x10 with a pinhole camera and print cyanotype images. X-ray film is much less expensive; about $50 USD for 50 sheets of 8x10 inch film (my local price for Fuji HR-U), which can be cut into 4 - 4x5 sheets, which is still large enough for a reasonable size contact printed image. The film can be handled under red safe light without fogging and processed by time/temperature or by visual inspection. The big drawback is how sensitive it is to scratches; you have to be really careful when you handle it and use a hardening fixer to minimize scratching.

The camera can be constructed out of cardboard with a suitable pinhole for practically no cost and you can make it any size you like.

Cyanotype paper is made with two chemicals and coated onto watercolor paper, and after exposure, simply "developed" in water.

It may not be your "cup of tea", but it is better than no resources at all.

 

[pentaxuser]

You can shoot X-ray film in 8x10 with a pinhole camera and print cyanotype images. X-ray film is much less expensive; about $50 USD for 50 sheets of 8x10 inch film (my local price for Fuji HR-U), which can be cut into 4 - 4x5 sheets, which is still large enough for a reasonable size contact printed image.

I may be wrong but from his comment on 30 euros being too expensive then it looks as if 50 U.S. dollars would be too much as well

It might help if the OP can tell us what his upper limit is in terms of expenditure on everything he needs for either commercial paper or coating his own paper and then developing it

pentaxuser

 

[koraks]

I looked for that in wallapop and omg really expensive.

FOMASPEED Variant 311 10,5x14,8 cm/ 25h Brillo - FotoCarrete.com

FOMASPEED Variant 311 10,5×14,8 cm/ 25h Brillo Papel RC – Contraste Variable. FOMASPEED VARIANT es un papel para positivado blanco y negro con base de resina (RC). Color Blanco. Se fabrica en acabado Brillo y Mate. Papel de contraste variable. Su contraste varía mediante el uso de filtros de...

fotocarrete.com

€13 for 25 sheets. I just Googled with what little broken Spanish I know/could guess.
I honestly think you just need to do a little more searching.

I don't know much about Wallapop but as far as I can tell it's a second hand marketplace. That's not the first place to look to buy brand new photo paper.

 

[Donald Qualls]

It s really difficult to find the paper.

Since you're in EU, you might look at fotoimpex.de -- they're a very complete photo supplier located in Berlin and ship to the entire EU at reasonable rates (overseas as well, but that gets expensive, too much so for small orders). They're also the retail arm of Adox, so if anyone has Adox products it'll be them. They also carry Foma, Ilford, and I think ORWO.