I don't want to trash paper...

fdonadio · Nov 3, 2020

Hello, fellows!

I have been printing some of my negatives lately. Went into a pretty long (for my standards) printing session this weekend and got 12 really cool 12x16" prints on Fomaspeed Variant matte. Although I did my test strips, I still managed to get seven unacceptable full-sized prints — bad dodging or wrong contrast grade, for example.

OK, I know these are "cheap" resin-coated sheets of paper, but it doesn't feel quite right to just toss 'em into the bin. If I could be sure they wouldn't sit in a landfill somewhere, maybe I'd just do it, but this is Brazil and recycling is not something really important here.

I know the silver content in a handful of sheets is negligible, but I'm sure there will be more. Again, not really that much more, but...

The thing is: I would like to keep the paper. Maybe I can use it to practice silver-gelatine emulsion coating. Besides several other boxes of RC paper, there's a box of Fomabrom and that beautiful paper shouldn't belong in the trash, should I make the same mistakes again.

So, I ask: am I being too stingy? If now, how could I do this? Rehal-bleaching, clearing, fixing and washing? Or is there a better (cheaper, faster, safer, etc.) way?

Cheers,
Flavio

Kino · Nov 3, 2020

Here's a thread on another site that explores this subject.

Alan9940 · Nov 3, 2020

If you've ever had an interest in exploring various toning techniques, you could use these "wasted" prints for that. You could cut 'em up and use a scrap paper for notes, etc.

Horatio · Nov 3, 2020

Bind them into a journal and write on the backs.

Ian Grant · Nov 3, 2020

With Matt papers they look very different wet to dry, it might save wastage to dry the test strips before fully evaluating them. A hair-dryer works well AA used a micro-wave but that's a bit dodgy really.

Ian

Doremus Scudder · Nov 3, 2020

12 really nice prints and only seven rejects? You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din! I'm really lucky to get 50% keepers, usually it's way less.

I use fiber-base paper and the reject prints get torn up and tossed in the trash. The paper recycling can't use them. There's also no way I know to economically and practically send them somewhere for silver recycling, so the trash is the only alternative.

With RC papers you've got the extra plastic to think about, but I doubt you'll find any other reasonable alternative to just throwing them away.

Maybe someone here has a better alternative.

Doremus

BradS · Nov 3, 2020

are you distressed about throwing away the mistakes?

fdonadio · Nov 3, 2020

Hey, guys! Thanks for all the ideas, even binding and using the paper for notes. If I can’t do what I think I could do, that’s a very valid tip.

I checked the link @Kino sent and it mentions something very important: if hardening fixer was used, the image may not bleach totally.

I’m gonna try Farmer’s reducer and see what I get.

Doremus Scudder said:
12 really nice prints and only seven rejects? You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din! I'm really lucky to get 50% keepers, usually it's way less.

Thanks! I am not a great printer, I think. But I am not aiming to make master-printer-quality prints anyway. I think they are good enough. I can judge one negative apparent contrast and density based on the negative I printed just before it, so it doesn’t take me a lot of time to get exposure and dodging times in the right ballpark. All of the photos from my last printing session were shot on the same film stock, in the same location and with the same camera... that helps too.

BradS said:
are you distressed about throwing away the mistakes?

Yes, that’s pretty much it. I care more for the paper than the images. It’s not cheap (although it’s not that expensive either), so I thought I might try to give that paper a second life.

BradS · Nov 3, 2020

if you're concerned about the economics, I'd suggest that you consider the total cost, including the potential environmental cost (of further chemical usage, for example) of trying to recycle the paper.

ic-racer · Nov 3, 2020

I use my 'bad' prints to practice bleaching. You can also treat the whole print and bleach with re-development. .

fdonadio · Nov 4, 2020

BradS said:
if you're concerned about the economics, I'd suggest that you consider the total cost, including the potential environmental cost (of further chemical usage, for example) of trying to recycle the paper.

Yes, that’s a very valid concern.

fdonadio · Nov 4, 2020

Today I practiced spotting on some of the prints. I’m pretty lousy at that, so I stopped to search for video tutorials.

fdonadio · Dec 19, 2020

Just to five this thread the “closure” ir deserves: I practiced spotting and, then, trashed the paper. Kinda sad to tear those big sheets and throwing them in the bin, but I guess it happens.

logan2z · Dec 19, 2020

Spotting practice is what I was going to suggest.

I print on fiber paper and usually 'waste' a handful of sheets before converging on a print I'm happy with. I figure if I spend $10-$15 or so on materials to produce something worthy of framing and displaying then it's money well spent.

eddie · Dec 19, 2020

Like you, I use rejects to aid in spotting. I also use them to test hand-coloring effects. Since you're using a matte paper, if it's something that interests you...

relistan · Dec 19, 2020

I often keep rejects and mark them up with what I want to do next time to make it better. Then I have a really good point of reference the next time I'm in the darkroom.

mnemosyne · Dec 19, 2020

If you plan to frame and display your keepers, I strongly suggest that you tone them before doing so. You could use your rejects to find a toning sequence that gives satisfactory results. The reason I suggest this is that Fomaspeed appears to be prone to bronzing/silvering problems when framed under glass. I have read several times about this issue and just ran into it myself with a framed 20x24" prints of the matte flavor of Fomatone RC showing signs of bronzing after 5 years on display. There are other 20x24" prints I did at the same time, framed and displayed the same way, which are unaffected. Difference is that the latter prints are toned ... I do like the look of Foma RC paper matte surface under glass and will keep using it for the really large prints, where processing of FB paper is not really practical for me, but I will make sure to tone each and every print...

Sirius Glass · Dec 19, 2020

Test strips and to put under the grain focuser.

fdonadio · Dec 19, 2020

Thanks everybody for the suggestions. Now I feel bad I trashed all rejects, but there’ll be more soon.

I don't want to trash paper...

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