Ilfobrom

[Krzys]

So after printing RC paper and having a yearning for fiber I saw some cheap older paper going on ebay

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100 unopened Ilfobrom 1 8x10 double weight
~50 Ilfobrom 3 5x7 double weight
~70 Ilfobrom 0 8x10 (does this mean premium?) double weight
25 of an unidentifiable paper, the box has a red label and makes a reference to 'silk' 8x10
~85 Ilfobrom 4 8x10 double weight

and

~180 Kodak B&W paper 8x10 (2 boxes)

From what I can gather (from dealing with this seller in the past) this belonged to a photographer who is no longer with us. Sorry for making any assumptions but it is obvious from the messages we exchanged.

If the paper turns out to be a dud then Ill use it to make contact prints and experiment. It was cheap. What do you guys think? Can you tell me a little about Ilfobrom or the Kodak paper?

 

[Mark Antony]

I used Ilfobrom in the early 1980's it was a cool/neutral toned paper with deep blacks on a white (as opposed to cream) paper fibre base. I think the number is just the grade, Its nice paper-enjoy

 

[Krzys]

I originally assumed that the number was the grade. I only have knowledge on VC paper, not graded. So any info on this subject would be appreciated

 

[Ian Grant]

I began using Ilfobrom in the late 60's it's an excellent paper, and it keeps well, the number is the grade. Bromide papers last far longer in storage than warm ton chlorobromide/bromochloride papers, the tend to slow down and lose a little contrast. I have paper from the 60's that's perfectly usable still.

Grade 0 is extremely soft, most people never needed to use it.

Ian

 

[AFlood]

grade 0 is very low contrast, I think you can get 00 which is even lower.

 

[Krzys]

I hear that fogging is the major concern. A loss of contrast wouldn't bother me.

 

[Ian Grant]

My experience is that the old Bromide papers (Ilford & Kodak) I have or had didn't fog, but warm-tone papers do.

Ian

 

[Krzys]

Thank you. Any recommended developers would be great too. I obviously have a supply of Mulitgrade...

 

[Anon Ymous]

Krzys, in case you find that some of the paper is fogged, try getting a sheet from the middle of the stack. An unopened box of old MGIV FB I have had the top sheet fogged, but the second was absolutely perfect!

 

[Mark Antony]

I used Ilford Bromophen back in the day which came as a powder. I can't see your pic (blocked by my server) have you any idea what the Kodak stock is? I also had some Kodak Royal Bromesko at the same time also good stuff...
Mark

 

[Krzys]

No idea at all. Which is why I posted the pic. Ill upload to a different host and edit my original post.

 

[Ian Grant]

Multigrade dev should be fine, I usually used PQ Uninversal but they aren't much different.

Ian

 

[Krzys]

How do the filters I use for VC paper come into play? Or are they not used at all?

 

[Ian Grant]

Not used at all. Get yourself a good book something like Langford, Basic Photography, or go se waht 's in the library.

Ian

 

[laparn]

How do the filters I use for VC paper come into play? Or are they not used at all?

Graded=no need of filter if not required to extend the exposure time. E.g for burning etc.

This is a great paper but somewhat thin and far from Museum or double weight. Don´t know the manuf. year I have but I´d say it is from late 80´s och early 90´s (if still in production then?).

Blacks are deep and still a white base I can´t say it is cold.

Even though you use fixed graded papers you can easily adjust the contrast. The easy option is to trix with the dilution of the developer but also try different development times, higher developer temperature, bleach in weak ferri, selenium toning etc.

To increase contrats, try over exposing somewhat and "snatch" from the developer at a fair contrast judged by vision. I´d say you can move at least two grades applying this method.

To lower contrast, try stand development. I.e agitate initiallly but when blacks are emerging just stop agitation temporarily and let the whites catch up. Developer exhausts quicker in black areas but keep going in white and contrast decrease.

Most efficient is to over expose and develop normally. The whites can then be bleached back in weak ferri (part A in Sepia toner for instance) to the extent you prefer. Due to overexposure, blacks keep in good healt even in bleach.

Try anything and you will be wiser!
Have a nice weekend!

 

[Krzys]

Sorry I forget to say that Ilford are all double weight (except for the one I cant identify). Why is this favorable?

 

[Terrence Brennan]

Old paper

It depends on how old the paper is, and how it has been kept, but you will probably find that the D Max is low, and the D Min (stain) is high.

I have a roll of Kodabrome II paper, 9-3/8" x 275' I bought on eBay some years ago for a few dollars, and it exhibits the problems noted above. I also have four boxes of Zone VI Brilliant paper, grades 1 through 4, a friend gave me, and they have a slight ammount of fog, and a slightly low D Max. I solved that by adding 100mL of a 2% benzitriazole per litre of working strength D-72 developer, and they compared favorably to sample prints done on Foma and (sadly!) the last of my AGFA multicontrast. The benzitriazole also cooled the image tone down a bit, as well.

I use the Kodabrome II paper as clean up sheets for my Rapiline 66 processor. I cut several 26' lengths of paper, and feed them sideways through the processor, which does a fine job of cleaning the dirt from the rollers.

 

[Martin Reed]

I wouldn't spend too much on that lot. The later Ilfobrom packs, ie the ones with the stripes are later, maybe around 20 years old, before the Ilfobrom and Galerie ranges were merged. The grade 0 with the 'star' logo could be much older. 'Silk' is the nasty textured surface that most colour enprints used in the 1970's to try to minimise graininess, which again dates the Ilfospeed to at least 20 years old. And as most of the packs have been opened, contamination may have affected the contents, and frequently someone who doesn't know what photo paper is has taken the lid off in daylight to have a look.

 

[Keith Tapscott.]

It is highly likely that those papers are unusable. I have recently thrown away some Kentona papers (non-cadmium version) because it had lost contrast.

 

[Ian Grant]

I'd add to Martin's comments that trying to economise by buying old paper is not a good move for someone with little or no experience. It's likely to hinder and complicate your learning process, and actually hold you back.

All the older papers I have came free or in job lots where I got more than my money's worth from the equipment etc, there's no way I'd spend any money on old untested papers, regardless of how cheap.

Ian

 

[fotch]

Some (but not all) Kodak papers have developer incorporated in them and don't keep as well.

 

[MattKing]

There might be some usable paper in the batch, but I wouldn't count on anything being fog free.

Playing around with them would, however, give you a chance to learn how to deal with some of the other issues that arise with FB paper (two bath fixing, longer wash times, drying and dealing with/avoiding curl) and give you a little bit of a feel for some of the difference in appearance as compared to RC.

I'd suggest having some fun - the chemistry is cheap.

Matt

 

[Krzys]

Can anyone give any info on the quantities of benzitriazole to use in which developer to combat fogging? Would be a neat learning experience if the paper is badly fogged.

 

[Krzys]

No fogging on any of the Ilford paper, at least not to my untrained eye. Have not tried the Kodak paper yet.

 

[Martin Reed]

Even if there's no perceptible fog it doesn't mean the paper is working well, it's probably going to be muddy and just not a lot of fun to print with - and you might look at the prints and wonder what's wrong. At least treat yourself to one fresh pack and then you've got a yardstick to compare to.

It's like the difference between scrambled egg from fresh free range eggs compared to the dreadful stuff you get in cheap hotels that comes out of a packet.