Ilfolith IH3

[dphill]

I just found a box of this film (4x5 sheets) in a storage container.
Has to be from the '70s.

I will be working in the darkroom this weekend and wondered if I could get some advice on how to test it.

Should I just expose half of a sheet to room light and develop in some Bromophen?

Thanks,
Dan

 

[htmlguru4242]

Exposing it to room light is not going to do much for you, other than result in a black sheet of film.

You could try running a part of an unexposed sheet through your process, to ensure that it isn't fogged.

I'd shoot a sheet or partial sheet it in-camera, develop, and see what you get.

The name "Ilfolith" would lead me to believe that it is a lith (or graphics art) film.

Lith films (in my [limited] experience, seem to fall somewhere from the single-digit ISO numbers up through 25-ish or a little higher. Shoot it around ISO 8 or ISO 16 and see what you get. They are high contrast to very high contrast, so you'll eventually need to compensate for that in development. I've had great luck with Caffenol LC (coffee-based developer), but I've found that Dektol at half the strength you'd use for paper works well.

So, in all, I'd say develop an unexposed strip to see what you get, shoot a piece in-camera, and develop it in your paper developer for testing. From there you'll have to tweak!

It's probably safe to assume that this film can be used with a red safelight, and can be developed by inspection.

Good luck!

I'm expecting that others with more experience will add to, correct, or prove me completely wrong, as some people here have alot of experience in this field.

 

[dphill]

Well yes I meant that I would expose one half of the sheet. A contact print most likely as I do not have a sheet film camera.
Thanks for the response.
Dan

 

[dphill]

Also, if the film is viable, I plan to play with other film developers as you suggested.

Thanks again,
Dan

 

[Papa Tango]

Exposing half the sheet to light is not going to give you any really usable information. As HTMLguru noted, development of an unexposed sheet will tell you whether the film is fogged due to heat or other sorts of degradation. If not, then you can proceed to experiment with controlled exposures.

 

[htmlguru4242]

Ah, you don't have a sheet film camera!

You can always do what I did before I gained access to one; cut the film down.

If you have a 120 camera, cut it down to size to fit the frame, and just place the film into the film gate. You could also do this with a 35mm rig, I suppose, but I'm not sure how useful the results from that would be.

 

[dphill]

Resolution

Well, I did some contact prints onto the film.
I used Bromophen 1+7.
There is some fog (as can be expected) but still useable.
I did not spend the time to "dial in" the development time, that comes later.
The film is drying right now, so tomorrow I will put it to the loupe and get more information.

Thanks for your suggestions.
Dan

 

[haryanto]

I developed Fuji Lith film, with dektol 1:20 to 1:40, time is 3-5 minutes, 20 Celcius, dev by inspections, i got normal result not too contrasty

 

[dphill]

I developed Fuji Lith film, with dektol 1:20 to 1:40, time is 3-5 minutes, 20 Celcius, dev by inspections, i got normal result not too contrasty

Thanks for the information,
I'll try that in my next darkroom session.

Dan