Ilford Warmtone

DrPablo · Dec 7, 2006

I've been very pleased with this paper, both for dodging/burning and for selenium-toning.

I have two problems with it, though.

First, it curls up when drying (which never happens to me with Ilford MGII and MGIV). I don't have a print dryer. This has happened to me both hanging it and lying it flat.

Second, it has almost no lustre at all. I have the matte version, so I'm not expecting it to gleam and shine, but it looks sort of dull to me.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

Leon · Dec 7, 2006

I find it dries reasonably flat if dried slowly face down on a screen , then a week under a few heavy weights finshes the job nicely. As for the finish - matte is what it says - matte! if you're looking for a brighter finish, try the glossy version.

Jerevan · Dec 7, 2006

Ditto Leons' answer: It curls but heavy books or dry press makes it less so. And yes, it's not glossy but I guess ferrotyping could make it slightly more shiny. Actually, the Ilford Warmtone 24K is semi-matt while the normal 5K is really matt. It's a small difference but enough to differ for me. I like both.

winger · Dec 7, 2006

fiber is always more matte than RC, even the glossy. The Ilford warmtone glossy is really nice. I agree about the curl to some extent. The faster it dries, the more it will curl, btw. So now that the humidity in Mass is llooowwww, I'd expect a bit more curl. And flattening fiber prints is what coffee table books are really for.

David Lingham · Dec 7, 2006

I MGWT to dry fairly flat by air drying two prints back to back, pegged in each corner. Then finish off with a few good books.

David Lingham · Dec 7, 2006

Should read my posts more carefully before submitting. Should have read: I GET MGWT to dry....... sorry

don sigl · Dec 7, 2006

Increasing humidity will help the paper dry flat. You might want to think about getting a small humidifier and see if you can increase humidity to 50-60%. The print will dry much flatter. Another oprion is to find access to a dry mount press somewhere. I usually place fiber prints in the dry mount press at fairly low heat after they have completely dried. Then under weight for a few minutes.
If you are looking for an alternative WT FB paper, you might want to consider Forte PWT. Its has a very clean white base and has considerably more toning sensitivity than the Ilford.

Michel Hardy-Vallée · Dec 7, 2006

My lazy dry-mount press is a pair of watercolor paper sheets and a clothes iron. When the print is dry but not bone-dry, I place it between the two sheets of paper and iron (start with lowest heat!) the whole sandwich on my board until it's bone-dry. I manage to get prints that are perfectly or almost perfectly flat. Sometimes during the ironing procedure I pick the photo out and bend it against the natural folding direction to help it.

rjas · Dec 7, 2006

I find that drying prints on paper clips sometimes curls em, sometimes doesn't. depends on how long ago the laundry was left hanging in the room (depends on the humidity). Either way, a couple days under some heavy boxes / books makes em as flat as they can be without being dry mounted.

Ole · Dec 7, 2006

I gave up the struggle some years ago and bought a second-hand 50x60cm (20x24") drying press. Works like a dream - FB prints are now dry and flat when RC prints are still wet underneath.

If you find one you can afford, buy it.

DrPablo · Dec 7, 2006

I have enough medical textbooks to flatten anything, so that shouldn't be a problem. Next time I'll be smart enough to let it completely dry before putting a weight on top, as it stuck to the book. Live and learn

FrankB · Dec 7, 2006

I combine two tips:

From Les McLean - Squeegee the print well front and back and then dry face-down (I start mine face-up and then turn them over when they just barely start to curl at the very edges)

From Aggie - Iron them (between two cloths, medium/low heat, no steam)

Bob F. · Dec 7, 2006

DrPablo said:
I have enough medical textbooks to flatten anything, so that shouldn't be a problem. Next time I'll be smart enough to let it completely dry before putting a weight on top, as it stuck to the book. Live and learn

I did once put it in a heated press between mount board while it was still damp: talk about emulsion transfer! Warmtone emulsions seem to be prone to sticking when damp - don't know why. Does not seem to be a problem when putting them face down on screens though.

Cheers, Bob.

Rob Archer · Dec 8, 2006

I dry FB papers by hanging them in pairs back-to-back with clothes pegs on all 4 corners. (I did have a few disasters at first though with 12x16s as they are quite heavy when wet and the clothes pegs were'nt strong enough! It's the quickest way to find out how dirty your darkroom floor is!). When they're dry they are still a bit curly at the edges but after a few days in a box the seem to flatten out naturally.

Rob

pentaxuser · Dec 9, 2006

Before considering an expensive flat press, you might want to wait until Ilford announces its new flat fibre paper. I think Simon Galley said in the New Year which I presumed meant in the first couple of months or so of 2007.

I wonder how Ilford plans are progressing on this?

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