Thanks for the advice. I never knew about this place and the price is good..I tried to order some Kentmere FB directly from the Canadian distributor, Amplis, and had my order cancelled. Their stock was out of date and did not have an estimate of when they could get more in... Ilford stock was good, Kentmere, especially in fibre base, not available. I now see the FB is removed from their website. RC Kentmere shows in stock https://store.amplis.com/collection...mere-rc-vc-select-fine-lustre-16x20-50-sheets
I never knew about this place
one of the best range ot FB papers, beating Ilford hands down, which I suspect is why Harman stopped it
I know I almost cried into my beer when Kentmere FB paper was no more, it had been my main stay for many years, one of the best range ot FB papers, beating Ilford hands down, which I suspect is why Harman stopped it,
The type of papers that Kentmere made, Bromide, their warmtone paper waslike nothing else, and the surface they used for it was almost like old leather, they made a range of special art papers, that lithed like nothing else, and when Harman rook them over they promised to continue with them or re make them, I used my last Kentmere last year,As it happens, I've recently made a few prints on the Kentmere paper to use up old stocks. It still works well with a very pleasing dead-neutral image tone but I'm curious to find out in what way you found it superior to the ILFORD products?
I believe Ilfpord di just that, their new MG5 I have tested against some original Kentmere RC paper and it is, pretty much the same as the original Kentmere pre the take over, I have the numbers for the old kentmere programed into my RH Analyser/pro, fro many years ago, when |I set out the programe the new ilford the contrast and offset I got was EXACTLY the same as the Kentmere contrast/offset I have for old Kentmere, the Harman Kentmere is different, they are so much alike that it can't be co incidence, it even tones as well as old Kentmere, which was the best RC paper for toning I have ever used, in over 50 years of darkroom, It was Kentmere that persuaded me that FB prints could be as good as FB, and the new Ilford is exactly the same, as good as FB, so I am again happy with RC prints, plus Kentmere papers were in so many ways better than anything Ilford made, and often outsold Ilford due to the range of papers they made, some pretty much exclusive, the nearest replacement for one of Kentmere's range is Art 300, but Kentmere made a range of art papers, some on triple weight paper,bromide papers, and the best WT paper around, plus paper that lithed like no other, and all gone now despite promises to bring them back, we are still waiting.It's an almost invisible retailer. It's a bit of a mystery how they can be the official Ilford distributor in Canada. The stock is buried in their website and disorganized.
Kentmere FB definitely has its fans but it would be pretty weird for a parent company to outright stop one product from being manufactured to prop up another - they could just rebrand it Ilford.
It made sense for Harman to continue merchandizing some Kentmere products as their lower cost line, aimed at the school market. So they moved production of those products to the "Ilford" plant.
That didn't happen with the FB paper.
That may have been manufactured in the Kentmere facility, before it was shut down. It may also have been manufactured before the purchase of Kentmere and cut and packaged by Harman,I would have to double check but I think I may have some FB Kentmere paper with the 'Harman Technology' corporate info incorporated.
they realized that due to environmental concerns they had to shut that plant down
I don't know that it was "concern", although that may have contributed.That would be spin. There is no actual reason a company would run two b&w photographic paper factories thus far into this century. They likely bought it specifically to shut down the plant and absorb its consumers.
Nothing has ever been shut down due to concern for the environment.
I would have to double check but I think I may have some FB Kentmere paper with the 'Harman Technology' corporate info incorporated.
That would be spin. There is no actual reason a company would run two b&w photographic paper factories thus far into this century. They likely bought it specifically to shut down the plant and absorb its consumers.
Nothing has ever been shut down due to concern for the environment.
Thanks for the advice. I never knew about this place and the price is good..
Environmental concerns are what have driven a number of changes in emulsions over the decades
Henry's seems to not want to stock Film
Generally not the environmental concerns of the manufacturers, but through the banning of the material being used. Ilford has changed film and paper emulsions several times for that reason (eg., going from FP4 to FP4+).
Odd to buy a factory without seeing it in operation or looking through it to see the state of things.
ammonium salts to sodium salts in order to upgrade the hardener
So.... why did they need to change the hardener? As in, what would be the motivation to invest in the reworking of an emulsion to make it behave exactly like the previous iteration? It's really just a question, not a challenge to anyone's belief.
FP4 to FP4+ was a complete reformulation from using ammonium salts to sodium salts in order to upgrade the hardener - nothing environmental related.
It is possible, using the Advanced Search function and the screen name Simon R Galleyunfortunately it does not seem possible to search for Simon's posts.
when Simon Galley was here, I believe he said that the Plus versions were based on using the higher control available on their new automated systems rather then any major difference in the chemistry of the film. I may be mis-rembering, and unfortunately it does not seem possible to search for Simon's posts.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?