Kodak Pan Masking Film

Andrew O'Neill

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Found a box containing several 25 sheet boxes of Kodak Pan Masking film. It's been laying around in the cupboards since 1974, when the yearbook was all camera-ready stuff. Being labelled Pan, I am assuming that it is sensitive to all colours on the spectrum... I would LOVE for my photo students to be able to use this stuff in their pinhole cameras. Has anyone used it for continuous tone photography? I've used ortho copy film and developers such as LC-1B with good results. EI was around 16 or so... By the way, expiry date is 1974! So it's probably fogged to hell and back... but I would like a go. So, if you have any experience using this stuff for continuous tone work, I'd love to hear from you. I am taking a box home to fart around with over the Christmas break... Cheers!

Andrew
 

Craig75

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Kodak has some dilutions and times here if you havent seen them. Im assuming the times are for low contrast masks so they should give you continuous tones.

http://imaging.kodakalaris.com/sites/uat/files/wysiwyg/pro/chemistry/j24.pdf

Few goes at contact printing stepwedge should dial it in to where you want it.

Kodak's Creative Darkroom Book gives 4 minutes in 1:4 DK-50 to make low contrast mask as an aside.

I've only used Aristo litho but 2 mins in weak multigrade paper developer gave 5 stops on a stepwedge which might be starting point too if you'd prefer to use paper developer instead of film developer
 

Craig75

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Just to correct what i said

"Dilutions C, D, and E seem to have been designed to match, respectively, the developing times of DK-50, DK-50 1:1, and DK-50 1:2 with sheet film (Carroll, Photographic Lab Handbook, 1979)." http://www.covingtoninnovations.com/hc110/

So if Dilution E is equivalent of DK-50 1:2 and Dk-50 1-4 gives a low contrast negative suitable for masking (kodak darkroom book) then something more dilute than E for 4 mins would be a starting point

Or my paper developer is 1+9 - but at 1+25 for 2 mins gives a contrasty negative on Arista - so you could mess around at something like 1/4 strength working solution of yr paper developer of choice for 3 mins as a starting point and see if that leads anywhere.

There will be many other ways to skin this cat tho.
(obviously none of that accounts for what age has done to material)
 

DREW WILEY

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Good luck having it work still. It's basically similar to old Plus-X sheet film (not the roll film version), but without the antihalation layer - an "all toe" film with a long gradual upsweep to the curve favoring highlight separation; but in this case, there will be ghosting around sharp highlights. For general use don't follow the low contrast mask applications instructions. Try any number of routine developers. If someone wants to make low-contrast masks in this day and age, there are much better films and developers to do it with.
 

Photoemulator

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This is crazy but I also found a box of 50 sheets of 4x5 film sitting in my unrefrigerated closet that I know was included in an estate sale I bought about 10 years ago. I was wondering if I could shoot it for landscapes or still life and am feeling a little confident, now. I appreciate the info.
 
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Andrew O'Neill

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If it's old, it'll suffer from fog. I had to prepare the developer for my students, with a 1% solution of benzotriazole added. 10ml in a litre, helped, but it'll depend on how much fogging...mine was quite fogged, since it was from 1974. The students' pinhole prints looked pretty good, though. I can't give you an ISO, as students were making pinholes...
 

Photoemulator

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Andrew, I can't thank you enough for this information. But I can ask for more information like how to develop this particular film. What dilution? What developer; like HC-110?? And as for fogging, would you say 10ml of 1% benzotriazole per litre per decade? Just a thought. Also, I read somewhere that the ISO should be doubled per decade of the age of film. What do you say?
 
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Andrew O'Neill

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We were using Ilfosol-3 at 1+14. You will have to test yourself how much benzo you will need. I would start with 5ml of a 1% solution. That's what I always start with whenever I'm dealing with old, fogged film. Test a sheet first. Develop an unexposed sheet without any benzo, just to see what you may be dealing with.
 

cliveh

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From an educational point of view and as the film will already have some base fog, I would treat it like ortho film and allow it to be loaded under safelighting and tray developed, stoped and fixed under safelights. You could do a trial and see what you get.
 

cliveh

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You may be surprised what you can get away with at low light levels.
 
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Andrew O'Neill

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No cliveh. It is not a good idea. I've used this film. It MUST be handled in complete darkness, even more so if it is fogged.
 
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Andrew O'Neill

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@Photoemulator if you have HC-110 on hand I would go with that. It has been a go to developer for users of old, expired films. It's restrainer components help control fog. I would probably go with good old dilution B.
 

DREW WILEY

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DK50 was the poor man's HC-110, although it also preceded HC-110 for quite awhile. Sone labs continued to use it because it was economical. And it's easy to mix up from scratch by yourself. But you'd want to introduce extra restrainer (benzotriazole), just like Andrew recommended, due to the age of the film.

Also keep in mind that its specified use as a masking film meant low contrast development. For pictorial use, especially old and fogged, you'd want to achieve higher contrast.
 
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