Last question before I pitch it- Old paper

Larry the sailor · Sep 20, 2016

Picked up a big darkroom lot the other day.
Included was a big stash of OLD color paper, lots of it, 8X10 up to 16X20 boxes and boxes. many of them still factory sealed. equivalent stuff at todays prices would probably $2000-3000 worth of paper.
Most is at least 20 years passed the "Use By" date and from what I gather wasn't store in climate controlled conditions.
is there any use for this stuff besides land fill fodder?

I'm not out anything since I got my money's worth out of the enlarger and assorted gear but it's kind of sad to see all this once wonderful paper gone to waste.

mts · Sep 21, 2016

Paper that old is probably Ektacolor EP-2 process, or something similar, and not the current RA-4 process. I would take advantage of the smooth surfaces and large size to use it for targets. Good luck. Don't waste your time and chemicals bothering to process more than one or two sheets. You can test with B&W Dektol or similar to see if it is completely fogged, in total dark of course.

Rudeofus · Sep 21, 2016

I have a stash of old RA-4 paper. Fog isn't the big problem, but loss of contrast is. There are methods for boosting contrast, but I haven't gotten around to try them yet. If you are willing to brew, you may be able to get something useful from this stash.

baachitraka · Sep 21, 2016

Will color paper lith?

Larry the sailor · Sep 21, 2016

Cruzingoose said:
Don't toss your old paper, b&w or color. Run it through fixer and wash and let dry. You just made some very very nice inkjet photo paper. Works with all surfaces, RC or Fiber. You may have to iron the fiber paper to flatten it to feedin the printer.

Well, how about that! That would make pretty much a lifetime supply of paper for my Canon Pro-100. I'll give it a try.

mnemosyne · Sep 21, 2016

Rudeofus said:
I have a stash of old RA-4 paper. Fog isn't the big problem, but loss of contrast is. There are methods for boosting contrast, but I haven't gotten around to try them yet. If you are willing to brew, you may be able to get something useful from this stash.

Maybe because you keep in the deepfreeze? I have two boxes of outdated RA-4 paper. One is Agfa Signum (?), ca. 15 years old. The base color after processing is what I would call a "caffè latte brown". The other is Kodak Supra Endura, about 8 years old. The base color after processing is "pana cotta yellow". For me the papers are not usable anymore. If I had a really big stash of old paper rather than just dump it I would try to find a recycling company that will take care of it to recover the silver. I think there are companies over here who collect old photographic paper to do just that.

Rudeofus · Sep 21, 2016

mnemosyne said:
Maybe because you keep in the deepfreeze? I have two boxes of outdated RA-4 paper. One is Agfa Signum (?), ca. 15 years old. The base color after processing is what I would call a "caffè latte brown". The other is Kodak Supra Endura, about 8 years old. The base color after processing is "pana cotta yellow". For me the papers are not usable anymore.

AFAIK this RA-4 paper of mine never saw a deep freezer. Either way, if it's fogged, would some extra bromide to the color developer solve potential problems with fog?

OptiKen · Sep 21, 2016

I have the same dilemma. Bought an enlarger to do 4X5 color and it came with a box of 20X30 and a box of 16X20. Well past it's prime.
I've tried a couple of sheets of it without luck but I have a feeling it was actually stored outdoors for a long while. It was in the cabinet under the enlarger which had been stored in a covered patio.

paul_c5x4 · Sep 21, 2016

Cruzingoose said:
Don't toss your old paper, b&w or color. Run it through fixer and wash and let dry.

Don't forget that the recovered silver will also have a value, so don't toss the sludge.

bsdunek · Sep 21, 2016

I use old B&W paper for Lumen prints - it works better than current papers. You've got me wondering how this color paper would work. I'd give it a try!

Last question before I pitch it- Old paper

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