Light weight (thinner) enlarging papers?

[RogerHyam]

I'm back in the darkroom and using Ilford Multigrade RC Deluxe almost exclusively. I really like the "new" version V of this.

The one thing that frustrates me is that I'd like a lighter weight paper for pasting prints into my journal. Ilford MG RC is 190gsm. Kentmere is the same and Ilford FB is 255gsm. I'd really like something thinner, maybe 120gsm?

I've not tried Fomatone. Is it thinner? Any other suggestions?

I appreciate that it has to be a certain weight to maintain stability but we are talking RC here so it is pretty indestructible!

Your thoughts/experience much appreciated.

 

[koraks]

I've not tried Fomatone. Is it thinner?

Nope.
We're out of luck - I, too, would like a single weight paper, but they aren't being made anymore. Today Schoeller is the only remaining manufacturer (at least in Europe) of baryta paper base and AFAIK they don't offer a single weight option.

There's always the option of coating an emulsion onto a paper of your choice, or some form of alt. process printing. But I'm aware that's not a direct replacement or answer to your question.

 

[RogerHyam]

Nope.
We're out of luck - I, too, would like a single weight paper, but they aren't being made anymore. Today Schoeller is the only remaining manufacturer (at least in Europe) of baryta paper base and AFAIK they don't offer a single weight option.

There's always the option of coating an emulsion onto a paper of your choice, or some form of alt. process printing. But I'm aware that's not a direct replacement or answer to your question.

Ah well. I do make my own emulsion for glass plate negatives and I could get into trying to coat that paper - perhaps yupo paper - but that would be a whole other project...

 

[koraks]

I tried it, once, and decided it's one of those things that actually takes dedication to do it right
Recently we had a gathering of our little photo group; one guy brought some prints on hand-coated papers; DIY emulsion, too. Sure, there were some blemishes here and there, but I was amazed at how decent it all looked. It's definitely feasible. Well, we all know about Denise Ross I suppose. Living proof!

 

[Paul Howell]

As you are Europe see if can any Salvich Slavich paper, made in Russia, when last carried here in the U.S I bought a couple of boxes of single weight.
{moderator's edit of typo}

 

[momus]

Yes, the Fomatone papers I tried were a lot thinner, but that was the problem for me. They kink easily, and had to be carefully handled all through the darkroom processes. I was working w/ them like I did the Ilford papers, and ended up getting a lot of small protuberances in many of the papers. Didn't notice it until they were drying, when wet they weren't readily visible.

I also had to work in very low safe light levels, and got fogging on the first print run by, again, using them as if they were Ilford papers. They make nice prints, but they're not for me.

 

[GregY]

Foma papers require a red safe light. I very much like the tonality of their papers, but I use their FB papers.

 

[mshchem]

Fuji consumer color paper is really thin. But it's color.

 

[Maris]

It is possible to get very thin photographs by emulsion stripping well dried RC paper. Start at a corner, split the paper, then pull gently taking the emulsion side off the base. Takes a bit of practice but works well for small size pictures.

 

[rcphoto]

Aren't the Arista papers pretty thin?

 

[Philippe-Georges]

I once asked ADOX if they would reintroduce the famous AGFA P90 paper, which at the time I used a lot for contact prints, but they didn't respond...

 

[koraks]

It is possible to get very thin photographs by emulsion stripping well dried RC paper. Start at a corner, split the paper, then pull gently taking the emulsion side off the base. Takes a bit of practice but works well for small size pictures.

I wondered about that and never imagined it would work - neat trick!

 

[RogerHyam]

As you are Europe see if can any Salvich Slavich paper, made in Russia, when last carried here in the U.S I bought a couple of boxes of single weight.
{moderator's edit of typo}

It looks like Slavich papers are heavier than others at 290g/sqm. Perhaps they used to be thinner.

Black&White (Unibrom) photographic paper - Slavich.com

Black&White photographic (Unibrom) paper produced by Slavich

www.slavich.com

 

[RogerHyam]

It is possible to get very thin photographs by emulsion stripping well dried RC paper. Start at a corner, split the paper, then pull gently taking the emulsion side off the base. Takes a bit of practice but works well for small size pictures.

This might just be the best solution. When I've tried it is the past it has been very uneven but I just tried it again on a 3.5x5 inch print and its not so bad. As. you say practice and technique perhaps. I certainly have enough duff prints to practice on!

Ilford say:

Prolonged immersion in water can cause edge penetration and print curl with resin coated papers; for this reason, avoid wet times longer than 15 minutes.

I'm leaving a couple of prints in water overnight with some photoflow see if it makes splitting easier, either whilst they are still wet or once dried.

 

[brian steinberger]

I too would like to see a single weight FB paper made. I love the look of old small contact prints on single weight paper. I’ll be following this thread.

 

[Guillaume Zuili]

It looks like Slavich papers are heavier than others at 290g/sqm. Perhaps they used to be thinner.

Black&White (Unibrom) photographic paper - Slavich.com

Black&White photographic (Unibrom) paper produced by Slavich

www.slavich.com

They were the last to offer single weight paper, now only double weight.

 

[GregY]

I too would like to see a single weight FB paper made. I love the look of old small contact prints on single weight paper. I’ll be following this thread.

I love the look of old contact prints too...but that's because it was Azo....not because it was single weight.

 

[Bill Burk]

There’s some Kodabromide Single Weight paper on eBay. Careful - looks like one seller opened the box.