Lodima Fine Art Paper--Official reports and Member Responses

[Vaughn]

Well a box of the Lodima finally showed up at 7PM in Portland on the 18th. Can't wait to open it and give it a go.
Dennis

Mine arrived at the same time! Vaughn

 

[Captain_joe6]

Portland is +1 box of Lodima and +1 pound of amidol!

 

[keeds]

My box has arrived here in the UK!

 

[Tom Kershaw]

Keeds,

Will you be printing using the bare bulb method?

Tom.

 

[payral]

Here it is in France too.

 

[keeds]

Keeds,

Will you be printing using the bare bulb method?

Tom.

Tom,
I'm supposing. The directions that came in the box suggest a 300W bulb which came as a little surprise. I knew Contact printing paper was slow, but not that slow...

I'm just hoping that there is no EU law in place banning such frivolous and wasteful activities as using such a slow paper... ;-)

 

[Tom Kershaw]

I'm just hoping that there is no EU law in place banning such frivolous and wasteful activities as using such a slow paper... ;-

You didn't hear me shouting at the radio from 40 miles away then...

300W is bright. My darkroom white lighting is 500W of halogen. If I try the paper, perhaps I can just turn the white lights on for a couple of seconds... I suppose you need a bulb without lettering, so no faint 'Philips' logos on your print? What about falloff, directionality..

Tom.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Tom-

you can always put some diffusion between the lights and the paper if you want to lengthen the exposure and guarantee there's no "Phillips" in the prints. That will also take care of falloff, as it will even out the illumination. But best bet is to get a light source to suspend over your printing area. Get a frosted bulb or you'll have a burned-in spot in the shape of the coil in the bulb on your print.

 

[c6h6o3]

You didn't hear me shouting at the radio from 40 miles away then...

300W is bright. My darkroom white lighting is 500W of halogen. If I try the paper, perhaps I can just turn the white lights on for a couple of seconds... I suppose you need a bulb without lettering, so no faint 'Philips' logos on your print? What about falloff, directionality..

Tom.

I haven't tried it with Lodima, but halogen lights have always given me poor results with Azo. Use a tungsten light source. Azo was invented in the late 19th Century. I can't imagine that Lodima is much (if any) more modern.

 

[Tom Kershaw]

Get a frosted bulb or you'll have a burned-in spot in the shape of the coil in the bulb on your print.

Simply a standard household type bulb:

http://www.bltdirect.com/product.php?pid=1036&nm=GLS+200+watt+BC+Pearl&cat=1762

Or a spot / flood lamp?

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I've tried a number of light sources with Azo, and I've gotten the best result with a simple Ikea halogen desk lamp with the UV filter removed. It's pretty close to the the frame usually--about 1-2 feet depending on the format, and I don't seem to have problems with hotspots or falloff, and my exposure times with Azo are usually under 30 sec.

 

[Photo Engineer]

Chloride papers are sensitive to light intensity and suffer from reciprocity failure in both speed and contrast. I have seen exposures here from seconds to minutes. Maybe this is why people differ in their evaluations of contrast and speed. IDK. I would watch out for this wide variation if you wish to compare notes.

PE

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Chloride papers are sensitive to light intensity and suffer from reciprocity failure in both speed and contrast. I have seen exposures here from seconds to minutes. Maybe this is why people differ in their evaluations of contrast and speed. IDK. I would watch out for this wide variation if you wish to compare notes.

PE

I would echo this. Those of us who have short exposures in general seem to think that Canadian G2 Azo is a reasonable grade 2, while those who have long exposures think it's about a grade flat.

 

[Vaughn]

I would echo this. Those of us who have short exposures in general seem to think that Canadian G2 Azo is a reasonable grade 2, while those who have long exposures think it's about a grade flat.

Would it not be the other way around? Would not reciprocity failure with paper (low-power light source -- long exposure times) cause the highlights to lag behind the mid-tones and shadows...causing an apparent increase in contrast?

...or is my thinking messed up as usual ?!

Vaughn

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I haven't tried to figure it out theoretically, but this is my sense based on reports in the forums when Azo production went to Canada, and people seemed to be complaining about low contrast.

Indeed, normally, when you compensate for reciprocity with film exposure and development, it's common to reduce development time to reduce contrast associated with RLF. Maybe PE or someone else has some insight.

 

[Vaughn]

Thanks, David. I use reciprocity failure with my film to help boost contrast for alt printing. Vaughn

 

[Photo Engineer]

I can only echo what David says. Some comment on high contrast and others say low contrast. I have not had enough of both papers to test, so cannot comment except from what I have seen doing R&D. Kodak made papers in 2 "grades". One, for photofinishers and the other for professionals, had the same contrast but at 1/2 second and 10" respectively. They were adjusted due to reciprocity. Today, the laser papers and pro papers are similarly adjusted for this effect among other things.

It requires specific metal doping, and if not done at the right time and in the right way, LIRF and HIRF will vary and this is probably why Canadian and US production of Azo varied.

PE

 

[Michael A. Smith]

Need Help:

This is a "dog ate my homework" story.

I just received this email:

"The paper arrived at my farm. The problem is, my dog got to the package before we did and exposed all 100 sheets to the elements, not a pretty sight for the first acquisition for my new dark room! When can I order more paper (which I think I will have you ship to a neighbor's, where my dog can't get to it) ?"

Unfortunately, we have no more paper available.

Is there anyone who does not think they will want to use all of their paper and who can send part of it to the fellow with the uncontrollable dog. Is so, let us know and we will give you proper contact information paper. Financial arrangements can be made directly through the person needing the paper.

Many thanks.

Michael A. Smith

 

[rorye]

I have 2 of the 7 1/2" X 10", I'm sure I could part with one for a while.
R

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Looks like mine has finally arrived. Got a sticky note on the door from the mailman telling me to pick up package tomorrow...right when my son's hockey team's tournament starts.

 

[Kirk Keyes]

Looks like it's time for someone to get a new dog...

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

Looks like it's time for someone to get a new dog...

Or some tastier dog treats...

Ken

 

[c6h6o3]

This is a "dog ate my homework" story.

I, too, have such a story. I put six Lodima prints out to dry on screens which were in turn sitting on some crates on the floor. A day or so later I noticed that two of the prints were gone. I found some scraps of them on the floor, but they were just tiny little pieces, no bigger than a quarter. I figured the dog must have eaten them so I turned the crates over to hide the remaining four prints and went off to work. When I came home I found the dog coming out of the room with two of the remaining four Lodima prints in his mouth. I managed to get him to let go of them, but I'm afraid that they have tooth marks on one end.

Did you guys grind up dog biscuits or something and put it in the emulsion?

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Must be the gelatin. They can smell those tasty beef bones.

 

[df cardwell]

Maybe its the melamine ?