Lumen Prints

[kykr]

I recently bought an enlarger that came with a lot of extras - including a supply of old paper. Old, as in expiration dates in the early 1970's. I came across Lumen Printing as a possibility for what to do with it, since I'm reluctant to try to learn darkroom printing with something like that.

The Lomo article on Lumen Prints says to use a Hypo fixer, and I've got Ilford Rapid Fixer for film developing which I think might not be hypo. I'm new at this, any recommendations on what fixer to use? If any of you have tried Lumen Prints I'd be curious to hear about that too.

 

[AgX]

Welcome to Apug!


To me "Hypo" is a vague term, but our american fellows can tell better

A "rapid Fixer" always contains as active substance Ammoniumthiosulfate, whereas the more classic (and slower) fixer contains the respective Sodium-salt.

I do not see a difference between both versions in this application, as one even can visually control what is happening, as for instance the imaging silver getting unintendedly dissolved.

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

Your early 70's paper might still be good. Develop a snip and see if it is fogged.

Plunging a Lumen print straight into the fixer may cause it to lose all it's color. Most of the color can be retained with the use of S-30 color stabilizer before fixing; any fixer will work. Play around with exposure.

You can make S-30 stabilizer from:

100 gm Ammonium Thiocyanate
35 gm S. Metabisulfite
30 ml 28% Acetic Acid
Water to make 500ml

Use at 1:4 - though it seems dilution and time are about as uncritical as it gets.

Ref. https://www.photrio.com/forum/media/rhododendron-blossom-lumen-print.33407/

 

[kykr]

Thanks for the welcome!

Maybe I’ll try one with the Ilford Rapid Fixer that I already have, the next time I’m developing. I do one-shot with this so I’d guess no issue. But if it doesn’t work I’ll try something else next time.

The paper stash I have is all b&w, the names escape me but they’re all Kodak. Thanks for the ideas.

 

[MattKing]

Hypo comes from Sodium hyposulfite, which is an archaic name for sodium thiosulfate.
Sodium thiosulfate fixers are thought of as "normal" fixers, while ammonium thiosulfate fixers are classified as "Rapid" fixers. Ilford Rapid Fixer is one of those.
If a "hypo" fixer is specified, the Ilford Rapid Fixer might be too aggressive.

 

[AgX]

Hypo comes from Sodium hyposulfite, which is an archaic name for sodium thiosulfate.

Which to me does not exclude that one applies Hypo on Ammonium hyposulfite with the same logic.
That is why I hinted at North-Americans explaining the actual use of this term.

 

[MattKing]

Which to me does not exclude that one applies Hypo on Ammonium hyposulfite with the same logic.
That is why I hinted at North-Americans explaining the actual use of this term.

I don't think ammonium based fixers were around when hyposulfite was commonly used instead of thiosulfate.

 

[busrider]

Hypo comes from Sodium hyposulfite, which is an archaic name for sodium thiosulfate.

According to the story Hershal called it something that he thought it was but it wasn't, but it worked anyways.

 

[AgX]

I don't think ammonium based fixers were around when hyposulfite was commonly used instead of thiosulfate.

They were not. But this does not exclude that "Hypo" later would be used as synonym for all fixers (even with ethymologic reason). This was the reason I called it vague and asked.

 

[kykr]

Interesting. It’s also interesting that it’s not very obvious what’s in different fixers, at least when shopping online. It sounds like anything called “rapid” should be avoided.

 

[AgX]

But this does not exclude that "Hypo" later would be used as synonym for all fixers (even with ethymologic reason). This was the reason I called it vague and asked.

I stand corrected. I looked at English language textbooks of the more recent kind. And in the one by Jacobson there repeatly Hypo is hinted at in a manner that is ambiguous. But in an introductory passage he explains that Hypo is Sodiumthiosulfate.
So I should have known...