RA4 Roll Paper Boxes

[Weather Systems]

Hey folks,
*Not sure if I placed this post in the right form, but I couldn't find a better match. Sorry for the inconvenience!*
So I have recently come upon a very large collection of RA4 paper rolls. Its a huge lot of fuiji, agfa and even mitsubishi paper. (did anyone else know that mitsubishi made paper? Hope its nothing like their cars!) All different rolls of various lengths.
Now my plan is to cut this stuff up, box it and sell it to m friends for 1/3 of what freestyle sells it for. I should make my money back and then some. My biggest problems right now are:
1.How exactly I will cut the paper in the dark
2.How I will package the paper for myself and others.
So does anyone have any tips or advice for me. Any place I can buy empty boxes and light tight bags. It's big paper; 20X30. Or can anyone think of a cheap alternative I can buy/make.
Thanks for all your help

signed,
austin von hermann

 

[Photo Engineer]

May I add:

3. How to keep from scratching it
4. How to keep from fingerprinting it
5. How I will store it refrigerated while it sells
6. How I intend to check it for quality and how I will support it if it is defective.

Mitsubishi paper and Konica paper were virtual clones. The two companies were very close together near the end.

PE

 

[srs5694]

I once bought a cheap roll of RA-4 paper. To cut it, I set up a paper cutter and marked the lengths I needed with pieces of tape. I could then pull out the required length, cut, and put the cut sheet in a bag. This is, of course, a time-consuming operation. I hope you're not planning to make a profit on your operation, since your profit will probably translate into a very low hourly rate of pay. If you just want to do this as a way to get cheap paper and help your friends do the same, of course, and you don't mind sitting in the dark for hours on end, this will work fine.

As for packaging, I seem to recall seeing light-tight bags for sale at B&H, Freestyle, or some similar place, so you could check there (or at mail-order photo retailers on your continent, if you're not in North America). You could check a post office or office supply store for small boxes into which to put the light-tight bags. For smaller quantities, you might be able to collect used bags and boxes from your and your friends' darkrooms. That's what I did; I re-used bags and boxes that previously held boxed paper from various sources. I'd just cut up a few dozen sheets of various sizes then store the remainder of the roll until I ran out of the sheets I'd cut.

 

[Nick Zentena]

What FreeStyle sells is fresh and not hand cut. I'm not sure 1/3 is that great a price. It's been awhile since Agfa has been out of the paper business. I think Mitsui only made consumer paper. Freestyle I thought only carried the pro brands. Not to mention I'd personally want to test it first. Having bought rolls of allegedly cold stored fuji that were fogged.

Anyways. Cutting is easy. Build yourself a jig. One end will be something to hold the roll. Doesn't need to be fancy. Check out the paper roll holders used at butcher shops or other places that used lots of roll paper. Other end of the jig is your cutter. It needs to be square. If you're only cutting one size it's all a little easier. You can make the cutter edge up with stops on all sizes.

I'd suggest wearing gloves while cutting. Let the paper warm up first.

Best thing is to stack it in paper boxes or a dark safe for awhile. Let the curl flatten out.

You used to be able to buy black paper bags. Double bagging should be enough. Personally I'd just stick it in the paper safe.

 

[Photo Engineer]

Oh, I forgot to add;

Check all packing material. Most bags and boxes I've found will leak light. Simply point the bag at a light, open it up and eyeball it for leaks at seals, pinholes or just not being 'black' enough. I can see a simple light bulb shining through some bags out there.

PE

 

[Weather Systems]

Thanks folks, good stuff.
I'm not really looking to make a living off of this paper. Basically I'm a student, It's cheap and I see it as a way to help my friends (and myself) out. Worse comes to worse I'll be out 80 bucks.
One thing I forgot to ask is does anybody know the shelf life of unexposed RA4 paper? I know a correctly processed print should last between 75-100 years but I'm sure that unexposed paper is much less. I know there are tons of variables too, but I just want to know a safe general range.
Thanks again,
austin von hermann

 

[Mike Wilde]

my roll cut experiences

the edges can deteriorate faster than the middle if it has not been properly stored. Kodak supra material as it ages needs longer exposure, because you dial in so much yellow and magenta to balance the loss in red speed.

I have never had it flatten storing it in the box. Tape the box shut well. Mine popped out of the box the first time I taped it shut.

If I want to print on it I needed a 4 bladed easel, or bled print to the edge of the paper hough a piece of glass to hold the paper flat.

I recently was given a vaccuum easel, and while it is noisier than I am used to in the darkroom, the results with paper cut from rolls is very conventient, compated to positioning paper and glass overlay in the dark.

 

[richard ide]

One way to remove curl is to reroll it with the other side out for a while. you have to be careful of kinks etc. I used to do it with B & W paper but I had a 16' table and could see what I was doing with safelights.

 

[Nick Zentena]

I don't see curl problems. Cut it. Stack at least 20 sheets often 30 in the box. End of the week at most it's flat for me. The end of the roll is curlier but still works.

 

[PHOTOTONE]

Here is another idea. Ultrafine (Photo Warehouse online) an advertiser here has the capacity to cut down in house at their facility long roll film and paper products. I wonder what they would charge you just to cut down your paper into common sheet sizes?