Slavich paper..........anybody using it?

John Wiegerink · Jan 3, 2017

Is there anybody on this forum with firsthand experience with the Slavich enlarging papers? I'm curious to know about texture, base and toning with these papers. I started out with graded papers years ago and drifted to VC, but wouldn't mind going back to graded for some stuff like portraits.

Peter Schrager · Jan 3, 2017

I used it..it's good paper....they had a portrait type I didn't care for at all...not sure if it still comes in a single weight...tones well and has an azo type look to it...
I love graded papers but there's very little you can't do with vc paper today...nail down your exposure and set the enlarger for grade 2.5 or 3 and ho from there..
Good luck
Peter

Helinophoto · Jan 3, 2017

Slavich is also a good paper for Lith, I have some Brom here I think, not been printing for a while though (and lith-dev does cost a few moneys too and imo is suitable for certain things and not for everything perhaps) ^^

http://real-photographs.co.uk/slavich-unibrom-first-prints/

mr rusty · Jan 3, 2017

I've used it for Lith but it seems virtually impossible to get now. Some places showing discontinued. Think there is some stock around still in larger sizes but supply seems to be drying up.

John Wiegerink · Jan 3, 2017

mr rusty said:
I've used it for Lith but it seems virtually impossible to get now. Some places showing discontinued. Think there is some stock around still in larger sizes but supply seems to be drying up.

Hmmm, that's strange? I checked B&H and Adorama and they have a large supply of it (In stock). Am I not getting something here? Maybe Donald T's friendliness toward Vlad has opened the floodgates and Slavich flows again.

John Wiegerink · Jan 3, 2017

mr rusty,
Whoops, I see you're not from this side of the big pond.

chip j · Jan 3, 2017

Amazon has lots of it, too.

Peter Schrager · Jan 3, 2017

Buy a 25 sheet package and see if YOU like it..the ONLY way to find out
best, peter

Ektagraphic · Jan 3, 2017

I actually just ordered some. I'll report back once I've used it! They have an "embossed glossy" finish paper which I did not order in this run, but hope to try in the future. It sounds interesting. I have a funny feeling that I'll come to love this paper and then Donald Trump will pull some funny business and I won't be able to get it in the US anymore

munz6869 · Jan 3, 2017

I used it to make an entire handprinted photo book last year (the only single weight paper I could find). I used the Matt version, mostly normal (grade 3 equivalent I think), and I really love the tones and smooth paper texture (so much so that I'll probably use it again to make another one). In a Nova tank, the paper gets very droopy when wet, so I needed to use extra care when processing, and use red safelights instead of my usual amber.

Marc!

John Wiegerink · Jan 3, 2017

Peter Schrager said:
Buy a 25 sheet package and see if YOU like it..the ONLY way to find out
best, peter

Pete,
I just did! 25 sheets 160 smooth-matte, 25 sheets 160 smooth-glossy and 25 sheets 80 embossed glossy. We'll see how they come out? It shows on my order that the paper is shipped from location. That location is Wyoming. I thought they only had cattle out there? Maybe Dick Cheney started a new business in Jackson Hole with the Russians? Maybe it's a triangle affair? Trump-Putin-Cheney!

John Wiegerink · Jan 3, 2017

Ektagraphic said:
I actually just ordered some. I'll report back once I've used it! They have an "embossed glossy" finish paper which I did not order in this run, but hope to try in the future. It sounds interesting. I have a funny feeling that I'll come to love this paper and then Donald Trump will pull some funny business and I won't be able to get it in the US anymore

Nah, Donny and Vlad are buds so your supply will be just fine. What developer are you going to try with yours and what grade did you order?

Ektagraphic · Jan 16, 2017

I tried it out today very briefly, grades 2 and 3, with Polymax T developer. The results so far seemed to have more contrast than I would have expected. Still a lot to try with it though...

Peter Schrager · Jan 16, 2017

Ye

Ektagraphic said:
I tried it out today very briefly, grades 2 and 3, with Polymax T developer. The results so far seemed to have more contrast than I would have expected. Still a lot to try with it though...

Yes it can be contrasty..you will have to tailor your negatives to suit the paper

John Wiegerink · Jan 16, 2017

My package just arrived today and I'll be testing tomorrow. I plan on using this often if all goes well. I'm running two film speed test tomorrow for my Hasselblad with Delta 100 and Delta 400. After I'm done with those I'll be making some prints to see how the paper works. I bought just Grade 2 to start with and that's what I'm going to calibrate everything to. I thought about Grade 3, but decided that Grade 2 might be a better place to start since I had heard that the paper runs about 1/2 grade hotter than most Grade 2 papers. We'll see in a couple of days if this venture was worth the time.

mnemosyne · Jan 17, 2017

mr rusty said:
I've used it for Lith but it seems virtually impossible to get now. Some places showing discontinued. Think there is some stock around still in larger sizes but supply seems to be drying up.

For Slavich paper this side of the Atlantic, have you checked fotofachversand.com in Austria?
http://www.fotofachversand.com/SW-Baryt-FB-fixgradiert

Sal Santamaura · Feb 18, 2017

John Wiegerink said:
We'll see in a couple of days if this venture was worth the time...

With a month to ponder, did you think it worthwhile?

I'd appreciate your characterization of the smooth glossy version. Degree of shine, base and image color, etc. Thanks in advance.

John Wiegerink · Feb 19, 2017

Sal,
I haven't forgotten! The packs are still in their sealed wrapper. I had a couple of more important things enter into the picture and decided to save the Slavich paper until I finished one of the projects for which the paper will be used with. I just acquired a used Toyo Field 4 3/4 X 6 1/2 w/ 4X5 reduction back that needed a little work. I had to purchase a new bellows from Japan and just got that instilled. Plus, I did a complete rebuild/tune-up of the camera to boot. I'm going to use this camera, some TMY2 film, an old 165mm f4.5 uncoated Rodenstock Eurynar lens and the Slavich paper for the project. I'll need pretty much all the paper I purchased to finish the so I made the decision not to touch the Slavich paper until I was ready with the camera. I finished the camera yesterday and I'm happy to say all systems are go.

M Carter · Feb 21, 2017

It's popular for lith since it's one of the very few papers that actually lith with infectious development. That said, it's hard to tame with lith developers - can be very gritty, "broken xerox machine" look. Wolfgang Moersch has been successful at smoothing it out, but he's sort of a god of this process.

Bob Carnie · Feb 21, 2017

I love Slavich Grade 4 - Mr Zuilli turned me on to this paper, I see I can order it from B& H which I will do... I have been tailor making enlarged silver negs for contact lith process.

Bob Carnie · Feb 21, 2017

I use a very strong concentration with short times with added flash so peppering is not as prevalent as with long development times due to high dilution.

my guess only as I have never made a lith print by extending the time beyond 5 min.

M Carter · Feb 22, 2017

Richard.L said:
split develop ... works great... can control the "pepper"

the bromoportrait liths easier - more consistently with less session change, making editions easier --

Can you describe your process & chems for splitting? Thanks!

FujiLove · Feb 22, 2017

Does anyone still sell it in the UK? AG Photographic have stopped supplying it due to the Russian sanctions and trade barriers etc.

thefizz · Feb 22, 2017

FujiLove said:
Does anyone still sell it in the UK? AG Photographic have stopped supplying it due to the Russian sanctions and trade barriers etc.

Some sizes and finishes available in Ireland with more stock to come soon: http://www.thephotoshop.ie/index.php?route=product/category&path=68

mr rusty · Feb 22, 2017

[QUOTEDoes anyone still sell it in the UK? AG Photographic have stopped supplying it due to the Russian sanctions and trade barriers etc.][/QUOTE]

Certainly the usual places don't seem to be. I still have some in my stock, but have noticed that thephotshope over in Ireland have it back in stock in the size I use.

http://www.thephotoshop.ie/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=162

Slavich paper..........anybody using it?

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