WANTED: Information on film emulsion

Jim Chinn · Oct 5, 2004

I am looking for any information in book, article, www, or contact person regarding the technical side of modern panchromatic b&w film emulsions. I am thinking this would include the time frame from about 1930 to the present.

I would like information dealing with the chemistry and ingredients of emulsions, manufacturing of emulsions and the history of emulsion chemistry.
Anything to do with history can be comprehenisve, dating from the beginning of photography.

The reason for the request is discussed in this on going thread:

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Thanks in advance for any book titles, names, links etc.

Justin Low · Oct 5, 2004

If I recall, Ilford published a book on darkroom practices, written by Jack Coote many years ago. They went pretty indepth into the history of film and how it is made.

This is the book on Amazon

Jorge · Oct 5, 2004

Here you go:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...f=sr_1_2/103-1672056-3950223?v=glance&s=books

127 · Oct 5, 2004

I've got an old Kodak book from 1931 which in the back promotes their "Monographs on the Theory of Photography" series. Unfortunatly I don't have any of them, but the titles of particular interest to you for your research would be:

1) The Silver Bromide Grain of Photographic Emulsions
3) Gelatin in Photography
and
6) Chemical Reactions of the Photographic Latent Image

They were all published by Kodak around 1931 and originally cost $2.50. I'm sure they'd make fascinating reading if you can track them down.

Ian

BlackandWhite40 · Oct 8, 2004

I think that you can still get this item from ILFORD in the UK..........

Helen B · Oct 8, 2004

You might be interested in Photographic Sensitivity:
Theory and Mechanisms by Tadaaki Tani of Fuji. It's one of the more recent published works. I have a copy back in the UK, if there's any specific info you'd like.

A lot of the standard texts such as The Theory of the Photographic Process edited by James (latest is 4th edition, pub '72, I think, earlier ones were by 3rd ed by James and Mees and 1st & 2nd eds by Mees. phew) include good overviews of the whole emulsion chemistry thing. I don't understand a word of them, of course, but the diagrams make pretty embroidery patterns.

Later edit: There's a condensed version of the above book, by James and Higgins: Fundamentals of Photographic Theory.

Best,
Helen

L Gebhardt · Oct 8, 2004

You might also look at http://dyetransfer.org/. Jim Browning developed a coating method to make matrix film from old books and recipes. This film, Jim Brownings recipe, is now currently in production by Efke. While the film is specialized to dye transfer, there should be enough cross over to regualr film. The one big difference I see is the lack of antihalation dye in the dye transfer film.

PJC · Oct 8, 2004

You migh want to contact Ryuji Suzuki who is very active on the Alternative Process list, as he has been active in creating his ouw emulsions.

Regards, Pete

Ryuji · Jan 16, 2005

127 said:
I've got an old Kodak book from 1931 which in the back promotes their "Monographs on the Theory of Photography" series. Unfortunatly I don't have any of them, but the titles of particular interest to you for your research would be:

1) The Silver Bromide Grain of Photographic Emulsions
3) Gelatin in Photography
and
6) Chemical Reactions of the Photographic Latent Image

They were all published by Kodak around 1931 and originally cost $2.50. I'm sure they'd make fascinating reading if you can track them down.

Ian

The volume 3 is written by Sheppard, who identified one of the photographically active impurity present in gelatin. I think the actual date of the book is 1926 or something.

For more modern references, check out:
http://silvergrain.org/Photo-Tech/literature.html#t003

Ryuji · Jan 16, 2005

Helen B said:
You might be interested in Photographic Sensitivity:
Theory and Mechanisms by Tadaaki Tani of Fuji. It's one of the more recent published works. I have a copy back in the UK, if there's any specific info you'd like.

A lot of the standard texts such as The Theory of the Photographic Process edited by James (latest is 4th edition, pub '72, I think, earlier ones were by 3rd ed by James and Mees and 1st & 2nd eds by Mees. phew) include good overviews of the whole emulsion chemistry thing. I don't understand a word of them, of course, but the diagrams make pretty embroidery patterns.

Later edit: There's a condensed version of the above book, by James and Higgins: Fundamentals of Photographic Theory.

Best,
Helen

Tani's book is great for understanding the mechanism of photography but it's very technical for average photographers. Same for James 1977. None of these gives any formula for emulsions. It's hard to give emulsion formulae because the result depends on the skill of the person who makes it, and also depends on the quality of gelatin and purity of the chemical stock. See other threads for more. But it can be done in an ordinary darkroom and it has been done. You can make one print for the time you could 3600 inkjet prints, without counting washing and drying time.

WANTED: Information on film emulsion

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