----- Original Message ----- From: <C.Breukel@xxxxxxx>
To: <pure-silver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2008 4:40 AM Subject: [pure-silver] Old paper andDefendre 58-D We had recently some discussion on how to process old outdated photo paper: I mentioned Defender 58-D. Got this through I guy on APUG. He (Rlibersky) has now a very intersesting post up (at least I think it's interesting), with examples: You might want to check out: http://www.apug.org/forums/forum37/47681-old-paper-again.html#post593795 Best, Cor Well, this was enough to get me to re-register with apug. The images are interesting. They display a lot less fog than I got trying some old Agfa and Kodak paper I've had in storage for probably fifteen years. The warm tone stuff was useless, it looked light struck. The strong yellow cast of some of the sample prints is curious. This looks like overall stufiding rather than the sort of chemical fog I would expect. A couple of samples look OK, at least from the scans. Note that Azo and Velox are very slow papers intended for contact printing and Opal was a very slow enlarging paper. In general, the slower the paper the less affected it will be by fog. I am astounded that 1931 Velox would even produce an image.Velox, which I used extensively at one time, has always had a definite bluish black almost regardless of the developer used. It was Kodak's standard paper for photofinishers and beginning amateurs. Actually a very good paper that I think would be popular now. Azo was a very slow (2/3rds the speed of Velox) contact paper but varied over the many decades it was made. At some times being neutral black and other versions being somewhat warm black. Professional Azo was a warm tone paper made simultaneously with regular Azo.
Defender formulas were mostly Kodak formulas used with permission. Kodak tried to keep Defender in business as a protection against anti-trust actions. However, Defender did have some unique formulas and 58D seems to be one of them. Chlorhydroquinone (AKA Adurol) behaves similarly to a mixture of Hydroquinone and Metol. It was occasionally used as a warm tone developer. Chlorhydroquinone developers are resistant to aerial fog, that is, oxidation fog from exposure of the paper or film to the air during development. This makes it suitable for use in drums and for old-fashioned rack and tank motion picture processing. BTW, Pyro is also resistant to aerial fog. However, this is not the same source of fog that one finds in old stock. That comes from the generation of development centers by slow chemical change in the emulsion. 58D is worth trying if you can find the chlorhydroquinone but I would not count on it for any sort of magic results. FWIW here is the formula: Defender 58D Chlor-Hydroquinone Developer (Stock Solution) For warm tones on Varigam paper Water (at 125F or 52C) 500.0 ml Sodium sulfite, dessicated 16.0 grams chlorhydroquinone 4.0 grams Sodium carbonate, anhydrous 16.0 grams Potassium bromide 0.5 grams Water to make 1.0 liter Dilute one part stock to one part water for use. If sodium carbonate, monohydrated is used the amount is 18.7 grams The instructions are for Varigam which was a neutral tone paper. They state: It is necessary to develop for 4 minutes at 68F to obtain the maximum black of the paper, at which time the tone is just perceptibly warmer than with 55D. Shorter development times with increased exposure will sacrifice the maximum black somewhat but warmer tones are obtained. Prints developed in this seveloper when toned willl give warmer tones throughout the seeries whan when 55D is used. Note: Defender 55D is identical to Kodak D-52, AKA Selectol.It seems to me that I've seen other chlorhydroquinone formulas but can't find any at the moment.
--- Richard Knoppow Los Angeles, CA, USA dickburk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ============================================================================================================= To unsubscribe from this list, go to www.freelists.org and logon to your account (the same e-mail address and password you set-up when you subscribed,) and unsubscribe from there.