Kodaks Fine Art FB paper

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Can someone please tell me why I'm having this problem. When using Kodak's fine art fiber base paper it seems 99% of the time I'm getting a gray overtone when developed. I discounted my safe lights as being the problem by developing the paper in the dark and the unexposed sheet still had a grayish tint to it. I use other paper by Kodak, Ilford etc and never had this problem. I also ordered paper from another source and still the same problem. I use Dektol 1:2 or 1:3. Please help as I have spend a much money on this paper and still no progress. Thanks.....

-- Kevin Souder (KSOUDER4@HOME.COM), October 12, 2001

Answers

I wonder about a bad batch. It sure sounds like fog due to age, chemical contamination, or exposure. Is the gray overtone even over the whole sheet, or is there a pattern? Maybe call Kodak and see if they're aware of any problem with certain batches.

-- Conrad Hoffman (choffman@rpa.net), October 12, 2001.

old paper. where did you get the paper? tell them to send it back to kodak. i've used kodak polymax fine art for years and never had a problem with it. bright white highlights and pure blacks. great paper. james

-- james (james_mickelson@hotmail.com), October 13, 2001.

Ditto to what James said. Though I've never had this problem with Polymax Fine Art, I always purchase small quantities from large reliable high volume dealers, such as B&H. Others who bought from local shops and then kept the paper for a while have reported experiences similar to yours. When fresh it's a great paper, especially for modern films.

-- Sal Santamaura (bc_hill@qwestinternet.net), October 13, 2001.

I have encountered problems with fogged Pol. Fine Art, but that was quite a while ago. I have seen some more recent packs of this paper, and noticed that they had an expiry date on them If yours doesn't that might mean that it is really old (3 yrs old maybe). Then there will be no doubt this is what is wrong with it. Otherwise, I would shorten my dev. time and be sure to keep the Dev. temp. at normal working levels. There are papers that are slightly fogged, but if you take care not to overdevelop and keep your soup at 20 deg. Celcius, the grey veil does (almost) not appear on your prints.

-- George Papantoniou (papanton@hol.gr), October 13, 2001.

you might try some anit-fogging agent ( 2% benzotrialzole)in the developer, or add some potassium bromide to the developer(about 20ml of10% bromide to a liter).

-- Ann C lancy (clancya@mediaone.net), October 13, 2001.


I've had paper delivered from NY arrive fogged because do to extreams in heat. A UPS truck in the southern states can get very hot in the summer so I generally stock up in the spring.

RRRR

-- r (ricardospanks1@yahoo.com), October 15, 2001.


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