Liam Lawless (lawless@vignette.freeserve.co.uk)
Fri, 22 Jan 1999 02:09:37 +0000
-----Original Message-----
From: Joao Ribeiro <jribeiro@greco.com.br>
To: Alt-Photo-Process <Alt-Photo-Process-l@usask.ca>
Date: 21 January 1999 01:51
Subject: Agfa Film
Hi Joao,
Mottling is almost certainly due to a too-short first development if your
film is actually suitable for the process. The 3.5 minute dev. time that I
specified in P-FP #2 is perhaps a bit too short for APH, but it might be OK
with the film you're using. However, try developing for 5 minutes and see
if the problem improves.
Another possible cause of mottling could be the clearing solution: films
need to be kept moving while clearing, so that the solution has equal access
to all parts of the film and to dislodge air bubbles, and they should not be
left in it for too long. I now clear for 2 minutes 15 seconds, and there'll
be more on all this in P-FP #3.
You don't say very much about the results you got, but it is possible that
the film is not suitable; I tried Agfa N.31 some years ago (by a different,
but similar, reversal method) and could not get it to work properly. It
needed very long exposures and extremely long development (over 20 minutes)
but still gave very low contrast and high fog. Cheap lith films seem to be
the best, and Freestyle APH or APHS are great if you can get it, or Kodalith
if money is no object. Fujilith is another budget film that works well.
I'm not sure what you mean by having to "cut your exposure in half to have
your base exposure, otherwise shadows wouldn't resist" and if you could
explain more fully maybe I could be of more help; a description of what you
ended up with would also be useful. Remember that shortening the base
exposure (or flash) makes the final negative darker, while increased
exposure makes it lighter.
Please keep in touch if you continue to have problems, and good luck with
your next attempt!
Liam Lawless
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