Re: Using old dry plates

[Richard Knoppow <dickburk@ix.netcom.com>]

At 05:27 PM 08/21/2001 +0000, you wrote:
>  Hi,
>
>  This weekend I bought in a garage sale an old Kodak Medalist with some 
>accessories and an unoped box of 6 1/2 x 9 Gevaert Superchrom anti-halo 
>plates (tropical version). It looks to be in perfect conditions and I 
>thinking to try then.
>  Some questions:
>
>  - Any idea of time of exposure in a sun day???
>
>  - How can I develop it???
>
>  Yours,
>
>  Charles
>
   My Gevaert Manual dated 1964 does not list Superchrom, I suspect its
much older but have no other reference. You might try looking in editions
of the_British Journal Almanack_ from the 1950's. The BJA always had a
pretty complete listing of materials and instructions for processing. Also
check your library for editions of the _Geveart Manual of Photography_
older than mine. My older _Photo-Lab-Index_ does not list Geveart. There
may even be instructions inside the box!
  From general practice in naming films my guess is that this is an
orthochromatic material. 
 Its possible to use 120 film in the Medalist by trimming the edges of the
spools. The lens is outstanding which makes up partly for Kodak's typicaly
awful ergonomic design. 
  These plates are likely to be pretty foggy. Grant Haist* recommends
adding 0.2% Benzotriazole, 20ml/liter to 40ml/liter to the developer for
outdated B&W films. 

*_Modern Photographic Processing_ Grant Haist, 1979, Reprinted 2000, Haist
Press, Okemos, MI
----
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles,Ca.
dickburk@ix.netcom.com