From: Bill Collins (photo@intrex.net)
Date: 03/14/01-02:41:08 PM Z
Chris,
Thanks for the help. Your negatives have a green stain? Mine are yellow. I wonder what that's about?
Bill
---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: "Christina Z. Anderson" <tracez@mcn.net>
Reply-to: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2001 13:45:12 -0700
>> I have noticed that many of my negatives (especially the ones with a lot
>of pyro stain) print very flat with no filter and often need a number 4 or
>higher filter to print well, even though the negative looks very contrasty.
>The grade 5 filter produces an EXTREMELY contrasty print.
>> - I have prints that seem to need more contrast than the 4.5 filter, but
>the 5 causes a HUGE increase in contrast (I assume the pyro stain lowers the
>contrast grade of the fiter, until I reach the top end) I'm going to try
>exposing for half the time through the 4.5 and the remaining time through
>the 5, to see if I can get an intermediate grade. Anyone tried this?
>> - I have heard the the pyro stain should interact with the VC paper to
>produce great prints without much dodging or burning. I assume this would
>work best without a printing filter?
>> - If so, I may need negatives with less stain, since my current negatives
>print very flat w/o a fiter. Any comments?
>> - Can anyone recommend a film that works well for pt and silver printing,
>using pyro. Right now, I'm using HP5+ and PMK pyro.
>> Bill
>
>Bill,
> First of all, since my email program is having fits, you probably have
>already received answers to this (even tho I haven't yet received them--I'm
>taking a day to get emails back), and second, I may not be the most
>knowledgeable about pyro but I do use it exclusively.
> My negatives look punchy green, except for any of the tgrain films
>which are grayer green. The Ilford films panF hp5 andfp4 are wonderful with
>pyro. Stain incredibly well. I ALWAYS print with a filter, using Forte
>Polywarmtone Museum Weight semi matte (I handcolor). There is no reason not
>to use a filter with VC papers, because if you aren't using a filter and you
>get a print that is not the right contrast, you have to then figure out a
>whole new set of printing times by inserting a filter. It is much easier to
>get your base time with a filter in place, usually a 2. With Forte paper,
>to go from no filter to a filter is about 1.7 times my printing time with no
>filter; double that for a 4 or 5.
> The only time I have encountered flat prints was when I had a set of
>Delta 3200 negs that I underexposed. Ugh. They were still ugly with a 4 or
>5 filter. Otherwise, I highly recommend the Book of Pyro by Hutchings, with
>his EI's for each film and his development times. You should not be
>printing with a 4 or 5 filter on a regular basis. Generally, to increase
>contrast, increase development time and perhaps agitation, if you are not
>properly agitating.
> If your negatives appear dense, then you need to underexpose and
>overdevelop to expand your contrast. How much is a guess--try 1/2 to 1 stop
>and 25%-50% development increase respectively, especially with the old tech
>films (NOT Tmax! or tgrain films!)
> If your negatives are thin, then give more exposure, first, and then
>more development if this does not do the trick.
> If your negs are fine, then just increase your development and make
>sure to give it violent agitation two inverts (hard) every 15 seconds.
>Basically you are agitating more or less continuously, making sure to wing
>the film tank upside down twice with a kind of jerk, not continually moving
>the fluid in a circle--if that makes sense.
> IF you are using Ilford MGIV matte, it dries very flat. Try another
>paper in combination with the pyro negs. Pyro negs are fine for palladium,
>as Bob Herbst wrote in his article to View Camera Mag back in 1997, i think.
> I'm rushing these notes out, so hopefully (unedited) they make sense.
>You can write me off list with other questions altho I know there are other
>pyro enthusiasts who know way more than me on this list.
>Chris
>
>
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