Safelights and paper developer?

I need to outfit my darkroom with safelights. I currently have
red safelights, which I am not fond of, but seems to be all
that I can find here. :-(

Someone gave me a Kodak safelight (large cone-shaped thing with
a 15 watt bulb in it) complete with an OA and an OC filter.
It had not been used in many years, it still had a U.S. plug
on it and a 120 volt bulb in it.

I have yet to try to buy any paper, what I have is several
years out of date Ilford Multigrade and Agfa Brovira. From
what I have read, I probably will only be able to buy Ilford
paper.

Agfa and Kodak are "out of the game" and the more obscure
papers have to be mail ordered from the U.S. or Germany and
have little chance of surviving the trip, except when shipped
via air express, which would be about $100 a box.

I therefore might as well confine my questions to Ilford Multigrade
paper. Will it work properly with a red safelight? Which filter
(OA/OC) should I use in the Kodak?

Any recemondations for a commonly available liquid paper developer?
I plan to make up a tray full of developer and stop bath and throw them
out when done. Fixer will probably be old, but still useable, film fixer.
(should I dilute the fixer?)

Thanks, Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel N3OWJ/4X1GM
IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838
Visit my 'blog at http://geoffstechno.livejournal.com/

"Geoffrey S. Mendelson" wrote in message
...
I need to outfit my darkroom with safelights. I currently
have
red safelights, which I am not fond of, but seems to be
all
that I can find here. :-(

Someone gave me a Kodak safelight (large cone-shaped thing
with
a 15 watt bulb in it) complete with an OA and an OC
filter.
It had not been used in many years, it still had a U.S.
plug
on it and a 120 volt bulb in it.

I have yet to try to buy any paper, what I have is several
years out of date Ilford Multigrade and Agfa Brovira. From
what I have read, I probably will only be able to buy
Ilford
paper.

Agfa and Kodak are "out of the game" and the more obscure
papers have to be mail ordered from the U.S. or Germany
and
have little chance of surviving the trip, except when
shipped
via air express, which would be about $100 a box.

I therefore might as well confine my questions to Ilford
Multigrade
paper. Will it work properly with a red safelight? Which
filter
(OA/OC) should I use in the Kodak?

Any recemondations for a commonly available liquid paper
developer?
I plan to make up a tray full of developer and stop bath
and throw them
out when done. Fixer will probably be old, but still
useable, film fixer.
(should I dilute the fixer?)

Thanks, Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel
N3OWJ/4X1GM
IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838
Visit my 'blog at http://geoffstechno.livejournal.com/

Outdated paper is likely to be fogged. While the use
of an anti-fog agent can same some of it its best just to
avoid it.
The red safelights are fine for both graded and
variable contrast papers but are somewhat unpleasant to work
under. The recommended safelight filter is the Kodak OC. Do
NOT use an OA, this is an older type of filter intended for
graded paper and will fog VC paper. The Ilford equivalent
filter is the No.905.
These filters are intended to pass as much visible
light as possible so that the darkroom is easy to work in
without passing light the paper is sensitive to. However,
the red safelights quite satisfactory from the fogging
standpoint.
Safelight filters can fade so should be tested. Both
Kodak and Ilford have test procedures on their web sites,
the Kodak test can be found by entering K-4 in the search
engine on their web site. Because the combination of
exposure to the safelight and to the enlarger results in
greater sensitivity to fogging a simple exposure to the
safelight will not tell you if its safe.
The Kodak bee-hive safelight is a very common item as
are the filters for it. You should be able to find more of
them at pretty low cost.
There is really very little difference among paper
developers. I would use whatever is conveniently available
to you.
The requirements for fixing paper are more stringent
than those for film. Do NOT use partially exhausted fixer.
A better method is to use a two bath fixing system.
The second bath remains relatively fresh and will clean up
after the first bath. When the first bath becomes exhausted
enough its tossed and the second bath moved up, the second
bath being replaced by a fresh bath. The capacity of this
system to fix paper completely is four to ten times the
capacity of a single bath. This system should also be used
for film.
While the Iodide leached out of film tends to slow
down fixing it has relatively little effect on a two bath
system and relatively little effect of Ammonium Thiosulfate
(Rapid) fixer. So, if you are going to use the same fixer
for both film and paper rapid fixer is preferred.
For paper you can use the fixer at film strength, but
be careful of excessive fixing times because acid rapid
fixer can bleach the image a little.
There are a couple of ways to test fixing baths for
exhaustion. The best is to check periodically for clearing
time. This is the time it takes for the emulsion to become
completely clear in the bath. It is very hard to determine
this for paper but it can be seen easily for film. I suggest
using a scrap of film to test the fresh bath and test
periodically using a scrap of the same film. When the
clearing time doubles toss the fixer. This is OK for the
first bath of a two bath system but for a single bath will
result in excessively exhausted fixer. Soak the film for a
couple of minutes before testing because wet film fixes at a
different rate than dry film.
Another test is to use a solution of Potassium Iodide.
This will produce a cloud of Silver Iodide in exhausted
fixing bath. Kodak gives the formula and method in their
darkroom handbook. Fixer test solutions are also available
packaged.
Total fixing time should be about double the clearing
time. For the two bath system fix for half the time in each
bath.
A further economy is to use a sulfite wash aid such as
Kodak Hypo Clearing Agent. This does several things but
among them is the ability to make some otherwise bound up
silver complexes soluble so it has the effect of partially
compensating for inadequate fixing. It is also a definite
economy where water is at a premium.
Standard Acetic acid stop bath is fine. If you use
rapid fixer avoid the use of Citric acid stop bath, such as
Ilfords, because the combination of Citric acid with the
Ammonium Thiosulfate fixer makes a pretty good bleach.
The cheapest way to make up stop bath is to buy Glacial
Acetic (concentrated acetic) acid and dilute it to 28%
working solution. This is then used to make up the usual
1.5% stop bath. A liter of Glacial will make many gallons of
stop bath. Don't try to save the stop bath, just toss it.
Despite the current trend to eliminate stop baths they
serve a useful purpose in preventing dichroic fog in the
fixing bath. A water rinse will work but should be thorough,
at least 30 seconds to one minute in water kept pretty
fresh. Eliminating the stop bath really has no advantage
despite some pretty strong fans of the method.
Ilford makes good paper and, at the moment, seems to be
about the only paper manufacturer with good quality control.
IMO, most of the small manufacturers are using very old
technology and there are many reports of inconsistent
results. Fuji also makes good paper but does not sell it
outside of Japan.


--
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA

Richard Knoppow wrote:

Thanks for the wonderful answer. It will be a great help.

Outdated paper is likely to be fogged. While the use
of an anti-fog agent can same some of it its best just to
avoid it.

I agree, but it's what I have. :-)

I'll have to see if I can get any paper locally. Darkroom stuff does
not sell well here.

Up until some time in the late 1980's photgraphic equipment (and personal
computers) were taxed at about 250% (two and a half times the price
in taxes), when I moved here in 1996, it had been reduced to 140%. So
very few things were sold here.

Schools had darkrooms and some imegrants from rich countries, but
most, like me had to sell what we had as we could not afford to
buy it again for the tax people.

In the last few years, it has been dropped to simply VAT (15.5%), which makes
it more affordable. However since 9/11 the chance of shipping anything by
air without it being X-Rayed is pretty slim. Surface shipping is safer,
but the temperatures vary from well bellow freezing in the winter to
over 120F in the summer.

In the last few months, the USPS has revised their prices upward, and a
friend sent me a small vaccuum sealing device she bought at a yard sale
for $4. It was about the size of 100 sheet photo paper box, 4x11 inches.
The shipping was $35, without tracking, guarentee of delivery or
insurance.

Freestyle, for example ships only FedEX and therefore a package of 8x10
paper would cost $100 to ship.

The red safelights are fine for both graded and
variable contrast papers but are somewhat unpleasant to work
under. The recommended safelight filter is the Kodak OC. Do
NOT use an OA, this is an older type of filter intended for
graded paper and will fog VC paper. The Ilford equivalent
filter is the No.905.

Ok, thanks. I'll stick to the OC. Now to find a 15 watt bulb. I looked
through Home Center and the smallest bulb they had was 25 watts. Smaller
bulbs have been replaced with miniflourescent bulbs. I'll have to find
a lighting store.

These filters are intended to pass as much visible
light as possible so that the darkroom is easy to work in
without passing light the paper is sensitive to. However,
the red safelights quite satisfactory from the fogging
standpoint.

That's good to know. I have two safelights that are red. They are very
dim, and use 7.5 watt night light bulbs, which are easily found, and I
bought a large supply. :-)

I also have two Phillips safe light bulbs, which are like regular
red light bulbs, but coated with a safelight filter. One I bought,
which cost as much as the small safelights and the other was a gift.

I know this is rambling, but I expect that in 10 years, the situation
in the U.S. will be the same. :-(


Safelight filters can fade so should be tested. Both
Kodak and Ilford have test procedures on their web sites,
the Kodak test can be found by entering K-4 in the search
engine on their web site. Because the combination of
exposure to the safelight and to the enlarger results in
greater sensitivity to fogging a simple exposure to the
safelight will not tell you if its safe.

This is really a gem. I was bought up on the quarter on the paper
safelight test. I'll look for it right away.

The Kodak bee-hive safelight is a very common item as
are the filters for it. You should be able to find more of
them at pretty low cost.

It's the only one I've seen here. It was given to me unmodified
as it came from the U.S. complete with a 120 volt bulb in it.
I would love to find more, but don't have much hope.

There is really very little difference among paper
developers. I would use whatever is conveniently available
to you.

Thanks, I appreiciate that information. I was a big dektol
user and have long since forgotten what liquid I used. :-)


The requirements for fixing paper are more stringent
than those for film. Do NOT use partially exhausted fixer.
A better method is to use a two bath fixing system.
The second bath remains relatively fresh and will clean up
after the first bath. When the first bath becomes exhausted
enough its tossed and the second bath moved up, the second
bath being replaced by a fresh bath. The capacity of this
system to fix paper completely is four to ten times the
capacity of a single bath. This system should also be used
for film.

Ok, thanks.

While the Iodide leached out of film tends to slow
down fixing it has relatively little effect on a two bath
system and relatively little effect of Ammonium Thiosulfate
(Rapid) fixer. So, if you are going to use the same fixer
for both film and paper rapid fixer is preferred.

Ok, that's what I use.

For paper you can use the fixer at film strength, but
be careful of excessive fixing times because acid rapid
fixer can bleach the image a little.

I did not plan to, that's why I said I would dilute it. I can
make fresh and keep it seperate.


There are a couple of ways to test fixing baths for
exhaustion. The best is to check periodically for clearing
time. This is the time it takes for the emulsion to become
completely clear in the bath. It is very hard to determine
this for paper but it can be seen easily for film. I suggest
using a scrap of film to test the fresh bath and test
periodically using a scrap of the same film. When the
clearing time doubles toss the fixer. This is OK for the
first bath of a two bath system but for a single bath will
result in excessively exhausted fixer. Soak the film for a
couple of minutes before testing because wet film fixes at a
different rate than dry film.

Ok, thanks,


Another test is to use a solution of Potassium Iodide.
This will produce a cloud of Silver Iodide in exhausted
fixing bath. Kodak gives the formula and method in their
darkroom handbook. Fixer test solutions are also available
packaged.

I have some, but I know it is at least 15 years old. Does it go bad?

Total fixing time should be about double the clearing
time. For the two bath system fix for half the time in each
bath.
A further economy is to use a sulfite wash aid such as
Kodak Hypo Clearing Agent. This does several things but
among them is the ability to make some otherwise bound up
silver complexes soluble so it has the effect of partially
compensating for inadequate fixing. It is also a definite
economy where water is at a premium.

I'm in the desert. :-) Like L.A., you might not believe it if you
see it, but water is at a premium here. I am using some sort of
wash aid, but Kodak chemicals were hard to find here and are probably
gone.


Standard Acetic acid stop bath is fine. If you use
rapid fixer avoid the use of Citric acid stop bath, such as
Ilfords, because the combination of Citric acid with the
Ammonium Thiosulfate fixer makes a pretty good bleach.

oops. That's what I have.

The cheapest way to make up stop bath is to buy Glacial
Acetic (concentrated acetic) acid and dilute it to 28%
working solution. This is then used to make up the usual
1.5% stop bath. A liter of Glacial will make many gallons of
stop bath. Don't try to save the stop bath, just toss it.

I used to do that in the U.S. I have never seen it here.

Ilford makes good paper and, at the moment, seems to be
about the only paper manufacturer with good quality control.
IMO, most of the small manufacturers are using very old
technology and there are many reports of inconsistent
results. Fuji also makes good paper but does not sell it
outside of Japan.

Thanks for everything, I'll report back. I hope I can find paper,
I've already bought out local supplies of bulk 35mm film, plastic
reloadable casettes, HC-110 and Rodinal.

When asked if more (developer) was on the way, a local store said yes.
which I wonder because the Rodinal was the old Agfa version. Another
store in Tel Aviv danced around the issue, but gave the impression I got
the last of their chemicals. The HC-110 I bought from them had gone bad with
age (something I thought almost impossible for a factory sealed bottle).

Geoff.


--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel N3OWJ/4X1GM
IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838
Visit my 'blog at http://geoffstechno.livejournal.com/

On 21 août, 08:39, (Geoffrey S. Mendelson) wrote:
snip
Freestyle, for example ships only FedEX and therefore a package of 8x10
paper would cost $100 to ship.

At B&H, UPS shipment is cheaper than USPS and service is much better
(tracking #, fast delivery, etc ...).
Multigrade, fiber papers are he
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/3results... ds%29&sq=asc

I ordered once a bunch of electron tubes from New-York through USPS.
I received them with "some" delay as they went through South Africa
before arriving in Europe.
I suppose someone mixed Swaziland and Switzerland, phonetically close
but just on two different continents ...

I also have two Phillips safe light bulbs, which are like regular
red light bulbs, but coated with a safelight filter. One I bought,
which cost as much as the small safelights and the other was a gift.

They work fine, I use some of them together with their amber
counterparts.
But, as usual, test your safelight to be sure it is safe ...

I'm in the desert. :-) Like L.A., you might not believe it if you
see it, but water is at a premium here. I am using some sort of
wash aid, but Kodak chemicals were hard to find here and are probably
gone.

As washaid, I just use a plain 2% sodium sulfite solution I through at
the end of the session.
This is a very cheap chemical.
Or you may go the formula Richard gave some times ago which is more or
less similar to Kodak's one.

Thanks for everything, I'll report back. I hope I can find paper,
I've already bought out local supplies of bulk 35mm film, plastic
reloadable casettes, HC-110 and Rodinal.

When asked if more (developer) was on the way, a local store said yes.
which I wonder because the Rodinal was the old Agfa version. Another
store in Tel Aviv danced around the issue, but gave the impression I got
the last of their chemicals. The HC-110 I bought from them had gone bad with
age (something I thought almost impossible for a factory sealed bottle).

Buy also your chemicals from one of the US large distributors but,
because of air shipments regulations, you're usually limited to dry
chemicals (Dektol, Xtol, etc ...).
In your situation, I would try to find a local supplier of raw
chemicals and mix my own, it may be easier.


Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel N3OWJ/4X1GM
IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838
Visit my 'blog athttp://geoffstechno.livejournal.com/

Good luck,
Claudio Bonavolta
http://www.bonavolta.ch

In article ,
(Geoffrey S. Mendelson) writes:

Richard Knoppow wrote:

Freestyle, for example ships only FedEX and therefore a package of 8x10
paper would cost $100 to ship.

When did you check their prices? I recall that Freestyle added some
overseas shipping options a few months ago, with the goal of making
themselves more affordable for non-US customers. If you did your checks a
while back, it could be you should check again.

A few other options include B&H (in the US, http://www.bhphotovideo.com),
Fotoimpex (in Germany, http://www.fotoimpex.de), and Megaperls (in Japan,
http://www.unicircuits.com/shop/index.php). I haven't checked overseas
shipping prices (or even product prices) at most of these places; I just
happen to know about them and I believe they all do ship internationally,
so they're worth checking out.

The red safelights are fine for both graded and
variable contrast papers but are somewhat unpleasant to work
under. The recommended safelight filter is the Kodak OC.

Ok, thanks. I'll stick to the OC. Now to find a 15 watt bulb. I looked
through Home Center and the smallest bulb they had was 25 watts. Smaller
bulbs have been replaced with miniflourescent bulbs. I'll have to find
a lighting store.

You might see if you can find a red LED bulb. I use one of these as one of
my two safelights:

http://www.superbrightleds.com/specs/E27-W24.htm

I've heard some people use the amber ones, too, but I'm not sure they'd be
safe with VC paper.

That's good to know. I have two safelights that are red. They are very
dim, and use 7.5 watt night light bulbs, which are easily found, and I
bought a large supply. :-)

I also have two Phillips safe light bulbs, which are like regular
red light bulbs, but coated with a safelight filter. One I bought,
which cost as much as the small safelights and the other was a gift.

My second safelight is a coated low-wattage incandescent bulb, similar to
what you describe. I bought it from B&H or Freestyle (I don't recall
which). Coated red bulbs sold for non-photographic uses might or might not
be safe; the coating might be incomplete or it might pass light outside of
the safe range. If you've got no other choice you might as well try one,
but I certainly wouldn't assume it's safe without testing.

Oh, I've heard of people using red Christmas tree lights as safelights.
I'd imagine those are rarer in Israel than in the US, though. ;-)

There is really very little difference among paper
developers. I would use whatever is conveniently available
to you.

Thanks, I appreiciate that information. I was a big dektol
user and have long since forgotten what liquid I used. :-)
....
When asked if more (developer) was on the way, a local store said yes.
which I wonder because the Rodinal was the old Agfa version.

FWIW, I've heard that Rodinal makes a decent paper developer, but I've
never tried it myself. (It must be used at greater concentration than with
film -- around 1+10 dilution, IIRC.) There's also a mix-it-yourself
version of Rodinal called paRodinal; see
http://silent1.home.netcom.com/Photo...d%20Times.html
(it's one of several formulas there). The advantage of paRodinal is that
it's easy to make from acetaminophen (Tylenol) tablets, sodium sulfite,
and sodium hydroxide (lye). When mixed, the acetaminophen is chemically
converted into p-aminophenol, the developing agent in Rodinal. Given what
you've said, you might find it easier to track down these ingredients than
to track down a packaged commercial developer.

For that matter, you could try to get more traditional photographic raw
ingredients, such as phenidone, metol, etc. You could then mix a wide
variety of developers. I believe that JD Photochem
(http://www.jdphotochem.com) in Canada ships internationally. Even if
shipping charges are ridiculous, chances are you'll be able to find some
ingredients locally, so the total cost on a per-liter basis of developer
should be reasonable. If you don't know Thing One about mixing your own
chemicals, check out a few resources:

- Steve Anchell's _The Darkroom Cookbook, 2nd Edition_, ISBN 0240804236
- Steve Anchell and Bill Troop's _The Film Developing Cookbook_, ISBN
0240802772
- http://www.jackspcs.com
- http://www.digitaltruth.com/data.html
- http://www.photosensitive.ca/wp/easy-film-developers/

--
Rod Smith,
http://www.rodsbooks.com
Author of books on Linux, FreeBSD, and networking

On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 05:33:26 -0700, Claudio Bonavolta
wrote:

[---]

In your situation, I would try to find a local supplier of raw
chemicals and mix my own, it may be easier.

Good suggestion. See also Lloyd Erlick's article :

http://www.heylloyd.com/technicl/bulkchem.htm

on this subject. The other articles on his site are also well worth
reading.

Rod Smith wrote:

Thanks,

When did you check their prices? I recall that Freestyle added some
overseas shipping options a few months ago, with the goal of making
themselves more affordable for non-US customers. If you did your checks a
while back, it could be you should check again.

It was a year ago, I should check again.

You might see if you can find a red LED bulb. I use one of these as one of
my two safelights:

http://www.superbrightleds.com/specs/E27-W24.htm

I wonder if I can just make one from red LED's? I have many of them. It won't
look as nice, and I'll probably just run it off of a "wall wart".


My second safelight is a coated low-wattage incandescent bulb, similar to
what you describe. I bought it from B&H or Freestyle (I don't recall
which). Coated red bulbs sold for non-photographic uses might or might not
be safe; the coating might be incomplete or it might pass light outside of
the safe range. If you've got no other choice you might as well try one,
but I certainly wouldn't assume it's safe without testing.

I expect not. When I was in high school a camera store opened nearby
(but not near enough for me to use) with a rental darkroom. It had
flourescent lights with the tubes in red sleeves. I wonder if I
could get one of those, but the room may be too small.

I've gotten far enough to test things and found that my "darkroom" was
too bightly lit at night to be of any use. I covered the windows with
aluminum foil (just the thing for low price, easy availabilty, and sloppy
workers) and tried it out tonight. It's dark enough to work at night.
It's actually two rooms, a larger area with a clothes dryer in it, which
I am using as an enlarging table, and a small powder room with a counter,
sink and toilet as the wet room.

I'm safe until the rainy season which starts around November first,
then my wife will actually use the dryer for its intended purpose.

I tried the Kodak safelight with a 10 watt bulb in it and it lit up
the powder room well enough to work. I could not find any 15 watt bulbs,
and on the third try, the local hardware store produced some 5-10 watt
(I wish they'd make up their mind) bulbs. I'll have to measure their
current draw.

I'll probably use it for the wet room, and the red lights for the enlarging
area. Now I have to figure out how to set up a switching arangment so
that they go off when the enlarger goes on. I don't have a timer, but
I can count to 10 and if I concentrate 15 :-)


Oh, I've heard of people using red Christmas tree lights as safelights.
I'd imagine those are rarer in Israel than in the US, though. ;-)


They show up in the fall for Sukkot (the feast of Tabernacles), where
everyone builds little huts and eats in them for a week commemerating
the annual census and harvest where everyone traveled to Jerusalem
and lived in huts for a week. We decorate them and eat in them,
some people sleep in them.

By Christmas time, they disapear from the stores. :-)

FWIW, I've heard that Rodinal makes a decent paper developer, but I've
never tried it myself. (It must be used at greater concentration than with
film -- around 1+10 dilution, IIRC.) There's also a mix-it-yourself
version of Rodinal called paRodinal; see
http://silent1.home.netcom.com/Photo...d%20Times.html
(it's one of several formulas there). The advantage of paRodinal is that
it's easy to make from acetaminophen (Tylenol) tablets, sodium sulfite,
and sodium hydroxide (lye). When mixed, the acetaminophen is chemically
converted into p-aminophenol, the developing agent in Rodinal. Given what
you've said, you might find it easier to track down these ingredients than
to track down a packaged commercial developer.


I tried that. I found that the local tylenol equivalent was expensive,
pure sodium hydroxide was available only from a soap maker (who was
willing to sell me 250 grams at a time), but sulfite was impossible
to find. None of the camera stores carried it, and I could not locate
a pool supply. Private pools are rare here.


For that matter, you could try to get more traditional photographic raw
ingredients, such as phenidone, metol, etc. You could then mix a wide
variety of developers. I believe that JD Photochem
(http://www.jdphotochem.com) in Canada ships internationally. Even if
shipping charges are ridiculous, chances are you'll be able to find some
ingredients locally, so the total cost on a per-liter basis of developer
should be reasonable. If you don't know Thing One about mixing your own
chemicals, check out a few resources:

I guess I could try that, I used to do it a long time ago. Thanks.
Eventually it may not be optional, as every day goes by the supply
of ready made stuff shrinks.

Thanks for all the advice. I appriciate it.

Geoff.


--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel N3OWJ/4X1GM
IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838
Visit my 'blog at http://geoffstechno.livejournal.com/

Rod Smith wrote:
When did you check their prices? I recall that Freestyle added some
overseas shipping options a few months ago, with the goal of making
themselves more affordable for non-US customers. If you did your checks a
while back, it could be you should check again.

The option they added was USPS international priority mail. It was
reasonably priced up until May, when the rates were restructured.

Now it's $20 for the first pound and $4 for each pound after that
including packaging. There is a special box rate (you use their box),
which may or may not fit and Freestyle is under no obligation to
use it. It's about $35 for up to 20 pounds.

I assume if I were to get some small things, then it would cost about
$45 ($35 for the shipping and $10 for the packaging). Paper may not fit
in the box, or be too heavy and I would have to go with the by the
pound option.

Most if not all, packages are X-rayed at least once.

I guess it's worth a shot, I'll wait until next month when it's cooler.
No need to have things cooked in transit. :-)

Thanks, Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel N3OWJ/4X1GM
IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838
Visit my 'blog at http://geoffstechno.livejournal.com/

"Geoffrey S. Mendelson" wrote in message
...
Richard Knoppow wrote:

Thanks for the wonderful answer. It will be a great help.

Outdated paper is likely to be fogged. While the
use
of an anti-fog agent can same some of it its best just to
avoid it.

I agree, but it's what I have. :-)

I'll have to see if I can get any paper locally. Darkroom
stuff does
not sell well here.


Most of long post snipped...

I am sorry to hear of the problems caused by unreasonable
taxes there. A real PITA.
If you can obtain raw chemicals you can make your own
wash aid. For paper a simple 2% solution of Sodium Sulfite
will work well. I think sulfite is available for other uses
than photography so it may be easier to obtain than it first
looks. The use of a Sulfite wash aid very substantially
reduces the amount of water needed for washing, by at least
6 times. Also, you can save more but using a sequential bath
method. Total washing time is about the same but the amount
of water used is much less than for a running water wash.
Kodak and Ilford give instructions for film but paper can be
washed the same way. Agitate fiber prints in a sequence of
about 5 minute baths of water for about 6 changes of water
when a wash aid is used.
Beware of red coated light bulbs as safelights. They
_look_ red but pass enough other colors to cause fogging.
They may be OK but test them. Actually, any safelight should
be checked because the filters fade with time.
Old paper can often be used with the help of an
anti-fogging agent. The most effective is Benzotriazole but
plain Potassium bromide will work. Bromide has a greater
effect on the image color (tends to warm it up) and looses
more speed than Benzotriazole. I will have to look up the
amounts, they are given in Grant Haist's book and its in a
box somewhere right now.
In general, cold tone papers tend to pick up fog less
than warm tone paper. I have some ancient Brovira which
still works but warmer tone paper such as Agfa Portriga
Rapid is useless even with the anti-foggant.
Rodinal is not the ideal developer for anything but works
OK where somewhat increased grain is acceptable. That means
it work for large format negatives and for very fine grain
film. In particular, it will develop T-Max or Delta films
wtih relatively fine grain. Rodinal also makes a good, if a
bit expensive paper developer at about 1:30.


--
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Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA

"Geoffrey S. Mendelson" wrote in message
...

I'm safe until the rainy season which starts around November first,
then my wife will actually use the dryer for its intended purpose.

Watch out for dryer lint!

I tried the Kodak safelight with a 10 watt bulb in it and it lit up
the powder room well enough to work. I could not find any 15 watt bulbs,
and on the third try, the local hardware store produced some 5-10 watt
(I wish they'd make up their mind) bulbs. I'll have to measure their
current draw.

I'll probably use it for the wet room, and the red lights for the
enlarging
area. Now I have to figure out how to set up a switching arangment so
that they go off when the enlarger goes on. I don't have a timer, but
I can count to 10 and if I concentrate 15 :-)

Disclaimer: (a) I'm not a licensed electrician, nor do I play one on TV; (b)
I have no idea what kind of electrical systems/parts are available in
Israel.

The wall switches that are used for three-way light circuits (such as the
light in a stairway where there is a switch downstairs and another upstairs
to control one light) are single-pole-double-throw switches. They have three
connections: have the power coming in on the 'common', and out on one of the
two others depending on the position of the switch. One position of the
switch supplies power to the safelight, the other position supplies power to
the enlarger.