Wanting to get to Platinum printing, I need to know what anyone has tried and likes for enlarged negatives. I know that I can get some nice 8x10 negs by using Kodak Versalite TDF and am wondering if any one use this method. Processing in Dektol yeilds some really nice tones and VERY fine grain. I am wondering if it will work for platinum and Kallitypes.

-- Scott Walton (scotlynn@shore.net), July 28, 2000

Answers

I wonder if that's the same as their SO-215 or something similar that I used a few years back. It did a very nice job of making dupe negs at whatever enlargement. I forget what developer I used. It should work just fine if it is the same stuff. I think it was red light handling.

-- Tony Brent (ajbrent@mich.com), July 29, 2000.

You should get a subscription to Post-Factory Photography. Details on my site at unblinkingeye.com. Past issues contain detailed articles on making copy negatives.

-- Ed Buffaloe (edbuffaloe@unblinkingeye.com), July 29, 2000.

Check out the articles section of www.bostick-sulivan.com. They have an article on enlarged negatives written by Michael Kravit. It is detailed and very well written.

-- Kent S. (kent_j._schilling@notes.up.com), July 31, 2000.

Thanks all for your input! Cheers

-- Scott Walton (scotlynn@shore.net), August 03, 2000.

Hi Guys The best reults I've had have been from scanning a 35 neg at high resolution(file size 30 meg ++)then doing what ever you want in Photoshop or any other half-decent imaging software, then having a neg made of whatever size you want at a service bureau or place that makes separation negs for printers. I paid less than 10 bucks for an 8x10. MAke sure the output is silver and usually Agfa film is best. Agfa also make a copy film which is supposed to be the best-they call it 36 something.

Dan Burkholder has an excellent book on making enlarged negs- look for "Dan Burkholder-enlarged negatives" on Google. he sells the book direct. It also contains instructions and special curves for adjusting the contrast on digital negs-absolutely necessary.

They can also be made on modern inkjet printers using a color wash, such as orange( for platinum paper)as a density or contrast enhancer.

Making enlarged positives, then contact printing a dupe neg is OK but you lose sharpness, BUT, this often makes the print look like an old style original platinum print from 1880 or so. Take a look at some Julia Margaret Cameron platinotypes-GORGEOUS!

I finally gave up and am now shooting 8x10 in-camera. A 4x5 camera neg on platinum makes a FANTASTIC contact print and when framed properly can be a real jewel and can sell for thousands. (Elton John says he loves small prints- try sending him one.)

The best developer I have found for negs for Platinum printing are T MAx 400, rated at 200, in split D-23. The instruction book from Palladiio in Cambrifge MA.(Google again)has excellent instructions for all phases of this nonsense.

Cheers

-- RICHARD ILOMAKI (richardjx@hotmail.com), July 23, 2001.

The SO-132 direct pos. dupe film does an okay job for enlarged negs. There have been numerous incarnations of this film, the latest is SO-132, but Kodak was going to discontinue that this year....they told me last month that it will be in production for another year, and then based on the sales they'll see what happens then. I use this film for making duplicate negs (by contact mostly) of old nitrate based roll film. It is an ortho film, but is very slow...you can actually proof your exposures using Azo, aim for an ISO of around 8 or so. I mostly use DK-50 as my developer (in a tank), but next batch I do I'll probably use my XTOL tank...

The vendors for the NARA, and some other institutions actually prefer to do negative duping in 2 steps. They make an interpositive, and then contact that to get the working negative. You can get alot more control this way, and the interpositive becomes something of the master neg at this point....it's called a "preservation master". The working negs are "surrogates". I spoke with one of the labs a few months ago when I thought the SO films were history, and the guy I talked to told me that the best duping film was Agfa P330p (which I think is now discontinued as well...I don't know for certain, this is a graphic arts product and there's only one distributor for the US...it's very expensive. An 8x10 box of 50 sheets is close to $200). They use the Agfa film for the interpos., and contact print it to Ilford Ortho Plus Copy film for the neg. Ortho+ is close to the old (discontinued) Kodak Commercial Film. I use ortho+ as a copy film , and you can get alot of contrast control out of that film as well. They gave me some substitutes for films , such as Delta 100 or Plus-X for the interpos. Kodak told me to use Tech Pan as the interpos. and TMX 100 as the neg.

At any rate, the interpositive should be dense, it should look dark on a light table. You need to have all the detail there in the shadows, so when you contact it for the neg, nothing is lost. The dupe negs will be a little dense as well....

You can contact Kodak and ask for densitometer aim points if you're interested, or check out their book (now outdated) "Copying and Duplicating in B&W and Color".

One more thing, I spoke with a rep from Bergger as well. They carry 2 dupe films that are close to the Agfa emulsions P330p, and N330p.

I haven't done any platinum printing, but I think you could probably get more density & contrast control by doing this in 2 steps....

-- DK Thompson (kthompson@moh.dcr.state.nc.us), July 25, 2001.

I just started using Ortho film for the positive and Arista APHS litho film for the final neg. The final neg is developed in PMK Pyro developer. The results are fabulous.

There are two papers posted on the Bostich & Sullivan website detailing exposure and development times for you to start with. The main advantage of using litho film is the relative cheap cost compared to conventional film.

-- Allen Friday (alfriday@metc.net), February 01, 2002.