Polymax FB Storage

[Arthur Nichols]

Does anyone know how this paper holds up in storage. I know that it has been discontinued but I like it and I was considering to buy some remaining stock and store it in a freezer, but I want to be reasonably sure that it will still be good when it comes out. Does anyone know how long this paper lasts in a deep freezer?
Art

[matthew blais]

I believe I read here some time ago that it incorporates a built in developer of sorts, and shelf life is maybe 1-1.5 years or thereabouts.

But I'm not sure.

[Brian Schall]

Funny this question came up.

Yesterday I opened a box of 16x20 Polymax fiber that I bought 8 or 9 years ago and never got around to using. It was stored in the house, nothing special, no temperature extremes. Put a sheet fresh out of the box in the developer and after a minute, it turned a nice shade of gray. 50 sheets went into the trash.

[Harold_4074]

Polymax may be more sensitive to moisture than traditional papers. An envelope, purchased in about 1993 and not opened until 2000 was just fine (no special storage, either). But a box, purchased in late 2001 or early 2002, was fogging badly by early 2005. And a different box with strange markings (early non-USA manufacture, possibly?) sold as Polymax by Freestyle was going bad in less than a year. It seems that the lifetimewas inversely proportional to the amount of time that the package had been open, which strongly suggests moisture damage.

Or it could be that Kodak's quality control started circling the drain well before they abandoned paper manufacturing, since the shelf life also seems to be inversely proportional to the time since production.

[Robert A. Zeichner]

I have been using Polymax FA for over ten years and upon learning of its demise, ordered a few years supply which I have frozen. Unfrozen, I've been able to use this paper for as long as 2 years after expiration, but I have kept the paper in my cool dry basement. I have no idea how long the frozen paper will last, but each box is sealed in a ziplock bag and hopefully I will not experience any problems before I've exhausted my supply. Of course all VC paper loses sensitivity and contrast over time when stored at room temperature and hopefully, freezing will slow or arrest that tendency as well. When and if I run into problems, I will post my observations.

[Arthur Nichols]

I found some information regarding the storage of Polymaz paper on John Sexton's web site.
For the complete article, go the link below

:http://www.johnsexton.com/sextonnewsletter.html#anchor%2007

The short version:
1. There is no definitive data on long term paper storage in a freezer
2. Paper that is stored at 55 deg F is likley to last significantly longer than paper stored at room temperature.
3. Paper that is stored at 0 deg F is likely to last significantly longer than paper that is stored at 55 deg F.
4. Paper that is frozen should be stored in airtight ziplock bags.

[Mark Sampson]

In the '90s Kodak went thru a process where they redesigned many of their films and papers to remove nasty materials- cadmium for one. (I believe that that's why Agfa discontinued Portriga-Rapid, too.) Perhaps those pro-environmental moves had an effect on storage life? We'll probably never know.

[JorgePeixe03]

Does anyone know how this paper holds up in storage. I know that it has been discontinued but I like it and I was considering to buy some remaining stock and store it in a freezer, but I want to be reasonably sure that it will still be good when it comes out. Does anyone know how long this paper lasts in a deep freezer?
Art

Iknow I come late for this discussion but just to mention:
I process last week 10 sheets os Polymax FB and it went just really good results!
The box said "process before 02/04" :)
It have been storaged in a relative humidity controled room.
...made in Canada.

I love this paper!

Jorge

[jnantz]

hi arthur:

i have had some on a shelf for 15-20 years
and it still works fine. the shelf in not in a freezer or fridge,
but in my darkroom ...

YMMV
john

[Larry Gebhardt]

I still have some as well. Just tested some out tonight and it is slightly fogged. Just a hint of density compared to an undeveloped but fixed sheet. It would probably work for some images, but I doubt I'll print on it. I did use a few sheets to test the evenness of my home built enlarger heads and it worked superbly for that. Might also be good for a safelight test, or other non final print testing.

It's a shame Kodak put developer in the paper. Without it I bet it would still be good. When fresh I really liked the paper.