Last Sheet of Forte

[John Layton]

I knew this day would come...when I'd need to decide how to use my last sheet of Forte Elegance WT Fiber. Decided on an image from my most recent roll from Monhegan. I so love the Fuji/Voigtlander as it allows me to work on the edge of what is possible with MF, more than adequately filling in when I don't happen to have my LF with me, in this case tripod-less as well.

Edit: what's with the smiley face? (someone hack this in?)

Datariftwood (16x20 print) - shot handheld with a Fuji/Voigtlander 667, TMY, 125thsec at f/9.5. Processed with Pyrocat HD in Glycol, 1:1:100, 18min. with modified minimal agitation (1 min, then 10 sec every 2 min). Printed split grade, Zone 6 Enlarger w/Heiland VC LED head, 100mm Companon-S at f/11:

[Andrew O'Neill]

I've still got a 16x20 box of Forte Polygrade V fibre sitting in the freezer. Beautiful paper. That was my favourite paper. Saving it for something special...

[Mark Sawyer]

Edit: what's with the smiley face? (someone hack this in?)

I'd deduce you typed a colon followed by a capital D, html code for that particular smiley face.

A lovely image befitting your last sheet of Forte, btw, (though the pareidoliogist in me sees a horse talking to a chicken...)

[Bruce Barlow]

I have about 6 boxes of 8x10 Polygrade V, and three or four 5x7. All in deep freeze. For me, probably a lifetime supply, given all the other paper I have, too.

[scheinfluger_77]

I'd deduce you typed a colon followed by a capital D, html code for that particular smiley face.

A lovely image befitting your last sheet of Forte, btw, (though the pareidoliogist in me sees a horse talking to a chicken...)

Geez! You are absolutely correct, I did not see them earlier. Great call, kind of like making things out of clouds.

[Drew Wiley]

There's a rumor that the Neutral Tone (not Warmtone) Bergger VC is similar to Polygrade V. I have yet to test it myself. I'm just about to drymount some 20x24 Polygrade V prints. I cooked up a special developer that gave this paper the most neutral cold tone of any recent paper, despite its official Neutral classification. Would love to find a substitute.

[Duolab123]

Amazing stuff, I still have some, I need to get to it.
And at first I saw a mummified baby mastodon.

[LabRat]

I haven't opened the box yet, but it sounds like when Oriental changed its WT, some of the signs were that the neutral Oriental was "improved" to make it warmer by base color and slightly slower speed, which would put it into Forte's range, so it might be an ok substitute to try...

Steve K

[Bruce Barlow]

There's a rumor that the Neutral Tone (not Warmtone) Bergger VC is similar to Polygrade V. I have yet to test it myself. I'm just about to drymount some 20x24 Polygrade V prints. I cooked up a special developer that gave this paper the most neutral cold tone of any recent paper, despite its official Neutral classification. Would love to find a substitute.

I tested them side-by-side years ago. Not even close, unless they have improved the Bergger. Polygrade V in Formulary's VersaPrint was the best combination of 12 papers and 12 developers I tested, and when I put some really terrific printers to the test of selecting their favorite combination at the View
Camera Conference in Monterey, only Paula Chamlee disagreed and chose Ilford Galerie with Dektol, toned lightly in selenium. Everybody else chose Polygrade V/VersaPrint (also toned lightly).

My fix for Dektol's greenish cast is the lightly-toning regimen. Usually about 2 minutes in a 1:20 dilution of RST. Green cast goes away, delightfully cool, to my eye. Good enough for photography.

I later visited Michael and Paula and used the now-defunct Azo enlarging head to test Azo/amidol. It blew away Polygrade V. Don't think I even toned it.

[Willie]

Had a good discussion with my Uncle and a few of his old friends on this paper some time back. Uncle was printing a project on Forte WarmTone paper and the images looked like tanned leather - really nice. Got another box and it was not the same. Very different look. He made contact with the dealer and then got referred higher. Seems he was at the changeover from Warmtone paper from Cadmium to NO Cadmium. US Federal regulations mandated elemination of Cadmium in the paper.

Forte scoured dealer network and got him the boxed needed to finish his project, but that was the last of the paper he really liked.

From regulation to market, things change. Forte Polygrade V was one beautiful paper.