Using ADOX Lupex paper

[Ironage]

I am experimenting with this paper in grade three for contact printing.

The good:

Good whites and deep blacks, and a nice slightly warm tone.

The baryta paper is very good quality.

The bad:

This paper is too fast for contact printing. I am going to have get a dimmer bulb.

The ugly:

The most contrasty paper I have used! Way to much! It suggests a pre-exposure to reduce contrast, but the paper is so fast I can’t control the pre-exposure.

Anyone else using this paper?


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[Alan9940]

I've used this paper. I use an open 150w flood to expose it and I had to move the light to about 6 feet above the easel surface to get any kind of reasonable exposure time. Depending on the neg, I occasionally have to use an ND filter. Yep, it's contrasty as all get out! I've tried water bath with Amidol and two bath normal paper developers in my attempts to tame the contrast. I wouldn't say I've reached the perfect equilibrium, yet. When the darkroom returns to more normal room temps (summer in the desert right now), I'm planning to try SLIMT. Oddly, I've pulled a few very nice prints from 8x10 Tri-X on this paper with normal Amidol development. I plan to keep working with it because I really do like the results...when they're good!

What light source are you using? How far from the paper surface is the light? I'm all ears to any other techniques you've found that work with this paper.

[Ironage]

Alan, I am currently using a 75w enlarger bulb in a regular socket in my boats bathroom. It is only about 2 feet away from the paper, but I am only printing 5x7. I think I will go with a 15 watt bulb. I am going to have to adjust my exposure and processing to make HP5 print nice on the paper.

[Pere Casals]

I am going to have to adjust my exposure and processing to make HP5 print nice on the paper.

Yes... you may make a development bracketing for some kinds of scene, in the shadow, sunlight illuminated... you may make those N bracketings with several 120 rolls.

a 75w enlarger bulb ... about 2 feet away from the paper, but I am only printing 5x7. I think I will go with a 15 watt bulb.

Lupex is 8 stops slower than ADOX regular papers, slow enough. Place the bulb at 6 feet and exposure time will be x9 longer, of course you may also use a bulb with less lower.

"2 feet away from the paper" is not the best, as in the corners light rays are very inclinated.


Here there is an interesting thread about LUPEX, https://www.photrio.com/forum/thread...-paper.135244/

In this post (https://www.photrio.com/forum/thread...2#post-1766659) R Mowrey says "For those interested, Lupex, Azo, and Lodima are all virtually identical."

This is Mowrey formula compared to AZO, grades 2 and 3:


https://www.photrio.com/forum/thread...2#post-1766720

That long paper toe will print easier dense highlights in the film shoulder, or in special highlights of TMax film that go very dense because not sporting a shoulder.


For the record, this is the old Agfa LUPEX formula:

https://www.photrio.com/forum/thread...formula.31240/


This formula is similar to the Agfa Lupex and Kodak Azo papers when they used the old active gelatins. This would be about 1940.

Part A:

Gelatin (medium ripening) 3.5g
Water 152.5 ml
Egg White 7.5 ml (albumen - to add gloss)
Sodium Chloride 2.5 g
Sulfuric acid 0.5 ml (H2SO4 diluted to a density of 1.18)
Rhodium chloride (0.1 g/ L) 0.1 ml

Bring to 45 deg C.

Part B:

Silver Nitrate 5.0 g
Water 80.0 ml

Bring to 45 deg C.

Add B -> A over 20 minutes at 45 degrees C.

Add to this emulsion:

Gelatin (hard ripening) 15 g
Gelatin (medium ripening) 5 g

Bring to 60 deg C and hold for 25 minutes so that these gelatins will melt fully.

(NOTE: these two iodide steps can be combined in my experience)

Add 1 cc of 0.65% KI and hold for 10 minutes

Add 1.5 cc of 0.65% KI and hold for 10 minutes.

(NOTE: this antifoggant/stabilzer below is very subject to crystallization in the emulsion causing problems. I have demonstrated it to my students. I have found better substitutes than this ancient compound, but hope to learn how to use it properly as it is good because it is very very inexpensive.)

Add 0.5 ml of 1% Mercaptobenzothiazole in alcohol

Stir 2 hours while slowly chilling and then wash.

This yields a grade 2 Azo type paper.

Now, the problems are these:

1. We no longer have the 3 kinds of active gelatins avaialble to us.

2. Silver Chloride emulsions were sensitive to these active gelatins and would keep poorly if not made correctly.

Today, with inactive gelatins, this formula must be finshed with sulfur (from hypo as I described elsewhere on APUG) and even though this will be a useful substitute, the time and temperature must be carefully determined, and the emulsion is subject to poor keeping. Usually it turns out to be high in speed and contrast and will vary from batch to batch.

The solution is to find the condition of precipitation in the absence of a sulfur finish which gives the right speed and contrast right from the outset with inactive gelatin and then it will keep very very well. This is what Kodak did with the 'ultimate' Azo paper, and what I have tried to do. Therefore, my formula and Kodak's do not resemble this older version of an Azo type paper.

They both have good keeping and good speed and contrast from the time they are coated.

But, this formula is a good starting point. At some future time, I will describe all of the reasons for the things that go on in the above formula and all of the things that can be done to improve on it.

Have fun.

Oh, and BTW, this shows that the early contact papers were AgClI emulsions, not pure AgCl emulsions.

PE

________________________

(The Rhodium Chloride sharpens the toe of the paper.)

(Ron, this is almost exactly the Agfa Lupex "type" formula, Normal Grade, scaled down by a factor of 200 :smile:

Except in the Agfa Formulae the Rhodium Chloride is in Part C (3) rather than in Part A (1) and the gelatin in Part D (4) has KI added, and is dissolved in water.

In addition for the Normal grade paper both ripening times are 10mins at 60°C.
Ian)