I love ART 300 for photos with a lot of texture (sand, rock, etc.). Perhaps a bit on-the-nose, but it gives a wonderful sheen and feel.
Preferably mounted w/o glass, if possible.
It's still basically Warmtone, which is nice for the consistency of color/printing.
A difficulty when using FB can be the choice of easel used...
Easels with a small slot for holding the paper top edge can be difficult to use, as the paper might slip when closing...
Wet or dry weather can make this harder to handle...
Cut size paper is from a big roll, hence the inward curl, but if you remember to work and move with the curl each step of the process, it behaves...
Go with the flow...
Steve K
Well I ordered more FB paper but since so many seem to like the warm tone I'm going to try that, Ilford of course. Also picked up more RC pearl, that really seems to be my go to when printing everything.
I think this is the only forum on the internet where FB does not mean FaceBook...I learned on FB as required by my instructor ...
Just to add something more useful to the conversation, I got a Seal press just for print flattening about 15 years ago. I don't know why I waited so long to get that. Of every way I had tried to flatten prints, that is the best for me hands down.
"Just to add something more useful to the conversation, I got a Seal press just for print flattening about 15 years ago. I don't know why I waited so long to get that. Of every way I had tried to flatten prints, that is the best for me hands down."
They don't come up for sale very often, & shipping would be a killer. I hauled mine back from Erik Larsen in Grand Junction, on return trip from New Mexico. It filled up the back of my hatchback and just about put my back out (it took two of us to lift it) getting it into my house (the big Ademco with the steering wheel on top)..... But if you've got a darkroom, eventually you'll want to mount your photos... a drymount press is an essential.
Last edited by Greg Y; 23-May-2020 at 10:03.
I love my Seal Masterpiece 500-T. Picked it up six years ago from a guy who'd just gone out of business - but he'd recently purchased it as a replacement so its in great shape, and a steal for 200 bucks (worth the four hour RT drive)...but a beast to move! Yes...good for flattening, and after having very carefully re-tensioned the plate, I can mount 40x60's in four bites without showing any overlap seams.
I decided not to chase down a Seal Masterpiece 500-T. $200 is cheap compared to new from B&H D&K Masterpiece 550Q Mechanical Dry Mount Press
Very happy with my 210M as I decided to restrict my print size to 16X20 which it can press in one go on to much larger mat board
I can just barely move a 210 M from table to table, so now it's on top of a rolling toolbox, the drawers are handy
Tin Can
Almost choked when I saw that price. There is one on ebay for $1,300Originally Posted by Tin Can
I wisely bought a 500T about 35 yrs ago new. Had it shipped to my workplace, and I borrowed one of their big flatbed trucks, along with a forklift and helpers. On the same heavy steel table with big plate glass weight ever since. I should probably invest in a new thermostat, just in case; but the original one still works. I already have a new replacement pad on hand if needed. I've done a lot of drymounting over the years, but have a large cold mount roller machine too.
I'd love access to a 500T or similar. I have absolutely not enough room to have something so big in my workroom. As it is, I have to wrestle the 210 in and out of the storage area and set it up for dry mounting every time I need it. I couldn't begin to do that with the 500...
@OP:
Fiber-base paper isn't ever flat unless mounted well. Even prints flattened in a mounting press curl a bit. That's just the nature of the beast. I never display a print that's not dry mounted to a 4-ply board.
Doremus
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