Hi, I'm Rachel from Little Vintage Photography, and Ilford have
asked me to create this series of bite-sized videos to help introduce
you to some dark room techniques.
In this video, we're going to be looking at fibre-based papers.
Working with fibre-based papers in the dark room can be a slightly
different experience from using resin coated papers as they feel, and
behave slightly differently, and can give some of your favorite images,
a new or alternative lease of life.
fibre base papers are a double weight, which means that they are much thicker
and heavier than a resin coated paper.
They also offer the opportunity to try an alternative finish such as matt or
semi-matt which give a very different look and feel to the final print.
Here are some examples of the same image printed onto all the different
fibre-based paper varieties, so that you can see the difference in how
the finish affects the final print.
All of these papers are multi grade and we have the Classic Glossy, the
Classic Matt, and the Cooltone Glossy.
On this side, we've got the Warmtone Glossy, the Warmtone
Semi-matt, and the Art 300 paper.
I personally really like the matt and semi-matt because they give
something a little bit different with those velvety blacks.
When working with the warm tone papers like these, it's important to
remember that the time it takes for the emulsion react with light is increased.
As a general rule, I tend to double my exposure time and do
another test strip to check.
Two other fibre-based papers that Ilford make are the direct positive paper at
which comes in a box a bit like this.
It's a 4 by 5 size and can go in-camera to create a positive photograph
without the need for a negative, as well as the textured Art 300.
The MG Art 300 has a soft sheen finish and is very much like a
heavyweight watercolor paper.
It's ideal for things like toning or hand coloring, or
simply as a textured art paper.
So let's have a look at how to use fibre-based papers.
When placing your fibre paper under the enlarger, ensure that
you have them emulsion side up.
A little tip to look for is that fibre papers tend to curl up slightly at the
edges on the emulsion side, whereas resin coated papers tend to curve down.
You can also check by angling the paper slightly under the red light
to get a sense of the texture and finish in comparison with the back.
And if you're really unsure, a test strip can help you to be certain.
Working with fibre-based papers requires additional washing in order
to make the prints archival and to get the optimum use out of the papers.
Helpfully Ilford have created a more eco-friendly sequence to help
reduce water consumption whilst retaining that optimum performance.
Fix with rapid fixer at one to four dilution for one minute,
then do a first wash in fresh running water for five minutes.
Make up Ilford wash aid at a one to four dilution and agitate for ten minutes.
Then do a final wash in fresh running water for five minutes.
The addition of wash aid helps to more effectively remove residual
fixer and therefore reduces the running water wash times.
Working with fibre-based papers in processing trays, make sure to
agitate fully in all directions as the slight upward curve on the paper
edges can prevent the chemistry from coating the paper evenly
during the initial development.
When transferring fibre base papers between trays use tongs and be careful
not to crease or bend the paper as it's much softer and less rigid than
resin coated paper during processing, once it's been submerged in liquid.
Another key point to remember when working with fibre-based papers
is something called dry down.
As the fibres expand and contract during different stages of processing
and drying, the final exposure level of the print can change.
When judging an exposure level for a fibre-based print, always make sure
you do this from a dry test strip or a dry test print in order to get an
accurate measurement of that exposure, because it will be slightly darker
than a wet recently processed print.
Finally, when working with fibre-based prints, the drying part of the
process can take a little more time and patience to get right.
Fibre prints can be air dried in a drying rack or pegged up, once
they're dry, you'll probably notice the edges start to curl a little,
which can make them a bit trickier when trying to mount or frame them up.
A common way of flattening fibre-based prints is to simply place them under a
heavy set of books and leave them for as long a period of time as possible.
Alternatively, you could clip them into a strong frame or between
a couple of pieces of glass and leave them to flatten over time.
Another technique which can help is to use heat to soften the print slightly before
placing it under that heavy set of books.
You could use a heated press to do this, if you have access to
one, or as I would use an iron.
Place your dry print onto some baking paper or onto a soft towel, or even
sandwich it between a couple of pieces of mounting board, then using your
iron on the lowest setting without any steam flatten over the edges,
and then put it under that set of books to cool and flatten in place.
So that was working with fibre-based papers.
I hope you found the video useful and that it's inspired
you to have a go for yourself.
We'd love to hear from you in the comments and if you have any of your own work or
images you'd like to share, please do that on Ilford's social media channels.
If you'd like to find out more about other darkroom techniques,
check out Ilford's YouTube channel.
Thanks very much for watching.