----- Original Message ----- From: "Shel Belinkoff" Subject: Outdated Oriental Seagull
> I recently acquired some new darkroom equipment, and, along with the > hardware I got a few packages of Oriental Seagull graded paper, fiber > base. Some packages were opened, some not. All were kept in a cool > dark room. These packages have to be at least five or six years old, > and certainly go back to the time before Oriental stopped exporting to > the US, and long before Cachet was marketing a product with the Oriental > name. > > So, what problems might I expect from a paper this old? Loss of speed? > Reduced or increased contrast? Fogging? While I know that I can just > expose a few sheets and see what the results are, it would be nice to > have some idea of what to expect. You might see a small increase in base density (fog), and a small decrease in contrast. I wouldn't think the quality of the paper will be affected overmuch, as long as it is less than 10 years old, and has not been stored hot. To test for base fog, take a sheet and tear it in half. Fix and wash one half, develop the other half for twice your normal developing time. If they look the same, you are in gravy. William Robb - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
