After a few years of avoiding FB printing which requires leaning over a tray of fixer, (all RC [in processor] =all commercial=no fine art), I've finally got a set of negs I'm ready to do battle with. I would like to solicit reviews of any/all current FB papers and recommended developers and toners. I can share that my previous standby was Forte Polywarmtone in Selectol with minimal selenium toning to counteract the greenish cast but, I was never satisfied with the cheap quality of the paper base and it's over-curliness. I've also had some nice results with Insignia in LPD. I'm thinking that my current imagery is more suited to a more neutral tone. Thanks in advance for all your

-- ian (ian@oz.net), November 01, 1999

Answers

Oriental Seagull is back and still beautiful (IMO) in the graded FB G series. It's a neutral tone paper and tones nicely in Selenium. I haven't tried the VC FB yet but I hear that it has much the same toning characteristics as the graded FB. I use the old Dektol and Selectol-Soft developer combination with the graded FB but hope to use only one with the VC FB version.

-- J.L. Kennedy (jlkennedy@qnet.com), November 02, 1999.

You might look into the Luminos papers. Their Classic paper has a lovely cold tone, and their Classic Warm has some very unique qualities (though it is only available in a grade 2.5). They also make a multigrade fiber paper.

-- Ed Buffaloe (edbuffaloe@unblinkingeye.com), November 02, 1999.

There is a vast number of excellent papers, though not all of them are fine with all negatives. I have read (though not experimented myself yet) that there are in fact negatives which do not print satisfactorily on one paper but look great on another. This does not refer to the basic cast of the paper but to its characteristic curve. The following is a non-comprehensive list of FB papers of high reputation (as far as I have heard):

Ilford Multigrade Ilford Multigrade Warm Tone Maco Expo Display Oriental New Seagull Sterling Fortezo Museum Forte Polywarmtone FB Sterling

-- Thomas Wollstein (thomas_wollstein@web.de), November 03, 1999.

I've tried most of the aforementioned papers, and I'd like to place my vote for Agfa Classic MG FB 111. Developed in Neutol WA, and toned in Selenium 1:20 for 6 minutes. Beautiful.

-- Paul Klingaman (pklingaman@hotmail.com), November 03, 1999.

I too love Agfa 111. I develop in Ektaflo Type 2 and tone to completion in Selenium 1:3. I've tried a lot of papers and this one is my favorite. (Ilford FB WT is good too, but tones too red for my taste.) For cold (neutral) tone, my vote would go to Seagull VC. (Tones much better in Selenium than Ilford FB IV.) Seagull graded papers are just too inconsistent--every grade is a different paper!

At all costs, stay away from Dektol!

http://www.ravenvision.com/rvapeter.htm

-- Peter Hughes (leonine@redshift.com), November 08, 1999.