Processing 7363 for no grey tones

[Mat Fleming]

Hi,

 

Does anyone know if it's possible to eliminate grey tones altogether from 7363 intermediate film.

I have heard you can use a lith process. Is this the same chemistry screen printers use

for lithography?

The second part of the question is when shooting how do i expose (i'm shooting in camera)

for the threshold between black and white?

 

Does this make any sense?

 

Thanks

 

Mat

[K Borowski]

Hi,

 

Does anyone know if it's possible to eliminate grey tones altogether from 7363 intermediate film.

I have heard you can use a lith process. Is this the same chemistry screen printers use

for lithography?

 

Yes, this is possible with actual lith developers or some of the readily-available high-contrast scientific film developers, like D-8, D-11, or D-19. I believe that D-8 produces the highest contrast, followed by -11, and finally -19. Or you can actually try to bum a couple of liters of it from an actual printing press that still uses the negative-positive printing process.

 

The second part of the question is when shooting how do i expose (i'm shooting in camera)

for the threshold between black and white?

 

Does this make any sense?

 

Thanks

 

Mat

 

To answer your question, you have to shoot. . . very carefully. You're going to have less latitude than slide film, so meter a grey card and make damned sure your exposure is right to within a quarter of a stop, because that is about as much latitude as you'll have.

 

Shoot extensive tests first with the desired film-developer combination.

 

Keep in mind also that high contrast is exactly that, especially with a film that is so high-contrast already.

 

You're going to literally have just solid black and clear white. Without tonalities in-between, some subject matter that you are going to photograph is going to photograph very poorly.

 

You may have to have supplemental lighting outdoors to make sure that you get enough separation between highlight and shadows to photograph well.

 

Good luck!

[Mat Fleming]

Thanks Karl,

 

I'm shooting a test this weekend, just ordered chemicals to make up a reversal bleach and i think i know a

printer down the road who can sort me out with some developer. I'm very excited about this. I'll post a still

when i can.

 

Thanks again,

 

Mat

[K Borowski]

Mat, I don't know what country you are in, but here in the States, you can get D-19 1 US gal. kits pretty easily at camera stores. You could also probably get away with using Kodak Dektol or Ilford B&W paper developer for a similar effect, although they tend to produce weaker maximum blacks than a high-con film developer.

[K Borowski]

Thanks Karl,

 

I'm shooting a test this weekend, just ordered chemicals to make up a reversal bleach and i think i know a

printer down the road who can sort me out with some developer. I'm very excited about this. I'll post a still

when i can.

 

Thanks again,

 

Mat

 

Wait, why did you order reversal bleach? Developing it as a reversal, even with high-contrast developer won't give you high-contrast results, it will give you normal-contrast direct-positive images, which doesn't seem to be what you are going for.

 

You'd probably have to use D-8 to get a really high-contrast reversal lith image. I don't think D-8 is even commercially available anymore. You'd have to mix it from scratch. . .

[Mat Fleming]

I thought making a positive would make no difference:

Develop high contrast.

Bleach

Re-expose

Develop again

 

Why would that not give a high contrast positive?

 

Thanks for the D19 tip. I'll have a look out, although my initial searches (in the UK) aren't coming up with it.

You think this is better than a lith dev or something from a printer's?

 

cheers

 

Mat

[Charles MacDonald]

Thanks for the D19 tip. I'll have a look out, although my initial searches (in the UK) aren't coming up with it.

You think this is better than a lith dev or something from a printer's?

 

LITH developer is what is used in Printing to make negatives so that one can expose plates...

 

IT generaly comes as parts a and B which are moxed shortly before use.

 

I wonder if ILFORD still sells "IlfoLith" -- Ask arround at a firm that provides supplies like paper to Printers. expect to be offered a 5 gallon pack, although the developer is not all that expensive.