(" The Process J>lwtogr<.1111.
") June, I 944
HOTOGRAVURE
ly H. ,H. C.ir1::rigi:r, F.R.l'.,'.;.
;ESSITO.\ILTHY OF CAHIIOS TISSl I
n the description bst month of a new sensitometer
ising stabi!ized arc light, rcfen:m:e w.is made rn
he sensitometry of carbon tissue. It is \cry notice-
1blc :ha: whereas sensitome:rii: methuds have
een used for many years tu secure valuable
nformatinn about the characteristics of photo
graphic plates, films and bromide papers, such
methods han: been verv little used in the .:ase of
the slower print-out processes such as .:arbon
(and P.O.P.).
Speaking from memory we c.in perhaps recall
a single .:urvc based nn H. & D. prin.:iplcs repre
senting the characteristics of a carbon print on
paper; it was rnnrained in an early Kodak publica
tion on the sensitometry of bromide paper. The
present writer used sensitometric methods in
a study of carbon tissue for photogravurc in 19::3,
and was again engaged on a still more extcnsin:
study which had to be broken off in 1939. There
h:ivc been one or two other isolated inst:mces, hut
on the whole one may say th:it the subject has been
much neglected.
No doubt one of the reasons for this neglect
has been the !Jck of a sufficicntlv constant soun:c
of light for exposing. When we rnnsidcr the
sources available-daylight, enclosed and open
:ires, mer.:ury vapour and high-pressure mercury
vapour, it will be realized that they :ire all too
v:iriahlc. The nearest approach to a constant source
nf suitable spei.:tral composition is provided by the
tungsten arc ("Pointolitc"); it is, hm\'C\er, much
less intense than the carbon arc or mercury v:ipour
lamp and is still not sufficiently constant for serious
work. It would seem that the integrated light of
an arc lamp with intensity control, referred to last
month, may be the answer to this problem, provided
th:it its strength is enough to :illow of reasonably
short exposures being mJdt.!.
In the absence of a suitable stabilized light source
we may consider what may be done with the existing
fluctuating ones. At the start it will be remembered
that the term "exposure" is the product of intensity
and time (E I T) th::it is to say we m::iY keep the
intensity const:int ;d vary the {ime o(exposure,
as by the use of :i sector wheel, or we can expose
for a constant time but Y:iry the intensity in a sys
tematic :nanner as by priming under a step-wedge.
It is obvious that with a variable source the sector
w}iccl method cannot be used; exposures must be
made by contact-printing under a step-wedge.
The exposure time will be relatively long, s:iy
half an hour or more, and if a voltmeter is connected
so JS to measure the potential difference :icross the
arc, it is possible by hand control of the resistance in
the lamp circuit to obtain fairly consistent results
which will give useful inrmation with rcg:ird to
gradation, contrast and other characteristics, though
absulute speed determinations cannut be made.
We can, however, make rcl:itive speed tests of
157 conditions often give information of considerable
different samples of tissue by exposing them
simultaneouslv under intensitv sc;alcs.
The step-\\:cdgcs used for this work should be
neutral coloured, that is to sav thev must be free
from selective absmption. Sl;me (mensity sc;alcs
which appear neutral <.:oloured to the eve may
actually be unduly transparent tll ultra-\iolct, but
step-wedges free from this defect <.:an be made,
with careful tcchni4ut:, or: dry-plates developed
with a suit:ihlc metol-hydroquinonc developer.
A long range of wnes is required with densities
guing from some very low value up to a density of
well over 3.0. Seven, nine or more steps m:iy be
made, but it must be remembered th:it density
measurement becomes very tedious when there arc
a gre::n number of tones. The method used for
measuring the densities of the step-wedge is of
some importance. The scale is going to be used
for c.:onta\.'t printing, th:it is to say that from any
point on the scale, all the light passing through will
fall on the sensitive surface in rnntact with it:
therefore an integrating photometer should be used
so JS to collect all the light.
Exposures arc preferably made in a \acuum
frame, and in order to :ivoid Newton's rings the
step-wedges should he scaled with Can:ida h:ilsam
to the glass of the frame. Pressure mottle is likely
to cause trouble if the tissue is laid in direlt contact
with the scale; it should he slightly separated hy the
inter;,,isition of a thin sheet of cellophane.
Processing conditions require special attention.
The tissue must be uniformly hwnidified under
controll::d conditions, and sensitized for a specified
time :it a constant te:nper;.1ture; the drying con
ditions must he constant as regards time,
temperature, humidity and :iir stream. To cmurc
uniformity it is necessary to cut the strips for
exposing from the rentre of the dried sheet,
a considerable rnargin:il area hdng discarded. If
possible the whole of the processing should he
carried out in an airconditioned room, but if
this is not possible, spcci:il arrangements must
be made for the conditioning and storage of the
sensitized tissue up to the time of making the
exposure.
Transferring should be by dry-lay under rigidly
lnntrolled conditions :is regards tcmper:iture, etc.
If transmission densities arc required to b me:isured
subsequently, the tissue may he transferred to
celluloid or glass. If the latter, :i suitable
substratum is nccessarv as the tissue in the
fullv expused portions doc's not adhere easily to the
glass. It might be thought that some form of
mechanical device would he required for
development. \X'e have found in practice howe\er,
that the usual hand development gives consistent
results if it is carried out in J brgc t:ink over a
period of :ihout 20 minutes with the temperature
kept const:int.
It will be realized from what has hcen said that
accurate scnsitomctry demands good conditions
and considerable :ittcntion to details. It may,
howeYer, be added that compar:itive tests made by
simple exposure under J step-wedge under ordin:iry
practical value.