srichards
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I've spent most of today on a factory tour at Ilford. I would thoroughly recommend it!
Learnt so much my brain may burst with all the chemistry and machines I've seen. I now know exactly how the film canisters are produced and filled with film! 35mm is a right complicated faff and takes about 4 different machines at least. The 120 is one antiquated old thing with a light tight box where it all gets shoved together. They now have cartridge making gear from both Agfa and Ferrania as they couldn't get cartridges.
Next issue they seem to have is surfactant suppliers taking the mickey with prices.
Their printing is also done on proper black and white paper not the colour paper, even the digital sources. They had a sample from a phase one digital back. It was about 4 feet wide. Looked awesome. Apparently Bailey was well chuffed as it meant all his old negs could be scanned and new prints made without needing to print them in a dark room.
http://www.ilfordlab.com/page/61/Black-and-White-Prints-From-Digital.htm
They also do their b & w developing with a proper dip and dunk refrema machine. Looks standard b & w developing is £6.50 dev only and that includes freepost and return normal first class postage which seems pretty reasonable. Turn around is quoted as a few days so quite quick too.
The cutting and packing of the paper is a site to behold. Like an army of moles with orange lights. They were also doing photographic paper for a customer on 30 m long rolls.
They have a mini version of the main film and paper coating machine. They test out new ideas on it.
They did mention xp2 is really good for scanning as you can use ICE with it which you can't with other B & W film. Also that the Agfa slide film is definitely re-badged fuji.
Buffet was good too. Toffee sponge cake was champion
Learnt so much my brain may burst with all the chemistry and machines I've seen. I now know exactly how the film canisters are produced and filled with film! 35mm is a right complicated faff and takes about 4 different machines at least. The 120 is one antiquated old thing with a light tight box where it all gets shoved together. They now have cartridge making gear from both Agfa and Ferrania as they couldn't get cartridges.
Next issue they seem to have is surfactant suppliers taking the mickey with prices.
Their printing is also done on proper black and white paper not the colour paper, even the digital sources. They had a sample from a phase one digital back. It was about 4 feet wide. Looked awesome. Apparently Bailey was well chuffed as it meant all his old negs could be scanned and new prints made without needing to print them in a dark room.
http://www.ilfordlab.com/page/61/Black-and-White-Prints-From-Digital.htm
They also do their b & w developing with a proper dip and dunk refrema machine. Looks standard b & w developing is £6.50 dev only and that includes freepost and return normal first class postage which seems pretty reasonable. Turn around is quoted as a few days so quite quick too.
The cutting and packing of the paper is a site to behold. Like an army of moles with orange lights. They were also doing photographic paper for a customer on 30 m long rolls.
They have a mini version of the main film and paper coating machine. They test out new ideas on it.
They did mention xp2 is really good for scanning as you can use ICE with it which you can't with other B & W film. Also that the Agfa slide film is definitely re-badged fuji.
Buffet was good too. Toffee sponge cake was champion
You can wave at people taking off almost...
