Category: Getting Stuff

About vendors of photo and art materials, training, you know, stuff.

Why Didn’t You Make Dye Transfers

Posted on Posted in art school, creativity, Getting Stuff, meaning, studio table, the Lab, The WhyTagged , , , ,

Everybody loved dye transfer. Nobody made them. Why? This century, this time span one and all bemoan the death of a friend they never knew. Never even visited.

  • supplies were a phone call away
  • documentation was available free, or for minimal charges
  • workshops were held at getaway photo shops.
  • several colleges held courses
  • trade schools were in major cities, or by mail-order

A simple enough question . with likely very few answers — honest, introspective responses.

The obvious response: there aren’t any materials . What about when there were — why didn’t you buy the Efke film? Assuming you were an adult in 1990, why didn’t you buy Kodak dye transfer material ?

And for those of you who did buy the materials: why didn’t you use them ?

Continuing along this expansion, for those of you who bought Materials and took a workshop, why didn’t you use dye transfer as your print process?

If you were drawn to dye transfer enough to buy the materials and take the training, why didn’t you expand your skills and become a die transfer printer?

Why do people buy beyond use : compulsion vs obsession. The ownership vs the authorship. Do they believe themselves stewards?

Catalog prices for some Dye Transfer supplies. These are the retailer list price. Labs paid much less.

Consider: Giffen vs Veblen goods. The professional depended on the supplies. The hobbyist didn’t. 1981 was a break year for Kodak’s process. By 1986, the decision had been made to let the process run out the clock. During this time, the larger labs had a decreasing dye transfer business. It was maintained as a prestige factor attracting interest but resulting in few projects. Small specialist labs grew in the eighties; even the best known added other processes to their sales brochure. “Now, the finest Black and White from the finest Color Lab.” — 1987 —

Kodak chose not to license, nor sell the process[ 1981,2] . Wonder why? In their final run of product, the only supply sold completely was Tanning developer. Nope, not even all the matrix film was sold. Not even the Pan Matrix. So it goes…. much of the film and paper was held in store for years.

and then it was recycled. The Fotokemika branded Efke matrix film also saw few buyers.

Maybe there is a market for the Coffee Mug, the Trucker Hat, the Film Vest… not the film… Sell the tchotchke, maybe the tattoo, no need for the mats and blanks.

gooood morning Time Transfer

Posted on Posted in dye transfer, Getting Stuff, grammar of gimme, minimum daily requirement, The Biz

price as power. power of condit. belief in power. so it comes to this.. hold onto it long enough… you don’t use it, neither does anyone else. What could have been $400 useable wasn’t of interest, nor of use. In these ongoing times, money vanished. The chosen become beggars.

INFLATION DEFLATED.

Condit 4×5 pin registration equipment

–[So I’m holding onto it for them. But even if they don’t, $1000 is more than a fair price for the gear 
if it’s something you need…  and if it’s not something you need, $400 is a waste of your good money! [smile] –— 2019

slowly we flip calendars… stations change… so, too, voices of options.

 The big name dropper posts:  I want to sell my set of Condit 4x5 pin registration equipment:
 
    -- 4"x5"  Precision Negative Carrier
    -- Two of the rectangular/diagonal cut upper-class inserts for the carrier
    -- Two of the rectangular lower-glass inserts for the carrier. The end of one is broken off, but it doesn't intrude into the image area with 4 x 5 separations.
    -- Two film punches, one set up for four-inch wide film and the other for 5 inch wide film
    -- Two Condit wooden contact printing frames, 7" x 9" inner diameter
    -- Three pin-register glass plates, 7" x 9", for the contact frames
    -- Some odd mounting brackets and bits of hardware and screws that apparently are used to affix the Precision Negative Carrier to some enlargers. I never needed them with mine, so I don't know how they work.
    
I’d like to get $500 for it. Any takers? --- 2025

Guess he didn’t keep my open ended offer (SMILE) ..(WINK) (BLINK)..

UND ZO EET GOEZ

Guess he would never consider donating the items to anyone, perhaps the keepers of the dye transfer group he uses to broadcast