Kodak Velox Film/Paper

<p>Hello everyone,</p>

<p>I am hoping someone can help me out here, as I know nothing about cameras or film...or anything camera related for that matter. I was browsing through some photos from the 40's and 50's that belonged to my grandmother's friend. I found some old film (unused) in a container that says it is Kodak Film. The box says for best results to use on Kodak Velox Paper. I have searched and searched but can't seem to find much information about this stuff other than it's from the 40's or 50's. I was just curious about it, so I looked for a photography forum so I could post my question. I would be grateful for any responses, really. Thanks in advance! <br>

Sincerely,</p>

<p>Joy</p>

<p>The film is probably Verichrome or Verichrome Pan. I remember using Velox paper, 40+ years ago, no ide when Kodak discontinued it, and later all their black and white photo papers. sniff. :(</p>

 

<p>Velox is Latin meaning "swift".<br>

Leo Hendrik Baekeland (American 1863 - 1944) Baekeland invented a photographic paper that worked to make contact prints under artificial light. Heretofore sunlight was needed to expose photo paper and make contact prints. He joined the Anthony Company and he perfected the paper, which he named <em>Velox.</em><br>

Baekeland and partners established the Nepera Chemical company in Yonkers, New York. The paper was a commercial success and sold to Eastman Kodak in 1911.<br>

Kodak further perfected this contact paper using the name for several differnt contact paper varieties.<br>

Baekeland went on to invent Bakerlite, which was the beginning of the age of plastic.<br>

Velox was good but other makers marketed similar products. Velox was used in the US as the chief contact paper used by commercial photofinishers and by home darkroom enthusiasts.</p>

<p>Velox was made at least as recently as the early 70s. It was one of the first darkroom papers I used. It was discontinued probably by the 80s and of course Kodak doesn't make B&W darkroom paper at all anymore. Velox was intended for making contact prints rather than enlargements, so it was slower than than enlarging papers like Kodabromide or Polycontrast. But by the time I started doing darkroom work in the 70s, most people made their contact shets on whatever paper they used for enlarging, so there was little demand for Velox even back then. So it's been obsolete for more than 30 years even if it were still made. I don't recall that it had any particular tonal characteristics any different that what you would get making contact prints on any other paper.</p>

<p>Your unexposed Kodak film from the 40's or 50's is obviously many. many years past its "Process before" date, so would likely have deteriorated for anything other than "experimental" use now. A collector or enthusiast might find it of interest.<br>

If the film <em>had</em> been used, it would still be possible to try to recover some of the old pictures from it...if this were the case, and you were not familiar with doing film processing yourself, you would probably be best to use one of the specialist "old film" recovery labs. The usual local developing and printing services (not that there are many of these left now!) would just use the standard processing, which is not the best for ancient films.<br>

As others have said, Velox was Kodak's own brand of "contact" paper for making same-size prints from negatives. It was quite "slow" (i.e. less sensitive to light), so could be used and processed in a darkroom with a comfortable level of orange or red light. Very similar brands of paper were made by all the main photographic manufacturers (Ilford, Agfa, etc.)...I think that Kodak were mentioning it "for best results" just to encourage snappers to use their brands!</p>

<p> </p>

The film was perhaps Kodak 116 or 118 film such as used in Pocket Kodak cameras. That would have given a negative size of 2-1/2 x 4-1/4 inches or 3-1/4 x 4-1/4 inches. A contact print was made by simply laying that large negative onto a sheet of Velox photo paper and exposing to light to burn the positive image onto the paper. No enlarger or darkroom was needed.

<p>Velox was a Kodak contact printing paper, several stops slower than enlarging paper.</p>

<p>Lynn</p>