[pure-silver] Re: How do you wash fiber paper?


----- Original Message ----- From: "Matthew Gaylen" <mgaylen@xxxxxxx>
To: <pure-silver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, June 30, 2005 1:51 PM
Subject: [pure-silver] Re: How do you wash fiber paper?


As long as we're talking about this, I wanted to mention something that's been nagging at the back of my mind for a long time... I read somewhere along the line that you don't want to leave RC prints in the wash too long because you can actually washout the brighteners. I wonder if anybody on this list has heard of that.

When I'm doing RC prints I use an 8x10 Patterson washer with a water infeed at one end, an out feed at the other end and a fence at the lower end, presumably to aid in the process of circulation and turbulence. My print goes into this tray by itself from the Photoformulary wash aid I use.

It stays there while I'm working the next print at which time it goes into an 11x17 tray equipped with one of those fabulously expensive Kodak siphons that make a terribly annoying gurgling noise. It stays there until the next print comes down the pike and then it goes into the Patterson drying rack - which isn't cheap itself as a matter of fact.

To answer the original question... when I'm doing fiber prints, it goes from the kodak siphon tray into a exquisitely expensive 20" Versalab washer where it stays for a period of time after my printing session. From there they go onto some unbelievably expensive Zone VI drying screens.

I love working with fiber... but it's too expensive for everyday work. But compared to a $5k digital camera it's probably not that bad.

Best,

--
joe suburbs the post modern hyper rural sub urban anti hero and vertiginous surrealist

http://homepage.mac.com/mgaylen/PhotoAlbum22.html


Lots of Kodak Tray Siphons are available used. The basic design hasn't changed for decades and even the old black hard rubber ones work fine.
Most hardware stores have either ready made plastic window screens or the materials to make your own. These make excellent drying screens and are cheap. You can make a frame to hold them in stacks from cheap lumber and hand tools.
No suggestions about the Versalab washer. Its possible to build your own but its not a simple project.
Most current papers have a brightener in them. Its similar to laundry bluing. The rate at which it washes out varies with the paper. I think Richard Henry experimented with this and reported it in his book _Controls in Black and White Photography_, 2nd edition. You can see how much is left by using a UV lamp of the BLB type. The brightener will fluoress. Brightener makes a difference when the light illuminating the print has enough UV in it to make it fluoress. Tungsten light does not. Under tungsten room light a print on, say Azo or Kodabromide, neither of which had brighteners, and one on a modern paper will look the same. Under daylight the Azo and Kodabromide look dingy. Brighteners are not used when the paper is on tinted stock because they would conflict with the tint.
RC paper washes out to archival levels in about 4 minutes, longer washes serve no purpose. If long enough the water will creep into the stock at the edges. Recommended wet time for RC is around 8 minutes although I think it takes quite a bit more than that to cause any real damage.
BTW, do NOT use wash aid for RC prints unless you are going to tone them. A very small amount of hypo left in the emulsion protects it from oxidation. Because RC washes out so fast the use of a wash aid will wash out virtually all of the hypo leaving the prints more vulnerable to oxidation. Toning or a stabilizer like Agfa Sistan will protect them but unless you get staining during toning the recommended 4 minute wash straight out of the hypo is enough.
The same is true of fiber. If a sulfite wash aid is used a quite short wash is all that is required. Kodak's recommendations are 10 minutes for single weight and 20 minutes for double weight paper after using KHCA. For paper not treated in wash aid an hour for single weight and 2 hours for double weight is enough. Probably less if a non-hardening fixer is used and less if an alkaline bath is used before washing. The wash time after an alkaline bath is longer than that needed if wash aid is used. Long, extended washes, and overnight soaks, are not needed and can damage the support.

---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 

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