Considering darkroom printing?

[shadowfox]

All, there seems to be quite a few of new interests on darkroom printing. I have recently made my way to printing myself.

Strictly B&W of course, not colors, but that's where the balance between enjoying and enduring begins, I guess 😀

Anywho, I've written in my journal some stuff that I went through to get to my first prints. Perhaps it'll be useful to someone considering the same thing.

Enjoy here.

 

[briandaly]

Thanks for the link. Great article for those of us new to printing.

 

[Solinar]

I agree with Ansel - printing is the performance - to which I'll add be it in an old-school wet lab - or - on an ink jet printer.

I switched to odorless chemistry when Big Yellow stopped selling B/W paper. In place of the acid stop, I use a two water bath stop.

Hats off to your wife for the moral support.

 

[danwilly]

You also have a flair for entertaining prose.

 

[shadowfox]

Brian, glad you find it useful, please spread the word, more of us new printers are good for the longevity of this wonderful craft.

Andrew, is hypo-wash more necessary for paper prints than film? Or is it necessary for FB papers only? I'll relay your compliments to my wife.

Dan, thank you. At least I hope that's a compliment 😀

 

[danwilly]

If are using resin-coated paper there is no need for hypo-clearing agent. No need to use it on film either.
Dan

 

[sepiareverb]

I'd suggest using a Hypo Clearing Agent of some sort for film if you want to be able to print (or scan :bang: ) from it in ten years.

An excellent article is available from one of our own on this very subject- worth mentioning again here.
http://rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=58237

 

[JTK]

Hypo clearing agent is crucial, both practically and ethically if you work in an area with tight water supplies (eg the American Southwest and California). It saves a tremendous amount of water.

Orbit is one very reliable agent....my negs from the Sixties look perfect.

 

[shadowfox]

Thanks for the info guys (especially on Peter's PDF, sepiareverb).

I have a bottle of hypo, so I may give it a try on my upcoming experiment with FB papers. Btw, how do you guys administer the hypo-wash? is it like Photo-flo (diluted in water, fill and agitate)? what about on prints? a separate tray?

 

[sepiareverb]

Hypo & Hypo-Clearing Agent are two different things. Hypo is the main component of traditional fixer, so using that would only make matters worse.

Hypo-Clearing Agent, Fixer Remover, Orbit, Permawash are all various brands of this same type of bath- whose job is to help remove fixer from the emulsion.

My Sprint version is a 3 minute treatment with agitation as with fixer, then a rinse followed by a 5 minute wash for films, 30 minute wash for papers. I've not tested for shorter print wash times, as I make & eat my lunch while prints are in the washer.

 

[Solinar]

Andrew, is hypo-wash more necessary for paper prints than film? Or is it necessary for FB papers only? I'll relay your compliments to my wife.

After the fixer I do a minute swish and swirl in water - then using the same method again for two minutes in HCA or hypo clearing agent before doing a 5 minute water tap water rinse for all my B/W films. - After the washing the film, I use PhotoFlo at half the recommended strength. -

Do not use HCA with RC prints. The gel coating of RC paper does not absorb fixer.

FB paper does absorb fixer. After a two minute HCA bath with agitation, wash single weight FB for 10 minutes and double weight for 20.

 

[Solinar]

Hypo-Clearing Agent, Fixer Remover, Orbit, Permawash are all various brands of this same type of bath- whose job is to help remove fixer from the emulsion.

Correct - I refer to all of the above as HCA. - Sodium Sulfide dissolves in water to form ions. The sulfide ions replace the thiosulfate ions in the film emulsion or FB paper. The sulfide ions are very water soluble and are then easily washed away with water.

 

[shadowfox]

Ahhh, thanks sepiareverb, this is the second time I've been educated to be careful when using the word "Hypo". I'll refer to it as HCA or Permawash from now on.

Andrew, for FB paper final washing, is it 10-20 minutes in running water? or in a tray?

 

[Svitantti]

You can get odorless acid fixer too. A small local company in Finland makes some out of citric acid. The developer is alkaline, so pretty much any kind of acid will stop the process I guess. Vinegar smells, citric acid doesn't.

Also you can get alkali-fix which doesn't smell like Agefix or such fixers smell. They will also wash off more easily than acid fixers (or so I've read and learned).

HCA shouldn't be bad for RC papers either, thought you probably dont need it with them. With fiber-based papers it should be used and the washing should be done well too. Helps with films too, for sure.

I have been told to wash FB papers at least 30 min (with HCA in between). Better to wash longer than too short.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Ilfird's wash sequence -- 5 inversions, 10 inversions, 20 inversions -- used with non-hardening fixer will give ANSI archival washing with every film I have tested. Mind you, I only tested three or four, because it worked every time.

Hypo eliminators/wash aids are a complete and utter waste of time and money with film processed with a non-hardening fixer. Do any reputable residual hypo test and see if you disagree.

I adopted the Ilford approach at least 20 years ago -- so long ago, I've forgotten -- and my negs all remain more than printable.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Do not use HCA with RC prints. The gel coating of RC paper does not absorb fixer.

Um... Yes it does. I think you may have mis-typed here. The fixer wouldn't work otherwise. The BASE doesn't absorb fixer (unlike FB) and RC therefore requires similar washing to film, viz., very little. There is no sense in wasting time or money on hypo eliminators/wash aids with either film or RC.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Correct - I refer to all of the above as HCA. - Sodium Sulfide dissolves in water to form ions. The sulfide ions replace the thiosulfate ions in the film emulsion or FB paper. The sulfide ions are very water soluble and are then easily washed away with water.

Sulphite. Sulphide is sepia toner.

Cheers,

R.

 

[sepiareverb]

Sulphite. Sulphide is sepia toner.

Cheers,

R.

Thus my name.