Drying press

Andreas1 · 2010-02-20T08:24:30+00:00

Gutentag, habe mir eine alte Bäcker Trockenpresse ohne Thermostat zugelegt. Dabei waren auch noch 2 Hochglanzfolien. Da ich keine Erfahrungen mit einer Troc...

Andreas1

Hello, I’ve bought an old baker’s dry press without a thermostat. It also came with two high-gloss foils. As I have no experience with dry presses, I wanted to ask if anyone could explain to me how I should go about it. Should the paper be placed with the coated side facing the plate or the cloth? I reckon it should face the plate. And if I want a glossy print, do I need to place a glossy film on the plate, and then position the print with the coated side facing the film? Does the press need to be preheated, or do you start with it cold? Thanks in advance, and apologies for the basic questions, but... Best regards, Andreas

zensusa

Hello Andreas, I’ve been working for several decades with a Bäcker 50 x 60 dry press without a thermostat, the ‘Rekord’ model with two temperature settings. Generally, once it’s heated up, I work on setting one, i.e. the lower heat setting. Another tip: when aiming for a matt or natural sheen, never leave the prints on the press for too long. There should always be some residual moisture present; otherwise, you’ll ruin your prints in terms of “flatness”. By the way, I only process “matt” prints on the press. If you do try “high-gloss”, remember that your high-gloss films must be absolutely smooth, i.e. without the slightest scratch. If this is not the case, you will get “pimples, inclusions or delamination” on your print. So, everything else is in the following “operating instructions”, which I received from Bäcker at the time. Stick to the instructions and you will have already avoided most mistakes. Everything else is practice. Here are the instructions: Operating instructions for the electric “Bäcker” “Rekord” quick-drying press First check whether the voltage (volts) specified on the machine matches the mains voltage. Before starting work, it is advisable to fold the tension cloth up or back and only switch on the power once the high-gloss film has been removed. After switching on the power , wait 4–5 minutes before starting to use the machine. Once the machine has warmed up, there is no waiting time during continuous use. It is advisable to use the waiting time to clean the high-gloss film as follows and to cover it with wet photographs: The high-gloss film is first wiped clean with a soft cloth, cotton wool ball or viscose sponge dipped in spirit, alcohol or hot soapy water. A certain degree of care must be taken here, as otherwise scratches can easily occur. Rinsing in clean water is then sufficient. Cleaning agents of any kind that may adversely affect the high-gloss film should be avoided. Then place the wet, well-soaked images (photographs) onto the high-gloss film – as wet as they are when taken out of the water, with the coated side facing downwards – and gently press the images with a roller to ensure there are no water or air bubbles left between the image and the plate. By now, the machine has reached the correct and even temperature, so place the prepared sheet onto the curved (aluminium) heating plate of the machine and carefully stretch the cloth over it. After 4–5 minutes, the images are dry; with a high-gloss finish , this is audible as a faint crackling sound. As the cloth is released, the fastening hooks are pushed to the side. The bar to which the tensioning cloth is attached is released and set aside. The images will pop off by themselves or can be lifted off with ease. If producing high-gloss images is not an option – that is, if you wish to limit yourself to producing matt images – you can place the wet prints, paper-side down, onto a sheet or brass plate that is no longer to be used for high-gloss printing. You should never place the images directly onto the press’s heating element !!!!! Good luck

MarcS

Hello Andreas, There are already quite a few threads here regarding high-gloss drying, but in any case, it’s not a straightforward process. For a matt finish, you dry the print against the cloth, i.e. with the print side film but with the image side facing the cloth, although the matt finish isn’t actually matt, but rather a subtle silky sheen (provided the cloth isn’t new) http://www.fotolaborforum.eu/index.php?showtopic=2249 http://www.fotolaborforum.eu/index.php?showtopic=2260 Regards, Marc

StefanCaspari

Hello, I’ve bought an old baker’s dry press without a thermostat. It also came with two high-gloss foils. As I have no experience with dry presses, I wanted to ask if anyone could explain to me how I should go about it. Should the paper be placed with the coated side facing the plate or the cloth? I reckon it should face the plate. And if I want a glossy print, do I need to place a glossy film on the plate, and then position the print with the coated side facing the film? Does the press need to be preheated, or do you start with it cold? Thanks for now, and apologies for the basic questions, but... Best regards, Andreas

Hello Andreas! In my opinion, the following is also important: if you want a high-gloss finish, don’t press the images on too firmly; just enough to remove all air bubbles and ensure a tight bond with the film. If you get speckles (small speckled irregularities in the high-gloss finish), you’ve either pressed too hard or there are limescale residues in the emulsion. A soak in distilled water with a bit of Mirasol often helps. Don’t let the press get too hot; slightly cooler and for longer is often better. But VERY IMPORTANT!!!: Rinse your prints extremely well! Residues of fixative or other substances inevitably build up in the cloth, causing yellow stains, and thus transfer to all subsequent prints. This compromises the longevity of the prints! Best regards: Stefan

Andreas1

Hello, Thank you very much for the helpful replies! I dried a print against a cloth. It worked well enough, but now the photo is covered in lint from the cloth. How can I avoid this? Best regards, Andreas

HenningH

I don’t know of any quick fix, but the fuzz has gradually cleared up on its own for me. You can also polish the fuzz off quite easily with a soft cloth (some people use a wax-like product to enhance the shine...) Best wishes Henning

oliverdienst

Hello, Thank you very much for the helpful replies! I dried a print against the cloth. It worked well so far, but now the photo is covered in lint from the cloth. How can I avoid this? Best regards, Andreas

Hello Andreas, I’ve mainly encountered the lint issue with fairly new cloths. For years, I’ve been processing my prints as follows: Normal processing up to the rinsing stage, then I let the prints drain on the edge of the tub for about 15 minutes, after which they are placed on a homemade drying rack (wooden slats with fly screen from the DIY store). Then I place the prints, with the coated side facing the fabric, under the press (which has a thermostat) – at approx. 40°C for 20 minutes. I’ve connected a timer between the press and the socket; the press only starts heating up when the timer switches on (so the prints go onto the cold press). I then leave the prints in the press until I remember they’re still in there :rolleyes: Well, I’m happy to leave them in overnight. If that’s not possible because I want to make lots of prints, I let the press cool down, place the dried prints in a weighted drying book (with blotting paper) and take them out the next day. My prints are really flat and lint-free. Best wishes and good luck! Oliver