canned
Hello everyone,
Does anyone know why reddish-brown to yellow colour gradients appear on the paper straight after positive development (Tetenal RA-4 kit on Fuji Crystal Archive)? I’m starting to get a bit desperate.
The gradients sometimes fade out, sometimes end abruptly and look as if they’ve been drawn with a ruler. The gradients also appear on the unexposed areas of the paper (e.g. where the edge of the paper is covered), but always from one or more edges of the paper, moving from the outside inwards. As far as I can tell, the gradients already appear in the developer. I tried without a Duka lamp and with the timer dial covered, but got the same result.
I would be very grateful for any advice.
Best regards & thanks,
canned
MirkoBoeddecker
Have you ever tested your mixing chamber?
Test exposure without a negative?
MirkoBoeddecker
...I also assume that you only have one sheet of paper in the chemical bath at a time – that you have checked the time and temperature – that the chemical solution is fresh – that the paper has been stored in a cool place at below 13 degrees – that the exposure time is longer than 10 seconds – and that no extraneous light is entering.....
canned
Hi Mirko, thanks for your reply.
I’ll give the test exposure a go today...
Re:
Only one sheet of paper in the developer at a time – YES
Have you checked the time and temperature? – YES, temp approx. 20°, time 45–90 sec.
The chemicals are fresh – HOW DO YOU CHECK IF THE DEVELOPER IS STILL GOOD? ACCORDING TO TETENAL, BLUE-BLACK MARKS SHOULD THEN APPEAR ON THE PAPER. BUT THE DEVELOPER HAS ALREADY TURNED BLUE. IT IS APPROX. 10 DAYS OLD; I POUR IT BACK INTO THE BOTTLE EVERY DAY. ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURER, IT SHOULD BE ENOUGH FOR APPROX. 2 SQUARE METRES, OF WHICH ABOUT HALF HAS BEEN USED.
The paper was stored in the cold at below 13 degrees – THE PAPER IS NEW, STORED AT ROOM TEMPERATURE IN A PHOTO BOX (OUTSIDE THE LAB)
Regards & thanks,
canned
MirkoBoeddecker
What really points to a chemical or paper ageing issue is that you say the streaks look as though they’ve been drawn with a ruler.
The only way to explain that is if two sheets were placed on top of each other in the Bleach Fix or developer.
I do have a niggling suspicion, though… a light leak in the pack.
Perhaps it was left half-open by mistake…
Gast
Hello,
I had similar problems during my first – and so far only – attempts at enlargement.
There’s a bluish discolouration at the edges, as if covered by other paper. The undiscoloured areas, however, are more of a yellowish hue.
I think they only developed over the course of the next few hours and days.
I can’t really complain, though, as I was enlarging onto old Maco baryta paper (matt, from the ‘use-up’ box) using chemicals I hadn’t prepared myself. What’s more, I only managed to soak it for about two hours.
The other papers (Ilford PE Gloss from the same box) turned out fine, although two of them (same paper, just larger) turned completely pink, which might be down to the blotting paper I used.
What else could I do to improve the results, apart from using new paper, new chemicals and rinsing for longer?
And how should the paper be stored? Is room temperature (20°C) not suitable? The fridge is probably unsuitable. And the cellar – well, it’s best to keep it dry.
Jakob
MirkoBoeddecker
Jacob,
The colleague mentioned above is running a colour process.
You’re talking about black and white, aren’t you?
A pink tinge or discolouration after a few days usually means the fixer was off.
You really need to keep a closer eye on your chemicals!!
I’ve written a bit about this in the new catalogue...
Rinsing for 2 hours is fine in itself – that shouldn’t have been the problem.
What do you mean by ‘gap paper’??
Regards,
Mirko
cfb_de
Mirko,
Soak SW-Baryt for two hours? That’s enough to make the soles come off my shoes and my feet jump right into my face. Better to fix it firmly (two-bath process) and do the washing quickly (several times with a little water, like the Ilford film washing).
The longer the stuff sits in water, the harder it is to get it to lie flat when drying. Besides, I don’t like it when ‘straight’ edges on the paper felt rags that have been rinsed for hours start to take on a life of their own.
I treat my old Orwo Baryt as follows: Two minutes in Eukobrom, two minutes in a 2.5% citric acid solution (disposable/single-use batch) to stop the process, four minutes (1 minute in the first bath, the residue in the second) in Amaloco Fix 1+7. Then rinse: three times for one minute each, rotated, twice for four minutes in running water (0.7 l/min). Dry.
Prints treated in this way survive fourteen hours of exposure under the good old Russian sun. Furthermore, they are considered fully rinsed according to chemical tests. Consequently, this process is ‘archival-safe’ with short processing times and relatively low water consumption. And it’s still easy to get them flat (tape method, press).
I use the same method with newer baryta papers (Foma, Agfa).
Best regards,
Franz
canned
Thanks for your reply.
As things stand, it looks like my problem was caused by curled paper (as it came off the roll) that wasn’t lying flat in the developer. :ph34r:
Since I’ve been paying closer attention, I’ve managed to significantly reduce the discolouration. It hasn’t gone away completely, though; but as it’s too dark in the darkroom, I can’t really check properly whether the entire surface of the paper has actually been covered by the developer -> hence the colour gradients, some of which look as if they’ve been drawn with a ruler.
How do you process rolled paper in the tray? Do you use weights or magnets?
I’m still testing.
Regards,
Canned
Gast
Hi Mirko,
Yes, I’m talking about black and white
I hope my question is still valid
So that bit about the fixer could well be the case
However, my predecessor had prepared it the day before
fresh from the storage canister, and he
didn’t perform huge amounts of paper processing.
I’d like to point out again that the baryta prints
changed colour from yellow to bluish, and that only
when exposed to light.
One type (Ilford Gloss PE) turned red, another
(also Ilford Gloss PE) turned out great.
And that was with the same processing.
By blotting paper, I mean the sort that’s always
in school exercise books to soak up excess ink.
They’re usually pink to red in colour.
I think you could also call it blotting paper.
The issue with chemicals is a real problem, as most people
don’t want to rely on the previous batch. That’s why too much
chemical is used.
By the way, it’s provided by our ‘club’ and that’s how
it should stay!
Perhaps I’ll treat you to a few test pieces,
so we can work more economically.
Thanks for all the replies
Jakob
Gast
Hi Franz,
I’ve got another question about washing baryta prints. What do you do with the prints between fixing and washing? With PE paper, I’ve got into the habit of simply leaving the prints in the water until I’m finished, and then giving them all a fresh wash. But that can take up to an hour. Do you rinse your baryta prints one by one straight after fixing with the fixer?
Regards, Sven.
Gast
Hi Sven,
I usually process baryta prints one at a time: anything larger than 30x40 cm I can only do in the drum, and I only have one of those :-) Smaller ones (that would be 18x24 cm) are exposed using Trialux and then collected in a tray until there are two or three in there. Then it’s off to the “proper” rinse.
Best regards,
Franz
