ADOX MCC + drying press

da1nee · 2014-01-09T15:00:31+00:00

Hallo, ich habe momentan das Fomabrom Barytpapier in Verwendung und ärgere mich ziemlich darüber, dass die Emulsion viel zu empfindlich für die Trockenpress...

da1nee

Hello, I’m currently using Fomabrom baryta paper and I’m really annoyed that the emulsion is far too sensitive for a dry press. The coated side always sticks to the cloth. Well, it’s my own fault – I should have done my research before buying it. What about ADOX MCC? Is it fully suitable for a dry press, or should I still be careful with it? Perhaps you have some tips for me on how to get the Fomabrom flat, ideally using a dry press. All the other drying methods just seem to end up with corrugated paper for me; I haven’t tried fly-screen mesh yet, and the rubber band method doesn’t appeal to me – I want my paper to be ready after development and drying and not have to fiddle about with it unnecessarily any more.... Many thanks

moma

See "Cold drying" on glass. ? Forget all the chemicals. Clean the chrome plate (foil?) thoroughly with washing-up liquid, scrub it down, then clean it again thoroughly with methylated spirits or isopropyl alcohol and scrub it down again. Plate ready. Slap the baryta from the last bath (water with washing-up liquid) onto it, cover with a towel and press down with a rubber roller (please leave the paper intact). This works if you place the plate against the wall or dry it gently (at 40 degrees) in the tumble dryer. ? In the end, they’ll fall off (with a crack). ? :)

Rolf-Werner

What does 'abrackeln' mean? ;)

Tandemfahren

Smooth it out using a squeegee (rubber spatula) or a rubber roller. A windscreen wiper works too. Strictly speaking, it’s “rakeln”; in some parts of Germany, the “ck” used to indicate the lengthening of the preceding vowel (for example, on old maps, the Pötenitzer Wiek near Travemünde is often marked as “Wick”).

moma

My German isn't very good Sorry

Rolf-Werner

Oh, right, thanks. I didn’t know that word at all, with or without the ‘ck’ :) I would have said ‘wipe off’. € On preparing the plate: I tried that a long time ago too, I just can’t remember whether I actually went over it again with methylated spirits. Anyway, it worked reasonably well, but the images always got stuck in one spot or another. You could peel it off quite easily, but the emulsion in that spot was never quite glossy. Unfortunately, I haven’t managed to find all the images (and some of the equipment) from back then yet; it’s just a vague memory. € I did find the dry press again recently, though, and to my surprise it also comes with an intact plate (I’d remembered it differently). In any case, the plate has no dents or chipped chrome like the ones I remembered. But perhaps I had a different press after all. This one goes up to 18 x 24. The chrome has only very slight scratch marks, like after the first skater on a new ice rink. I hope it’ll still work? The scratches are only visible against the light, and aren’t very deep. € I also remember that I once dried baryta in a different way, perhaps somewhere between paper and fabric, and it became gently crinkled, almost like a faux leather cover; I hung one of those in the hallway too, but it was always a bit wavy. € Best regards Rolf

ultra8

For years I read all the nonsense on the internet about flatness – until the master in Cologne showed me his method. Since then, my prints have been as flat as a board. No magic, no wet tape method and no wooden frames or anything like that... € Read about it in the latest issue of Photoklassik or here: http://www.joerg-bergs.de/baryt-photographic paper/ € An excerpt: € After washing, the print should be placed on a smooth surface. I press the print flat using a roller, let it pre-dry, and then place it on fly-screen mesh, where it dries for approx. 12 hours. Flatness It is quite easy to flatten the now-wavy print: it is heated for 5 minutes at 100°C in a heat press or mounting press, sandwiched between two mat boards. The press is switched off and the print is only removed once the press has cooled down.

Otto

Baryta paper can be dried easily by ‘pre-drying’ it in a drying press and then leaving it to finish drying on fly screens with the coated side facing downwards. Do not dry for too long. € When pre-drying, place the coated side facing upwards and do not close the press. This method also works with Fomabrom. The prints will become quite flat.€ € You can improve the flatness by running the print over the edge of a table or clamping several prints together between two thick boards (e.g. residues from a kitchen worktop) using screw clamps. The classic method is, of course, ‘ironing’ with a mounting press. € Best regards, Otto!

pittyman

For years I have read all sorts of nonsense online about flatness – until the master in Cologne showed me his method. Since then, my prints have been as flat as a board. No magic, no wet tape method and no wooden frames or anything like that... € Read more in the latest issue of Photoklassik or here: http://www.joerg-bergs.de/baryt-photographic paper/ € An excerpt: € After washing, the print should be placed on a smooth surface. I press the print flat using a roller, let it pre-dry, and then place it on fly-screen mesh, where it dries for approx. 12 hours. Flatness It is quite easy to flatten the now-wavy print: place it between two matboard sheets in a heating or mounting press and heat at 100°C for 5 minutes. Switch off the press and only remove the print once the press has cooled down.

€ I can absolutely confirm this works; it’s worked for me for years and with various types of paper too!! However, I don’t set the press too hot – I’d say 50°C for 3–5 minutes. Just enough to ensure the paper is thoroughly warmed through. Afterwards, I don’t leave the prints to cool in the press, but take them out whilst still warm, together with the cardboard, and place them under a thick glass plate on the tabletop. On top of the glass, I place two 10-litre canisters filled with water. € So: Warm prints go on a cold tabletop under cold glass, weighed down by 20 kilograms. € They stay there until the next batch of prints comes out of the press, warmed up, and is also cold-pressed. I’ve had nothing but good results with this method; 99.9% of the prints come out flat, and that in just 5 minutes. € Greetings from Dresden Dirk?