Will following the recommended washing times (washing aid from Ilford, Ilford fixer, two baths of running water) be alright? This is very important to me as I'm making highly personal prints on fiber paper for relatives. This is my first time with fiber paper.

-- Albert H. (ai312@freenet.hamilton.on.ca), October 13, 1997

Answers

Which "recommended" washing times?

There is a strict regimen of 5 mins + 10 min hypo clear + 5 min wash, which should be OK provided you haven't over-fixed.

I give 60 mins in flowing water, and prints 25 years old show no deterioration.

-- Alan Gibson (gibson.al@mail.dec.com), October 16, 1997.

Fiber processing

See Ansel Adams "The Print" (now in paperback) for the two bath fixing and archival wash sequence. Personally, I don't trust "rapid" anything. I have also found amonium fixers to exacerbate surface marks on warm tone papers. I use 'Permawash' and wash prints in a verticl archival washer for 60 minutes. Tests show negligible residual chemical contamination. Note that there will always be SOME residue remaining, but it will not be harmful.

-- Michael D Fraser (mdfraser@earthlink.net), October 18, 1997.