Here in New Hampshire my tap water is close to 70 degrees in the summer, but in the winter it can drop below 60 degrees. Should this be a problem if RC paper is washed for five minutes? How about fiber paper with a wash aid? Thirty minutes? Finally, how can I search this forum for old answers? Thanks.

-- Phil Stiles (pjs@worldpath.net), January 01, 1999

Answers

Cooler water will need longer wash times for the same effect. The actual times will depend on the nature of your print washer. I suggest you try one of the chemical tests for washing efficiency.

As for searching, this is something Phil Greenspun is working on.

-- Alan Gibson (Alan.Gibson@technologist.com), January 02, 1999.

While RC paper is not as adversely affected by the drop in wash water temperature, fiber paper wash times increase exponentially when the temp drops below 65 F. Washing in warmer water is far more efficient at removing fixer. But....you don't want to go too warm, or you can soften the emulsion on the paper and damage it when you use a squeegee. Keep the temp between 65 and 75 and you'll be safe. Wash times will vary. The safest thing to do is use a residual hypo test solution on a test print. Start testing the print at 20 min (after using hypo clearing agent), then every 3-5 minutes after to determine your wash time for that temperature of wash water.

-- John Mueller (jmphoto@ameritech.net), January 21, 1999.