I would like to do some fine art black and white prints on Ilford's Multigrade IV fiber paper. I'm thinking about using the Ilford archival processing sequence (the quick fixer bath, water wash, wash aid, water wash). I would like to use selenium toning for protection as well, but I haven't been able to find anything to suggest where in the sequence to add this step. Does anyone out there have any experience or suggestions with this?

-- Greg Coates (s1139221@cedarville.edu), February 11, 1999

Answers

Here's what I do, and I hope other darkroom workers will chime in if I'm doing something wrong. First, with the small number of Ilford Mutligrade IV fiber prints that I process at one time, I'm not convinced that a two bath fix is really necessary. With fresh chemicals, and a small number of prints (maybe ten 8x10s in once session), I think I'm attaining adequate fixation. Second, I use a cleaning aid called "Orbit Bath." I use a cap full for 16oz two reels of film, or several cap fulls in an 8x10 tray of about 30-40 oz. of water. After fixing the print, I put the print in that tray until the next print comes along to displace it. That is usually about 5 minutes or so. The displaced print goes into the wash water and sits there until the wash accumulates about 5 or 6 prints. I then wash for about 15 minutes. The directions on the Orbit Bath bottle say to wash for 5 minutes. I make toning a separate operation (next day). I set up three trays, one for just water, one for Kodak Rapid Selenium toner, and one for another tray of Orbit Bath. After toning for x number of minutes (still haven't gotten a "system" for that!), I put the print into the Orbit Bath for several minutes, then into the wash until the wash accumulates 5 or 6 prints. That's about it. I hope this is good advice, not only for your sake, but for my own prints!

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@alaska.net), February 11, 1999.

Rats, I forgot two important steps! I wish I could edit posts rather than just append. Before toning, I put the prints (several at one time) into the tray of water for about 10 minutes! This flattens them out, gets the soaking wet, and makes them tone more evenly. Oh, also, I do use a flattening solution (forgot what it is called) after the final wash. I take the prints out of the wash, dunk them in a tray of flattening solution for a few minutes, lightly squeegie, then lay flat under towels to dry. Up here in the desert of Alaska, it is impossible to keep fiber based prints flat without keeping them under weights and/or matting them.

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@alaska.net), February 11, 1999.

Do the toner after the second wash. Then give _another_ wash aid bath and standard wash. So you don't have to keep buying vast amounts of wash aid, make it by dissolving a tablespoon of sodium sulfite in a quart of water. Use as Orbit Bath, Perma-Wash etc.

-- John Hicks / John's Camera Shop (jbh@magicnet.net), February 12, 1999.

Here's a bit of extension to my original question. For those of you who tone, do you mix the toner with water or with the wash aid?

-- Greg Coates (s1139221@cedarville.edu), February 14, 1999.

I mix the toner with wash aid, but after toning give a wash aid treatment and full wash. Mixing toner with wash aid helps prevent staining.

-- John Hicks / John's Camera Shop (jbh@magicnet.net), February 15, 1999.

I combine the toning and wash aid steps. Finish with a 60 minute wash

-- Peter Thoshinsky (camerabug1@msn.com), February 18, 1999.

I use plain water in my selenium toner bath rather than a wash aid. I do this because the selenium toner contains ammonium thiosulfate. Since the idea is to remove all traces of the thiosulfate from the print during washing, I leave the wash aid to a seperate bath and hopefully get a better wash.

-- Charles Badal (cbadal@aoc.gov), March 09, 1999.