I use Ilford FB, both glossy and matte. I use regular Ilford paper developer, stop and rapid fix (which calls for a minute in the fix; I'm going to go to a two fix system as soon as I buy another tray). Then wash for an hour. Is this archival? Does fiber base paper need to be selinium toned to be archival?

jeremy

-- jeremy (jeremyillingworth@Yahoo.com), August 06, 1999

Answers

Is it archival? The best way is to do a residual hypo test. Fibre based stuff is difficult to wash since the chemistry permeates the fibres. A hypo clear might help you wash more effectively, especially with fibre based papers. The two fixing baths is Kodak's approach. Ilford suggests using a rapid fixer. Since that entails a shorter time in the fix, less chemistry is supposed to permeate the fibre thereby making washing easier.

Selenium toning lets the selenium attach to the silver and form silver selenide(?) which can resist environmental degradation better. Selenium also gives tone changes.

Thanks. DJ

-- N Dhananjay (ndhanu@umich.edu), August 07, 1999.

Tone changes? Not always. Depends on the paper. Now how about fixing times and washing times? Ilford has pursuasively argued for a short fixing time and a short washing time also. Why is it necessary to wash for an hour? It's not. Think for a minute. How thick is that emulsion anyway? Using a 2 bath fix lets you fix in a small amount of time and washing times therefore become a lot shorter. The only way to really determine whether your fix/wash times are adequate are to test for residual hypo and the test kit is inexpensive and easy to use. I fix in a two bath fixer 1:6 for 1 min in each bath, wash for 5mins in lightly running water(1 Gal/5 mins) wash in hypo clear 2 mins finish washing with water at same rate for 15-20 mins. If I tone I do it after the first wash. Rewash 5 mins then hypo clear and final wash. Some of my stuff hangs in the sunlight and has been there for quite a while and not discolored or silvered out. Quit wasting water and flattening out the contrast of your prints. It's not necessary. James

-- james (james_mickelson@hotmail.com), August 07, 1999.

James...thanks for the good info. I'm looking to do some contact printing on FB paper and was concerned about the fixing and was times.

Question: for short fix times in a 2 bath fixer, what type (brand) of fixer lends itself to short times. Also, I have one of these 11X14 tray type washers that fits to a faucet with holes at one end. With very small prints (6x9cm, 4x5" and 5x7") will that do the job? I really don't want to spend hundreds of dollars to buy an archival washer for occasional FB printing.

-- Todd Frederick (fredrick@hotcity.com), August 08, 1999.

1) Fixer for one-minute fixing: I use Ilford's Hypam at film strength (i.e. 1+4) all the time. 30 s for the first bath plus 30 for the second.

2) Tray washer: I would not recommend tray washers for archival purposes unless you intend to wash only one print at a time. If there is more than one print in the washer, they tend to overlap, and there is practically no water exchange where prints overlap, thus not washing. Furthermore, tray washers hold a lot of water which, in turn, takes long to exchange. Washing one print at a time is only economical if that is a big print. You could consider building a washer yourself, or you might buy an affordable model, such as NOVA's RApidWasher. (I am quite fond of this thing.) In Germany, I got a model capable of handling two 30x40 cm prints (or four 20x25 cm prints). While the washer was originally designed for the RA 4 colour process and for RC paper, it can also be used for FB paper, though not for the 2 to 3 minutes required for RC paper but for 20 to 30 minutes (20 for warm water, 30 for cold). There is only little water in it, so it exchanges the contamintated water quickly even at a low flow rate.

3) Toning: Sepia toning (results in brown tones), gold toning (which is said to cool the image tone when applied alone and which gives more or less red tones when applied after sepia toner, and selenium toner (which can be used without a change in tone) are highly recommended to enhance archival stability.

-- Thomas Wollstein (thomas_wollstein@web.de), August 09, 1999.

I forgot to mention the price for the NOVA washer: In Germany, it was available for DEM 250 which is equivalent to approx. USD 135.

-- Thomas Wollstein (thomas_wollstein@web.de), August 09, 1999.

Jeremy:

This is all explained in the instructions that come with every pack of Ilford paper. I started using the Ilford system followed by selenium toning. I moved back to FB papers for the better print quality for exhibition prints over RC. I have the same situation where I prefered not to purchase a washer, but instead tray wash just one print at a time, either 11x14 or 16x20 inch sizes.

-- Gene Crumpler (nikonguy@worldnet.att.net), August 09, 1999.

You can find some information on how to test for proper fixing and washing on my site at http://unblinkingeye.com.

-- Ed Buffaloe (edbuffaloe@unblinkingeye.com), August 14, 1999.