As the messy printer I am is not a surprise to see some marks on the surface of my FB prints after selenium toning them... I fixed them once, then washed, Hypocleared them washed again...before toning. The marks/stains seem to sit on top of the emulsion . Apear more evident as the print dries...

If I am lucky just will have to wash them again...Doubt it. What should I avoid to do again?

-- Adolfo (heyadolfo@hotmail.co.uk), April 03, 2002

Answers

How did you dry your prints? I have found that after toning in selenium, the prints must be air dried face up. Any contact with drying screens or cloth leaves small stains, sometimes in the pattern of the surface the print was in contact with.

This may or may not be your problem. Stains can also occur for other reasons. By the way, I transfer my prints directly from the last fix into the toner. This seems to eliminate the risk of stains from not thouroghly washed prints. Hope this helps. ;^D)

-- Doremus Scudder (ScudderLandreth@compuserve.com), April 03, 2002.

First of all, it isn't necessary to hypo clear before you tone, since the toner contains ammonium thiosulfate fixer. It might be better to either go straight to the toner from the fix, or put the print in a water bath until you are ready to tone. You don't say how you continued to process them after toning. I would recommend 3 minutes in hypo clear with agitation, then a thorough wash (minimum 30 minutes) after toning.

-- Ed Buffaloe (edb@unblinkingeye.com), April 03, 2002.

Thanks. I' ve got it.

Thanks everyone A phonecall to my fab lab sorted it. I gently rubbed the prints with cotton wool while wet bettween wash and drying trays...magic

-- Adolfo (heyadolfo@hotmail.com), April 03, 2002.

You might want to do a final rinse in distilled water before drying.

-- Jim Rock (jameswrock@aol.com), April 03, 2002.

If your screens are leaving stains on your prints, it's time to clean them. 1 part bleach to 4 parts water will get rid of any residual fix on your screens. Follow with a water rins

-- Steve Wiley (wiley@accesshub.net), April 04, 2002.