Happy to report that my set of prints arrived today
I see that Hoffy included a copy of mine. It must have been really bad that no one wanted it:confused: I say that tongue in cheek because when I saw my print, I gasped. The toning looked horrible. I find that more often than not, I have to look at a print a day or two later to really evaluate it fully and decide if any changes are necessary. I didn't do that in this case. But there is an upside
After sending away my prints, I made some step wedges (for future reference; something I've been meaning to do) varying the time in the bleach (1% working solution) and the thiourea/sodium hydroxide ratios. I got very poor results. I suspected the toner, so I made fresh toner. Same results. I had assumed that the potassium ferricyanide bleach would last forever. After consulting the experts at APUG, I realized my assumption was incorrect. Just yesterday, I repeated the experiment with all fresh chemicals, and I got much better results. I saved some of the old bleach and bleached a separate wedge to compare it to the fresh bleach. Conclusion: the old bleach was nearly expired and had little effect on the step wedge. And that was the bleach I used for my contribution to the exchange
I'm saving a set of step wedges bleached in fresh bleach for future reference. I'm hoping that I will be able to narrow down the life of ferri bleach and avoid using expired bleach. In the near future, I will try to redo that print with fresh chemicals.
This photography stuff is interesting and challenging, but I still have a lot to learn! I'm off to Cuba until the 9th, so I'll spend more time viewing your prints when I get back. We (yes, my wife is going with me) will be stuck on an island (Cayo Coco), so I'm not anticipating scores of photographic opportunities. I will take my Nikon F, a 35-105 zoom, and a 28mm wide angle lens. I might try to hitch a ride into a nearby pueblo (town) to experience more of the Cuban way of life. BTW, this is our second trip to Cuba; the first was in March, 2012.