Carbon printing: small bubbles around the print

[Andrew O'Neill]

Thank you very much. I'll try again, but with leaving a safe edge around my negative. It's a bit difficult to keep everything on mind currently, but my experience shows that it's just a matter of time.

By the way, how should I agitate the print during the development bath? I mean, after I separated the tissue from the final support.

After separating tissue, I leave the print sitting at the bottom of the bath, undisturbed for a couple of minutes. I use heavy art papers like Platine, and Hahnemuhle and they sink in the tray. For lighter papers, I lay them face down on top of the water bath for a few minutes. After a few minutes of soaking, I then I grab an edge of the print, and quite vigorously, vibrate it back and forth for a few seconds, and let it rest. I do the same for the lighter papers which easily float (face down). Occasionally, I'll pull it completely out of the bath allowing the gelatin to run off by its corner, then slide it back under the water (or float face down). It should all be cleared in about 3 to 4 minutes. I prefer short clearing times, as longer can result in blistering. In regards to my development bath, I use the temperature drift down method. I NEVER add hot water to maintain temperature while a print is in the bath. That always results in bubbles/blisters for me. Instead, I start with a temperature of about 43C. By the time the tissue is removed, the temperature is usually around 41C. By the time the print is completely cleared, it's 39/40C.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

All this talk has got me wanting to make a print now!