Cleaning a drying screen mesh

Fintan · Nov 7, 2005

Can anyone suggest a good method for cleaning a drying screen mesh.

Obviously I dont want to contaminate future drying prints with some cleaning fluid residue.

Should I stick to hot water and a cloth?

argus · Nov 7, 2005

Clear hot water will do the trick.
Since drying prints should be clean of any product, removing dust from a mesh is the only cleaning you should do.

G

Gim · Nov 7, 2005

I have heard that common household bleach will kill fix?? I have used a delute bleach and water wash and then sprayed with the garden hose. Have done this twice a year for many years. There should not be any fix on the screens but just to make sure I use a little bleach.
Jim

Fintan · Nov 7, 2005

I know there *shouldnt* be any fixer on the screens but I cant be 100% sure there isn't. There are no stains though.

Claire Senft · Nov 7, 2005

On fiber glass mesh I would not assume that fixer will be visible in any fashion. Any residual fixer can do no good but can harm a print in later years. If the mesh is attached to frames and can not be readily removed and put back into place, I would make up a container with 5% bleach and 95% water that has a bit of detergent in it. I would use a sponge and thoroughly wipe both sides of the mesh and the fame with this solution and then hose it off anf allow it to dry in a dust free place. If the mesh can be removed then I would allow it to soak a while in a 5% bleach and 95%water solution and then put it thu the wash machine. It could be dried if you wish in a clothes drier set to low heat.

David Brown · Nov 7, 2005

If I thought that my screens had fixer on them, cleaning the screens would be addressing a symptom, not the cause.

Hmmm ....

jp80874 · Nov 7, 2005

Fintan,

You dont say if they are removeable or the size.

Mine are different size light metal frames with fiberglass screen. They slide into a rack. I try to keep everything very clean. When I suspect dust or dirt, or as part of a big clean up, I put them in the back of my SUV and take them to the coin operated car wash. I put them against the wall or hang them from clips meant for floor mats. $4 washes the screens and car with pressurize soap and then rinse. I put the wet screens on a tarp in the car because it takes a while to dry them in the air.

The guy who manages the car wash says what I am doing is not half as weird as he has seen. Some things you dont want to know.

John Powers

Fintan · Nov 7, 2005

David Brown said:
If I thought that my screens had fixer on them, cleaning the screens would be addressing a symptom, not the cause.

Hmmm ....

I dont have a print washer and wash my prints as well as I can. I'm not 100% certain that I dont have some residue of fixer on the screens, but I probably dont.

I'm cleaning my darkroom after a few months of inactivity and just wondering what people use to clean their screens. Simple question, dont get carried away David.

Aggie · Nov 7, 2005

One of those green dish cleaning pads, a little house hold dish soap, and stacking them against an outside wall to wash them off works. You have a garden hose near by, and it is quick.

Fintan · Nov 7, 2005

jp80874 said:
You dont say if they are removeable or the size.
John Powers

I have 12, 900mm x 800mm fibreglass mesh on home made wooden frames in a rack.

rbarker · Nov 7, 2005

I use hot water and liquid dish detergent, with a touch of household bleach, and then gently scrub with a brush. Then, rinse well and air dry.

Depending on the construction of the screen, it might also be helpful to support the screen area from the back side when scrubbing, to avoid distorting the screen itself. A piece of plywood, cut to the size of the screen and covered with a plastic trash bag, does this nicely.

Bob F. · Nov 7, 2005

In the shower: wet; washing up liquid on a sponge; rinse well (mine are on an alloy frame).

Cheers, Bob.

Brett Spencer · Nov 21, 2005

Claire Senft said:
I would make up a container with 5% bleach and 95% water that has a bit of detergent in it.

Careful mixing bleach and detergent! If the detergent is ammonia-based you will release cloramine gas which is pertty toxic.

Bret Spencer

Monophoto · Nov 21, 2005

Screens should never get "dirty", so I don't see any need to use a detergent. If they are contaminated with residual fix, a mild bleach solution followed by a rinse in plain water is all that is needed.

If you have a backyard swimming pool, just give them a dip, shake them off, and let them dry.

Gerald Koch · Nov 21, 2005

There is no need to use bleach and it's use may be harmful to plastic screening. Both sodium and ammonium thiosulfate are readily soluble in water and any residue is easily rinsed off with plain water.

photobackpacker · Nov 21, 2005

I agree - I would not use bleach. I have a 3" wide paintbrush in my darkroom for this very purpose. I mix up a batch of sudsy hot water, paint this on the surface of the screen. I then hose it off with very hot water.

I dry selenium-toned FB prints emulsion side down on these screens and never have a staining problem.

Cleaning a drying screen mesh

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