Cleaning the back of a developed plate before printing

hchapman said:

Questons for those with experience printing glass plate negatives:

How do you clean the back of the plate to remove stray emulsion, subbing, or just plain old water spots and smudges?

If you can be detailed and specific that would help:

At what stage in the processing of the plate do you clean the back?
* after it is washed and completely dry on both sides
How do you hold the plate, both the hand-holdable 5x7 and larger sizes such as whole plate or 8x10?
* I can grip 4x5 and 5x7 between index finger and thumbs on the edges of the plate. With Whole Plate and 8x10, I set one narrow edge on a piece of non-skid fabric (shelf liner) and press down firmly on the opposite edge. If you avoid getting the edges wet, they are tough enough to handle with reasonable care.
How do you keep the emulsion side from damage by the cleaning agent or cleaning process?
* Avoid excess liquid and dripping. Don't touch the emulsion side.
What materials do you use as cleaning agents?
* I start with a little warm water on a clean terry washcloth and rub in circles until the back is clean.
What do you use to scrub, wipe, and dry the back of the plate?
* Thoroughly wet the washcloth and then wring it almost dry. Use your index finger to rub. Change the place on the washcloth you are rubbing with as one after another spot gets dirty. If the emulsion on the back of the plate is thick, the initial washcloth rubbing will soften the emulsion. You can carefully scrape it off with a razor blade and then return to the washcloth for final cleaning. I usually finish with a little lens cleaner or glass cleaner applied to a tissue. Air dry. It doesn't take long. All of this takes longer to describe than to do!
What am I missing?
* Just one thing: Once a plate is processed and completely dry, it's remarkably tough. However, before processing it is remarkably tender. Be gentle. Never touch the emulsion, including the sides of a plate. One easy way to avoid damage while processing is to set the plate on a piece of Yupo synthetic paper or thick mylar that is bigger than the plate (but fits in the tray). Lift the plate from the tray by the Yupo rather than by the plate itself. Also, do all your processing steps in one tray. Pour in and pour off each processing step into separate containers. You can re-use the chemistry this way if you are processing more than one plate in a session. This way you never have to touch a plate until you remove it from the final wash water.

Most important of all: Have fun! Don't stress it. It will all seem very intuitive with just a little practice.

This aspect of working with glass plates has been glossed over in the references I've read.
I don't want to have to re-invent the wheel here, so help from you experienced glass plate makers and printers is greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,
-Harlan

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