cleaning trays...

CMoore · Aug 24, 2018

.....my books mention it, but just kind of, Doing It.
The tray for the Paper Developer gets that gray residue. I use the same trays for... Dev, Stop, Fix

I have never really done more than to just wipe it off with a damp rag.
Does the residue come off with soap...does it need to come off, does it damage the following paper.?

In two years of just wiping the tray, and "removing" whatever came off easily.....i have not noticed that it causes a problem.
Is that gray residue bad.?
Thank You

R.Gould · Aug 24, 2018

For ever all I have done is rinse my trays under the tap after every session, never seems to make any difference to my prints, if you really want to clean the developer dish the you can clean it with household bleach, just make sure you clean the dish after with plenty of water, but personally I just don't bother, kind of a badge of honor this side of the pond, shows that you use them
Richard

Ian Grant · Aug 24, 2018

I use three different solutions to clean trays. First a strong rehalogenating bleach, Potassium Ferricyanide, aPotassium Bromide, then was and use fixer to remove any halides.

I'll also use a fairly strong Sodium Hypochlorite solution, (domestic bleach), usually works with developer stains. Sometimes I use limescale remover this is good for any build up from fixer etc. I picked up some trays free at a Camera fair a few months ago one was a wash tray but had residual fixer build up, the limescale remover cleaned this off easily.

Ian

CMoore · Aug 24, 2018

R.Gould said:
For ever all I have done is rinse my trays under the tap after every session, never seems to make any difference to my prints, if you really want to clean the developer dish the you can clean it with household bleach, just make sure you clean the dish after with plenty of water, but personally I just don't bother, kind of a badge of honor this side of the pond, shows that you use them
Richard

Ian Grant said:
I use three different solutions to clean trays. First a strong rehalogenating bleach, Potassium Ferricyanide, aPotassium Bromide, then was and use fixer to remove any halides.

I'll also use a fairly strong Sodium Hypochlorite solution, (domestic bleach), usually works with developer stains. Sometimes I use limescale remover this is good for any build up from fixer etc. I picked up some trays free at a Camera fair a few months ago one was a wash tray but had residual fixer build up, the limescale remover cleaned this off easily.

Ian

Jim Jones · Aug 24, 2018

If the trays are marked as to their use, rinsing suffices.

tezzasmall · Aug 24, 2018

If these well known photographers dirty darkroom trays aren't enough to not make you bother cleaning yours, nothing will!

https://www.lomography.com/magazine/188756-into-the-darkroom-developer-trays-of-famous-photographers

Terry S

Bob Carnie · Aug 24, 2018

A dark tray for developer is a long time badge of honour it also allows you to never miss the sequence of trays.. Dark brown - Dev Lith brown - stop - Crusty white fix- really clean hypoclear and toner trays

I just use hot water after every session to clean them out

jim10219 · Aug 24, 2018

I do a lot of alternative process and silver gelatin work, and I don't want to have to dedicate an entire closet just to the storage of trays. It's bad enough I have a bunch of trays for each size of print. So I clean each tray (everything really) with soap and water after every use and then wipe them dry.

CMoore · Aug 24, 2018

tezzasmall said:
If these well known photographers dirty darkroom trays aren't enough to not make you bother cleaning yours, nothing will!

https://www.lomography.com/magazine/188756-into-the-darkroom-developer-trays-of-famous-photographers

Terry S

Wow.....works of art in themselves.

Video from the above link -

sissysphoto · Aug 24, 2018

Ian Grant said:
I use three different solutions to clean trays. First a strong rehalogenating bleach, Potassium Ferricyanide, aPotassium Bromide, then was and use fixer to remove any halides.

I'll also use a fairly strong Sodium Hypochlorite solution, (domestic bleach), usually works with developer stains. Sometimes I use limescale remover this is good for any build up from fixer etc. I picked up some trays free at a Camera fair a few months ago one was a wash tray but had residual fixer build up, the limescale remover cleaned this off easily.

Ian

I didn't know potassium ferricyanide was a rehalogenating bleach.

Ian Grant · Aug 24, 2018

sissysphoto said:
I didn't know potassium ferricyanide was a rehalogenating bleach.

Only when used with Bromide or Chloride.

Ian

Patrick Robert James · Aug 24, 2018

Ditto everything that has been said. I just rinse trays as well. My developer tray looks like the ones in the video. 25 years of accumulation. Like Bob said above, it is a badge of honor.

Bob Carnie · Aug 24, 2018

CMoore said:
Wow.....works of art in themselves.

Video from the above link -

I think mine looks like Emmit Gown's

Ian Grant · Aug 24, 2018

I remember rather clean trays in your darkroom Bob

Like others I have silver stained trays, the mistake is using scouring powders to clean a tray, the very fine scratches mean they stain even faster so it's a losing battle. I retired many of my Paterson trays bought in the 1970's because the plastic had become brittle and some cracked. My newer trays of which I have a large excess came mostly from a darkroom job lot I bought around 2000.

My current trays are the same as Edna Bullock's I think newer type Photax/Paterson they clean so easily I don't get issues as long as I use a sponge when rinsing/washing. You get a bit of plating in the first fixer bath so I tend to bleach and clean every so often.

Ian

Bob Carnie · Aug 24, 2018

Well they are clean but not white any more.

Sirius Glass · Aug 24, 2018

I use Bar Keeper's Friend. Also baking soda works.

Old_Dick · Aug 24, 2018

Mr. Clean sponge and BKF, when needed.

Hilo · Aug 26, 2018

From 1979 I spent about 5 years working as assistant for a b/w printer in Paris who made prints for many known photographers. He had a very effective system to clean the developing tray. When we finished for the day, we rinsed all the trays and then he filled the developing tray with disregarded (old) fixer. That he covered with an upside down tray and left it for the night. In the morning the developing tray looked like new . . . the old fixer went back into its container and would be used like that until a company came to get all the exhausted fix. The printer actually got money back from the silver that was taken out of the exhausted fixer.

I still do the whole process exactly like that, my trays keep clean.

DWThomas · Aug 26, 2018

I'm thinking there used to be an official Kodak tray cleaner recipe that used an acid potassium dichromate solution -- I suspect that would be frowned upon today, though likely quite effective.

mklw1954 · Aug 26, 2018

Cleaned a plastic paper developer tray (Dektol) with a little Clorox and a sponge. Residue was effectively removed but a very strong odor (sulfur?) was given off so do it outside if you must. I never did it again, I just rinse the tray.

cleaning trays...

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