Drying fibre paper in blotters

pauldc · May 12, 2006

Anyone out there drying their fibre prints in blotting paper? I thought I would give it a try and would like to hear of anyones experiences.

Does the method work and are the advantages that the paper dries flat?

Many thanks

KenS · May 12, 2006

Hi Paul,

I have been using sheet blotters (rather than the roll type) for many years. After the prints are squeegee'd off (back and front) the prints are placed in between pairs of blotter sheets (ie two on top and two below). After about 20 to 30 minutes the prints are then moved to a dry "set" of doubled blotters. An hour (or thereabouts) later they will be changed to "single" blotters, where, if they are "relatively" dry, they remain under a piece of plywood added for some "mass".

The trick is to keep replacing the damp blotters with dry "sets" rather than just placing the prints in the same blotters, in a pile, right from the start, and allowing the prints to dry "however and whenever"

I tried the "roll" type once.... that roll got cut into sheets after the first use.

I am now down to my last "pack" of the old muslin-backed blotters and may have to do some hunting for replacements soon... anyone with suggestions? (They do not have to be muslin backed).

Ken

Monophoto · May 12, 2006

Yes, it works. And yes, blotters can produce reasonably flat prints.

But that's not the whole story. There are a couple of negatives that you need to consider. One is that drying on blotters tends to be slower than drying on fiberglass screens. Dying on screens takes 8-12 hours, while drying on blotters takes 24 hours or more.

There are ways to speed up the process - layering sheets of corrugated board between the sheets of blotter paper, and blowing air through the corrugations in the board to help extract moisture from the stack is one technique. Another is to have multiple sets of blotters, and restack with dry blotters periodically.

But the reason I gave up on blotters is the fact that if there are any residual chemicals in the print, they will contaminate the blotters, and once contaminated, blotters are ruined. Yes, I know that's not supposed to happen, but there are a lot of things in photography that aren't supposed to happen but still do. Fiberglass screens can (and should be) rinsed off periodically to assure that they remain clean.

Another concern is finding blotters. As we know, the market for conventional chemical photogaphy is contracting rapidly, and finding new blotters is a challenge. You can purchase the materials to make a set of drying screens at any home center.

p krentz · May 12, 2006

KenS said:
Hi Paul,

I have been using sheet blotters (rather than the roll type) for many years. After the prints are squeegee'd off (back and front) the prints are placed in between pairs of blotter sheets (ie two on top and two below). After about 20 to 30 minutes the prints are then moved to a dry "set" of doubled blotters. An hour (or thereabouts) later they will be changed to "single" blotters, where, if they are "relatively" dry, they remain under a piece of plywood added for some "mass".

The trick is to keep replacing the damp blotters with dry "sets" rather than just placing the prints in the same blotters, in a pile, right from the start, and allowing the prints to dry "however and whenever"

I tried the "roll" type once.... that roll got cut into sheets after the first use.

I am now down to my last "pack" of the old muslin-backed blotters and may have to do some hunting for replacements soon... anyone with suggestions? (They do not have to be muslin backed). Ken

Do you throwaway the blotters you have been using each time, as they may retain residual fixer? That is why I stared using fiberglass screens, they are easy to clean and don't need replacing if you don't tear them. Pat

KenS · May 12, 2006

Pat,

The only prints that are blotter-dried are the "keepers"... ones that have been treated with HCA and "properly" washed. "File" quality prints are usually just hung on a cord for later flattening with a hot iron on the non-image side.

I am in the midst of building my new 12' x 12' darkoom with an 8' x 7' "ante- room" for use as a UV exposure space for non-silver work. I have given some consideration to installing screen drying racks...

My experience with my blotter-drying technique has provided me with pretty dry prints (maybe not dry enough to dry mount though) in less than 4 hours... but you do have to keep changing the blotters. (It helps somewhat when the low humidity of the Canuckian prairie often drops down below 25% in the summer months and is somewhat difficult to keep it above that level (indoors) in the winter when it is -30°C)

p krentz said:
Do you throwaway the blotters you have been using each time, as they may retain residual fixer? Pat

Ken

bart Nadeau · May 12, 2006

Heavyweight blotting paper is available in 24x19" and 24x38 sizes from Metal Edge Inc. in LA (metaledgeinc.com) for sure. Also, I beleive, from University Products. It is used for archival preservation so it will be around for a while.

Bart

unregistered · May 12, 2006

SNIP

p krentz said:
Do you throwaway the blotters you have been using each time, as they may retain residual fixer? Pat

If you're worried about residual fixer, then the prints aren't srchival to begin with.
Plus. blotters seem like a lot of work when screens will do the work in less time and even less handling.

jeroldharter · May 12, 2006

I suppose what drying method you use depends on your setup.

If your darkroom area is messy, dusty, multipurpose, etc. maybe blotters are the lesser evil. My area is very clean and isolated. I used to use drying screens but even with vigilance they get dusty and sometimes I would get embossing marks if I dried the prints face down. Face up and they get more curled and some dust.

In the end, the best way for me to dry prints is with a vinyl covered retractable clothesline and Clipex clamps from Porter's camera store (cheap but solid). The prints are reasonably flat (especially Polymax FA, not so with Zone VI Brilliant), dust free, and no marring.

pauldc · May 13, 2006

Thanks for the advice everyone - I am going to give blotters a go but will be very careful about chemical residue. Part of my motivation is that I live and print in a small dusty flat some I am hoping to protect my prints better. We will see.

For reference I have got my blotters from Silverprint in the UK - they are big sheets (A2) and cheap.

Thanks once again!

glennfromwy · May 13, 2006

I use blotter sheets but not for the entire drying process. After squeegeeing (is that a word?), I hang the prints by one corner using a clothes pin. Then I aternate corners about every 20 minutes until the print just feels dry to the touch. It will be reasonably flat, sort of, at this stage. Then, I place the print(s) betwen blotter sheets and place a heavy flat weight on them. In the morning, they will be nice and flat. Well, as flat as these things get.
Thankfully, things dry pretty quick here.

dancqu · May 17, 2006

KenS said:
I am now down to my last "pack" of the old muslin-backed
blotters and may have to do some hunting for replacements
soon... anyone with suggestions? Ken

My blotter stack dryer consists of A Flute Ventilator Class
corrugated board and hydrophobic blotter sheets. The blotter
material can be found at any fabric shop. I think it is used as
a lining material; thin nonwoven polyester. Very inexpensive.
You'll need to cut to size.

I draw water from a print with a photo grade sponge then
pre-dry on a screen until warping just begins. At that time
I transfer twixt two blotters of the stack. The stack may
be built high with great capacity, weighs nearly nothing,
costs nearly nothing, and may be tucked away in
very little space. It does dry flat. I'm sold! Dan

pauldc · May 17, 2006

I tried the blotters for the first time yesterday. Looking at the prints they have dried flatter than anything else I have tried. The only problem is that all the prints seems to have picked up little bits of blotting paper fibres - this is mainly visible on the dark shadow areas of the prints. The fibres brush off with vigourous rubbing (using a small brush does not work as they are somewhat stuck on the surface of the prints) but of course I risk scratiching and marking the prints.

Anyone else experience this problem?

MikeM1977 · May 17, 2006

pauldc said:
Anyone out there drying their fibre prints in blotting paper? I thought I would give it a try and would like to hear of anyones experiences.

Does the method work and are the advantages that the paper dries flat?

Many thanks

The most foolproof, cheapest, and easiest way to dry fiber prints is to just hang them with a clip. Since I then dry-mount, flatness isn't an issue for me. But I bet a clothing iron could flatten prints too.

dancqu · May 17, 2006

MikeM1977 said:
Since I then dry-mount, flatness isn't an issue for me.

That is you use a dry-mount press to flatten: dry then
flatten. Within a stack they dry and flatten. And at
gentil to the print room temperature. Dan

George Collier · May 17, 2006

I have used blotters and screens in the past and experienced both the positive and negatives of both. What I finally settled on is hanging the prints, back to back (I put them into the washer that way, every other print facing away, etc). When I pull them out, I line up the corners of the top edge of 2 prints before pulling all the way out. I hang the pair from a corner, leaving enough room on the line to pull the other end up when all are hung up(they drain faster from a corner). I then start back at the beginning, pull up the other top ends, clip them, and put a pair of clips on the bottom corners as well. In the summer, they are as flat as from screens. In the winter, they have more buckle, but pretty much like they would be in screens. The back to back thing seems to help. I flatten them just before I mount them (they may re-buckle in storage anyway).
The thing I like about this - it's cheap, simple, and nothing touches them (not even a squeegee).

MikeM1977 · May 17, 2006

dancqu said:
That is you use a dry-mount press to flatten: dry then
flatten. Within a stack they dry and flatten. And at
gentil to the print room temperature. Dan

Yes. Air-dry then flatten.

Blotters leave lint. Screens take up a lot of space and are a hassle.

Dry-mounting is the only way to go IMHO

dancqu · May 18, 2006

pauldc said:
The only problem is that all the prints seems to have
picked up little bits of blotting paper fibres -

Perhaps Bad Blotters. Perhaps paper too wet. Perhaps
too much pressure. Perhaps all three. I suggest you use
a dedicated clean wetted and squeezed dry cellulose sponge
to draw water from the print. Place the print on a support
which allows for air drying; ie a screen or grid of some
sort. Soon it will begin to warp.

At that time place the print between the blotters with
corrugated board bottom and top and twixt each blotter
sandwich. Weights on top. For dry and Flat allow two to
three days.

Many years ago I used Kodak's blotter rolls with very good
results. Back at it again I've gone Blotter Stack: With my
own twists; A flute ventilator corrugated board and
hydrophobic blotters. If you suspect your blotters
are at fault give the hydrophobics a try. I've no
problems with them. My earlier post this
thread has more information. Dan

Flotsam · May 18, 2006

pauldc said:
I tried the blotters for the first time yesterday. Looking at the prints they have dried flatter than anything else I have tried. The only problem is that all the prints seems to have picked up little bits of blotting paper fibres - this is mainly visible on the dark shadow areas of the prints. The fibres brush off with vigourous rubbing (using a small brush does not work as they are somewhat stuck on the surface of the prints) but of course I risk scratiching and marking the prints.

Anyone else experience this problem?

I tried blotters and found that if I didn't change the blotters at least once during the process, they would be covered with fibers stuck to them. Resoaking, wiping off the fibers and redrying saved the prints. I found that changing to fresh blotters at least once while the prints were still moist produced a pretty flat, clean print but it was too much hassle. Now, I hang them to dry from a clothesline and then flatten them in a dry mounting press.

highpeak · May 18, 2006

pauldc said:
I tried the blotters for the first time yesterday. Looking at the prints they have dried flatter than anything else I have tried. The only problem is that all the prints seems to have picked up little bits of blotting paper fibres - this is mainly visible on the dark shadow areas of the prints. The fibres brush off with vigourous rubbing (using a small brush does not work as they are somewhat stuck on the surface of the prints) but of course I risk scratiching and marking the prints.

Anyone else experience this problem?

I have the same problem. What I did was put the wet print on a glass surface until the corner start to peel, then I took it off and wipe the back with sponge. After three days in the blotter face down I got a flat print but with lints all over the print.

Maybe what dancqu suggested is right, I have to dry the print a little bit more before put in the blotter.

The blotter I used is Delta1 photography drying book. Should be ok, right?

dancqu · May 21, 2006

highpeak said:
Maybe what dancqu suggested is right,
I have to dry the print a little bit more
before put in the blotter.

The blotter I used is Delta1 photography
drying book. Should be ok, right?

Reserve a sponge or two for pre-drying.
Photo grade sponges are available; finer grain
and likely more absorbent. After a wetting and
squeeze dry I slowly draw water from the print
by slow, gentil sweeps of the sponge; both
sides and twice swept each.

After sponging place the prints on a screen or
grill of some sort and allow to dry until warping
just begins. At that time place the prints twixt
blotters and the print-blotter sandwich twixt
corrugated boards; a Blotter Stack. Stack
as high as you'd like. Weight on top.
Allow two or three days.

Those blotters may be OK but don't use the
book. As I've mentioned, I use hydrophobic
non-woven fabric sheets; nearly free for
the taking. Cut to size.

There are many advantages to Blotter Stack
drying. Conservators use blotters for restoration
purposes. Sheet goods of various sorts worth BIG
$$$$$$$ see blotters used in some phase of
their restoration. Dan

highpeak · May 22, 2006

dancqu said:
Reserve a sponge or two for pre-drying.
Photo grade sponges are available; finer grain
and likely more absorbent. After a wetting and
squeeze dry I slowly draw water from the print
by slow, gentil sweeps of the sponge; both
sides and twice swept each.

After sponging place the prints on a screen or
grill of some sort and allow to dry until warping
just begins. At that time place the prints twixt
blotters and the print-blotter sandwich twixt
corrugated boards; a Blotter Stack. Stack
as high as you'd like. Weight on top.
Allow two or three days.

Those blotters may be OK but don't use the
book. As I've mentioned, I use hydrophobic
non-woven fabric sheets; nearly free for
the taking. Cut to size.

There are many advantages to Blotter Stack
drying. Conservators use blotters for restoration
purposes. Sheet goods of various sorts worth BIG
$$$$$$$ see blotters used in some phase of
their restoration. Dan

Dan, Thanks a lot. I will give it a try next time.

Alex

Drying fibre paper in blotters

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