Face Up or Face Down / Using Drying Screens

[Flauvius]

Hello Everyone:

When using drying screens, should gelatin silver prints be air dried face up or face down in contact with a drying screen?

Flauvius

 

[jon furer]

doesn't really matter IMO

 

[removed account4]

rc is face-up and because fiber papers tend to curl, you dry them face down (both after a good squeegee) ..

 

[lee]

I dry face down for fiber on screens.

lee\c

 

[Flauvius]

Thanks to everyone for answering my drying question. In this regard, I use Ilford semi-matt fiber paper and it always has a horrible dried curl regardless of how I place my wet prints on my screens.

Flauvius

 

[jeroldharter]

I have gone through this in various iterations. I have 8 Zone VI drying screens in racks. I keep them very clean and use an archival washer. No fixer gets on the screens. I have a dedicated darkroom and dry area.

I used to dry fiber based prints face down on screens with no problem. Then for some reason I started to get intermittent problems. The screens would emboss the emulsion of the prints ruining an entire day of darkroom work. Very frustrating and random. Then I tried drying face up but even small amounts of ambient dust can get embedded in the emulsion.

Finally I submitted to Lloyd's rather obsessive methods and have no problems. Check out his website for useful information. I strung up two vinyl covered retractable clotheslines from which I hang the prints with Clipex clamps from Porter's camera store. No problems since then.

Lloyd's Web Site

 

[jeroldharter]

Try this link:

 

[jeroldharter]

Also, check out this thread:

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)