FB paper questions - newbie alert!

[tkamiya]

I started printing on Ilford MGIV FB Glossy paper. Being new to FB paper, I am making several mistakes. I'm looking for some advise to do this better.

1) I dried mine by placing squeezie'd (is that a word?) paper in between blotting paper (made for photo use) and weighted it down. The result was rather disappointing. Paper fiber (from blotter) stuck to the surface and embedded themselves in the print. Also, there are what appears to be "pressure damage" on surface. There are portion of print that has duller sheen with texture of what appears to be blotter paper. What the heck happened here?? I rewashed and air dried next. The damaged portion didn't restore itself.

2) One of the paper had edge cracking and I was able to peel off what looks like a plastic coating. (huh?) I thought FB paper didn't have this.... Being curious, I took a tweezer and peeled off a small portion. Indeed, this is a semi-clear plastic *looking* coating.... What is this? (yes, I checked the box... This is MGIV FB Glossy)

3) In hot dry press, what is the safe temp setting for this paper for flattening and mounting with mounting tissue??

Thanks as always.

 

[ann]

check the directions on the tissue your using.

off the top of my head, about 180 for RC around 250 for fiber, but be sure to place the freshly mounted print under weight right after removing or it will start to lift of the backboard.

 

[Doremus Scudder]

1. Most of us air dry fiber-base prints. I dry mine face up on screens (nylon window screens made just for the darkroom). Blotter books, when old or contaminated often cause problems. (By the way, "squeegeed" is the word you're looking for, as is "advice"). New blotter paper will work, but you need a lot of time and good contact to make sure that the paper is completely dry before removing it (the possible source of your sticking problems) and to make sure the surface doesn't dry with different textures. Air-drying results in a nice, semi-glossy finish. Prints will curl some, and will require flattening somehow (I dry-mount, so no problems there. See the sticky thread on print flattening procedures for more info).

You may never be able to save the damaged print, but you can try steaming the surface. Get a kettle of water boiling and gently steam the surface of the print. This may remove the dull sheen you have from the blotter paper.

2. You are likely peeling off the emulsion itself; a layer of clear gelatin that holds the silver of the image. Alternatively, you could be dealing with the baryta coating, which is a layer of special barium clay to seal the paper and provide a white background and underlay for the emulsion. If you have fiber-base paper, there is no plastic involved.

3. Generally, you don't need a lot of heat. Most dry-mount tissues work between 160° and 250° F. If you are just flattening, you can use a lot less. I generally just stack the prints and weight them, or store them tightly in a box with no room for curl. This takes most of the curl out. I you need flat prints for display without dry-mounting, then see the above-mentioned thread on print flattening here on APUG. I've never been able to satisfactorily display a fiber-base print without dry-mounting it.

Best,

Doremus Scudder
www.DoremusScudder.com

 

[bdial]

Did you squeegee the print on the blotter? I've had problems with some papers sticking to blotter paper, but not so much with Ilford. It's hard to avoid the shiny/mat surface look using a blotter. Drying on a screen works better IMO.
I dry my prints on a screen, then use the blotter and weights to press them flat after they're dry or mostly dry.
Not that with glossy FB papers you won't get the shine you see with RC gloss papers unless you use a ferrotype plate.

 

[tkamiya]

Thanks everybody. I won't use blotter paper anymore. It is just not worth the trouble.... I can squeeze and air dry face up on towels. (as I usually do with RC).

Yes, I do know about glossy shine. Oh well...

I'm going to dial the heat down a bit. It really doesn't look like it will require a lot of heat. The tissue I'm getting is a low-temp RC type also.

Ann, I'm going to go get a thick glass sheet with sanded edges for this purpose. I've been wanting something like that anyway.

....and Thanks EVERYBODY!

 

[Monophoto]

I used to use blotters, but eventually I learned that air drying on fiberglass screens is much better (and faster). You can make your own screens - I used 1x2" pine, ripped to form 3/4" square sections, joined at the corners using metal shelf braces and then varnished. I bought the screening in bulk (it comes in a variety of widths, so buy the screening first, and then plan the frames accordingly) and attached it to the frames using staples. I have a rack under my sink that holds the frames about 6" apart for air circulation. I place the squeegeed prints face down on the screens to minimize curling. In my darkroom, drying time is about 24 hours, but I can reduce that to about 8 hours by aiming a fan at the rack of screens. There are a few papers that are noted for having an unusually sensitive emulsion - Agfa Portiga Rapid, for example (I still have some) - and that are best dried face up.

I don't know that I would trust the temperature scale on a dry mount press. I bought my press used, and a couple of years ago I had to do a major overhaul of the heating element, so there are a number of uncontrolled variables. I have a mark on the scale where I point the dial - and it works for FB paper. Most FB papers can withstand a lot of heat - much more than RC paper. That said, I recall a situation many years ago when a friend showed a print at a club that drew a lot of very positive comments. Everyone was interested in the subtle brown toning - and after the chatter died down, he admitted that it was scorched from being left in the heat press for too long.

 

[tkamiya]

"he admitted that it was scorched from being left in the heat press for too long."
I guess that gives the phrase "hot off the press" a whole new meaning....

I was thinking of going to home center and buy couple of pre-stretched and framed screens for windows - then make the shelves out of wood based on size of those pre made screen panels. Don't you have problem with fan blowing dust at prints? I actually tried this and never again....