General Question about Paper and Print washing

I’ve been hard at work getting back into Film after my 20+ year hiatus. And after burning through a ton of film, the long drive I have to the lab has got to go away!!! So, I have been busy collecting darkroom gear, and have a project slated to start next spring to build a really nice darkroom in the loft of my detached garage. However, I can’t wait that long so have decided to pull together a small space in our utility room for now.

My main question has to do with the fact that I live in a very rural area outside of Cincinnati and as such, have a cistern(that collects rain water) and septic system. I am looking for suggestions on the most water efficient wash process for both film and prints. With no access to public water and the septic being a little old conservation is required as much as possible.

Also, wouldn’t mind some good suggestions on what paper to use for a person getting back into the darkroom after being away for a long time. I will be printing with a Beseler 23C II, (no color head) but thanks to a really nice APUGer, I have VC filter capability now. I have a really nice De Vere 504 and 5108 with VC Head waiting for the new darkroom!!!! I have noticed there are still a lot of paper options out there and I want a good basic paper or papers to essentially re-teach myself with. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. If you suggest a paper could you also tell me the developer you use?

I can’t wait to turn out the lights and turn on the enlarger!!!

you might consider Ilford's MC RC paper. The washing times are much shorter.

You could also use the soak and dump method, as it is the exchange of water on the paper that is important.

Also check ilford's recommendations on film development as the times are very efficient as well, of check out a film gravity washer; a funny little gadget that uses little water.

Your will probably get lots of answers on the above as well as which paper and developer to use.

we use LPD for 99% of the work done in the lab, has a long tray life and different ratios will /can result with different results.

If you are going to burn through a lot of paper then you might want to check out Freestyle for their Aristo papers. Nice look, quality, and price. Dito on the LPD.

Curt

The Arista.EDU papers are really cheap and better than I'd expected them to be - perfect for honing your chops.

a few ideas

1. Collect the necessary water over time to minimize the impact on your water supply, and do larger batches, less frequently.

2. Depending on your workflow, washing aids or archival rinses can reduce the amount of water required for washing.

3. For manual tank developing of film, the Ilford wash method uses minimal water:

"fill the spiral tank with water at the
same temperature, +/– 5ºC (9ºF), as the
processing solutions and invert it five times. Drain
the water away and refill. Invert the tank ten times.
Once more drain the water away and refill.
Finally, invert the tank twenty times and drain the
water away."

It's not as convenient as leaving the water running and walking away, but it is effective, and overall faster.

4. Not many hobbyists use drums or tubes to process prints, but you may want to look into it as a way of conserving water and/or solutions (which are after all mostly water).

5. See #1 -- your biggest gains will likely come from workflow management: consider your options re methods and equipment, and organize your sessions and workflow to use water most efficiently. For example, consider one-shot chemistry vs mixing large batches that may expire before they are used up, or replenishable chemistry that can be revived for longer term use.

I use diafine to develop B&W negatives. Diafine working solution lasts forever and can be reused many times. I expect the two quarts I mixed up last month to be viable for at least a year. However, it is a peculiar developer that works differently than most, and it's not for everyone.

Previously, I used HC110, which does act like more common developers, but it is a long-lasting syrup that can be used one-shot, and I mixed up only as much as I needed when I needed it. There is a companion replenisher, as well.

Enjoy!

For fiber base papers, you might consider an alkaline fixer. I use TF4, requires no clearing agent and washes out more quickly than acid fixers, although the fixer is more expensive. Read up on it first, though, check the Photographers' Formulary web site (see the links page).

If you wind up with RC papers, though, it won't make much difference.

robert e said:

It's not as convenient as leaving the water
running and walking away, but it is effective,
and overall faster.

Click to expand...

More convenient not less. Use a relaxed approach.
With so little water needed use it room temperature
for a more thorough wash. Pour in the water, give a
few inversions, see to other matters, another few
inversions, next fresh water and so on. Diffusion
is a big part of the washing and that goes on
with no stirring of the solution. Dan

dancqu said:

Diffusion
is a big part of the washing and that goes on
with no stirring of the solution. Dan

Click to expand...

- I agitate (invert) vigorously and constantly when I'm washing, tapping out air bubbles every five inversions. I'll have to try letting it sit sometime. After the Ilford wash, I do a final rinse in photoflo or distilled water. Come to think of it, distilled water is what you'd want for mixing up your chemistry, and is generally good to have around. So, a bit more available water, a few less dollars.

- Re: paper: fiber based paper requires so much more water than RC, I wouldn't even think about it if you need to conserve. But, again, I think batching and flow can make a big difference. You know how much water you have, and the paper mfg. will have recommendations. They'll either equate or they won't.

However, Ilford Warmtone RC is wonderful, and responds well to selenium (can't personally comment re other toners).

- Oh, and don't forget to budget water for washing up.

Thanks for all of the suggestions.
Will definately give the Arista.EDU papers a try. I was given some dektol from a friend, so I'll start with that but will also order up some LPD, and do some reading on the TF4.
I am probably going to wait until the new darkroom is finished this spring to do any mass runs of prints. That will give me some time to get re-aquainted.
I happened to come across a Versalab print washer, and according to the write up, once filled it uses about 1/2 gallon per minute. Haven't got it yet, still looking at other washers or ideas on making your own.

There are days I wish for city sewer, but not seeing any neighbors is so much better!!
Thanks again for the feedback.

I think you are asking how to wash prints using the minimum amount of water. It can get tricky. The basic idea is to use several changes of water instead of a continuous flow, but really there may not be much difference in total volume, depending on your technique and the number of prints. The first step is use a fixer that is not too acid. (TF-4, OF-1, F-34 all should work. TF-4 is alkaline, OF-1 neutral, and F-34 slightly acid). Traditional hardening acid fixers are hard to wash out. After fixing, rinse the print in running water or in a fresh tray of water. You can then accumulate several prints in another water bath or even just sitting, damp, in a tray. Treat the rinsed prints in hypo clearing agent. You can use either a tray of an archival washer to do the actual washing. Let's assume a tray. Fill the tray with water, add the prints, and shuffle them for a minute or a little longer. Empty the tray and repeat at least six times (probably better more). Both dilution and diffusion play a role in the wash process. A fairly large volume of water aids dilution, and a longer time in the rinse tray aids diffusion. You need to shuffle the prints to be sure the wash water reaches the entire surface of all of them (not needed in the archival washer). I'm not at all sure of the number of repeats. It will probably vary depending on the paper. With RC, six is likely to be OK, but more will be needed with FB. To determine if washing is sufficient, you could use one of the hypo test kits or formulas. These are not terribly sensitive, however, and I would would use at least half again as many rinses as you need to come up with a clean test.

Yes, the rinse-and-dump method is essential for saving water, and if you use RC paper for printing, that's really an easy and quick job. You can develop your film and print with a bucket of water if you like. And dispose the used chemicals appropriately afterwards.

Also, use the equipment and the supplies that you're familiar with and have an easy access to buying, which will save a lot of your time, money, and energy.

snowymtphotos said:

I have noticed there are still a lot of paper options out there and I want a good basic paper or papers to essentially re-teach myself with. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. If you suggest a paper could you also tell me the developer you use?

Click to expand...

The basic stuff I learned in college (in the U.S.) many years ago was to use Kodak Dektol paper developer diluted 1:2 and print on Ilford MG RC pearl paper.