Greasy fibre based prints

[sim]

Odd one this but, the occasional print is really slippy, feeling as if it is covered in oil, when pulled from the washer unit. Paper used is Ilford Multigrade warmtone dev’d in Ilford warmtone dev, fixed in Ilford rapid fixer & washed in filtered water. Other prints from the same neg, printed dev’d & washed at the same time do not have this feel. It seems to be random. The prints are difficult to hold by hand and cannot be gripped at all by clothes pegs – my normal drying method.

Any ideas from the printers here?

 

[Ian Grant]

You have 3 separate posts which all seem to be possibly relating to washing/contamination.

1 Bits on films
2 Greasy prints
3 Uneven Blue patches with selenium toning

I suspect the greasy prints & blue patches with selenium toning might be related to the water you're using, as well as the bit's on the films. It sounds like you have some contamination somewhere. You need to check the water supply, and the filter system.

Ian

 

[sim]

I appreciate what you're saying about the water contamination - this was my initial thoughts.

My concern is that the blue patches on prints is entirely at random ie not all prints in the same session get affected additionaly if the greasy prints were caused by the water, then all the prints in the washer unit at the same time should be equally affected which does not happen. I do not think that I have perfect water by any means but I think the cause may well be some where else.

 

[George Collier]

I agree with Ian, interesting and maybe meaningful that the water supply could be affecting all three posted issues.
About the washer - what kind? Are you certain that you have good circulation and no prints adhering to each other? Developer and alkaline fix have some slipperiness to them, which might not all wash out if prints stick to each other.

 

[sim]

About the washer - what kind? Are you certain that you have good circulation and no prints adhering to each other? Developer and alkaline fix have some slipperiness to them, which might not all wash out if prints stick to each other.

The washer is a home made version like a deep tank, takes six 10x8 prints held in plastic coated wire seperators, flow enters the base of the unit & exits at the top using an overflow wieir.

The odd thing is that in a set of six washed at the same time fivecan be ok and onecan be slippery but is it a very rare though annoying occurunce.