How do you hang your RC prints?

StoneNYC · Dec 11, 2014

winger said:
Thanks for the compliments!

I didn't think of the squeegee the back concept on my own, though. I can't remember which instructor suggested it, but it had to be while I was taking classes at the Danforth Museum School in Framingham, MA, 'cause that's when I started using FB.
Anyway, they said the emulsion was softer and more likely to scratch on FB than RC (took him at his word). And, yes, the paper is the part that takes longer to dry, so squeegeeing it seems to make a little more sense. Whether his reason is valid or not, it's become habit and it works for me.

I'll try it in the future. But the emulsions are much harder than they used to be I think. I've never had a scratch from squeegeeing even with the abused school squeegee. Lol.

Thanks.

winger · Dec 11, 2014

This was before 2003 because that's when I built my first darkroom at home and stopped taking classes to use theirs.
I have had some RC prints get scratches because of rust particles in our lovely well water in PA, however. Before we go back there, I gotta find a solution for that.

Nathan King · Dec 11, 2014

My darkroom is a small bathroom, so everything dries hanging on the shower curtain rod due to space constraints. Do you use a borderless easel? I have small metal clips from B&H that will clip securely on the smallest tip of a corner. These keep marks off of the image area even on prints with the smallest of borders.

MattKrull · Dec 12, 2014

Nathan King said:
My darkroom is a small bathroom, so everything dries hanging on the shower curtain rod due to space constraints. Do you use a borderless easel? I have small metal clips from B&H that will clip securely on the smallest tip of a corner. These keep marks off of the image area even on prints with the smallest of borders.

Right now I'm using a big 12x16 4-blade easel. The problem is, it hits against the enlarger support in some (mostly portrait) arrangements. So I'm considering a smaller easel for those. How do you like your magnetic one?

I've started doing a bit of a hybrid approach. I am hanging (but as small a corner as possible) the prints for 15 minutes, then, once they are mostly dry, I put them face up on a towel on a table. So far it works well.

BTW - for people using hypo, why did you start? Ilford specifically says not to use hypo on RC prints, and I've never had a water spot on an RC print.

MattKing · Dec 12, 2014

MattKrull said:
BTW - for people using hypo, why did you start? Ilford specifically says not to use hypo on RC prints, and I've never had a water spot on an RC print.

What do you mean by "hypo"?

"Hypo" is an obsolete term for sodium thiosulfate fixer.

Are you perhaps referring to a wash-aid like Kodak Hypo Clearing Agent ("HCA")? If so, HCA is advantageous for fibre based papers, but of no real benefit for RC papers.

HCA and other wash-aids have nothing to do with water spots. They are used to increase the efficiency of the wash stage, and to permit shorter washing times and less water usage. They are recommended for fibre based papers because the papers themselves absorb fixer, so benefit from the more efficient washing process.

Nathan King · Dec 12, 2014

MattKrull said:
Right now I'm using a big 12x16 4-blade easel. The problem is, it hits against the enlarger support in some (mostly portrait) arrangements. So I'm considering a smaller easel for those. How do you like your magnetic one?

I've started doing a bit of a hybrid approach. I am hanging (but as small a corner as possible) the prints for 15 minutes, then, once they are mostly dry, I put them face up on a towel on a table. So far it works well.

BTW - for people using hypo, why did you start? Ilford specifically says not to use hypo on RC prints, and I've never had a water spot on an RC print.

I use a four blade 11x14 easel. The clips I was referring to are http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/123163-REG/Delta_58050_Stainless_Steel_Film_Clips.html. They are tiny but have a strong spring. You can clip a tiny edge that will remain within even the smallest border. I guess my question would be as long as the mark isn't in the image area what does it matter? It gets trimmed off before mounting if you dry mount or is hidden behind the window mat if you hinge mount.

How do you hang your RC prints?

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