Print Washing Alternatives

Water has to penetrate the dry gelatin, which is also affected by the silver complexes that remain. Using a non-hardening fixer probably helps.

Well sure, that's why I said it would take a little longer. But if you soak the prints for, say, 10 minutes, THEN wash, it seems to me this would be just as effective as washing at the time.

At least, I hope so. It never occurred to me before and most of my prints are in fact, soaked/rinsed somewhat then left to finish washing later, because I usually finish a darkroom session way too late and too tired to wash them then.

Oh, and I never use hardening fix for prints. Or at least, almost never - I keep powdered Kodak fixer around along with a pack of D76 and one of Dektol or similar, in case I run out of my usual stuff. If I should run out of Rapid Fix I'd use that, but I've never let that happen.

I have a dry darkroom. I use a film strength alkaline fix. Limit the processed RC fix capacity to (25) 8x10s per L. Keep the water temp between 68 - 75 degrees. You should get a good wash in 3-4 min with 3-4 fill and dumps. Don't let prints stick together.

Back in school, we had this big metal print washer on a floor stand that would sort of churn around and rotate the water. Sometimes there would be dozens of prints all layered in this thing, and I don't recall being particularly meticulous about print washing back then, yet a recently opened box (cardboard, sitting in my not too dry basement for at least eight years) revealed stacks of beautiful FB prints -- nearly 20 years old -- without a hint of staining.

The color prints from around 1998 were awful.

Sometimes I think we make way too much of "archival processing." Most of the prints that I've seen in person that exhibited signs of poor processing came from consumer photo labs. I've held vintage Stieglitz and Walker Evans prints at the National Gallery (it's free, ask me how!), and got to peek under the matts, and they were fine. I spent hours there looking at prints and didn't see a single problem.

Look at all of your photography great masters: most of the books you have reproduce prints that were several decades old (if not older) by the time they were copied. See any problems?

Be attentive, and not obsessive.

Sounds like your teacher taught some good habits of printing. Sounds like an old Arkay washer. They wash FB prints well, but dog eared RC prints. I have a 16x20 version in my darkroom that I saved from the dumpster. RC prints need way less washing than fiber prints.

When I had limited time in a college darkroom I used to put my FB prints still soaking wet, inside one of the black plastic inner bags from a (finished) packet of fresh paper, carefully transport it home and then continue the wash sequence there. Not ideal, but it bought me some time, and the prints are fine 25 years on!!