'Static' Washing of Salted Paper Prints

[fgorga]

I am just starting to make salted paper prints in my basement dim room which does not have running water.

The typical instructions call for a 30 minute plus final wash in running water. However, that is not possible in my situation.

Does anyone have any advice/experience with how I might approach the final wash using a single tray and changing the water periodically by dumping and refilling the tray rather than using a continuous flow of water?

Specifically, how many changes of water and what interval between changes might make a good starting point for my testing?

Thanks!

 

[koraks]

I haven't done chemical analysis on it, but I would expect that a good interval would be about 5 minutes and a total of around 10 cycles, so around 50 minutes total. The temperature of the wash water will have a very big impact though.

 

[fgorga]

@koraks

Thanks for the response. Ten changes at five minute intervals sounds like a good place to start.

 

[tezzasmall]

I too only use standing water to wash both RC and FB prints that I make and this is despite having running water in the bathroom, but I think it is an awful waste of water. Also, for decades, I have used the Ilford method of washing film using four changes of water.

For my prints for a long time now, I've only done three changes of water at about 25 degrees Centigrade, leaving ALL prints for three twenty minute soaks, agitating occasionally. I then using the last soaking water as the first for the next set of prints. Initially the prints were put in the bath tub and now a Paterson upright print washer.

RC prints are put straight into the water whilst FB prints, after a brief wash in water and then in either sodium carbonate (washing soda) or sodium sulphite solution for about ten minutes and then into the wash bath.

I've only recently started mixing up a residual hypo solution from the Darkroom Cookbook and am now testing my prints to see if they've had a good wash and results are good.

I have done this wash procedure since when I started in the early 1970's and although the prints from that period are not anything inspiring, there are no stains of any sort on any of all the FB prints done at the time and since.

I'm sure there will be, as there are with certain questions, numerous replies giving different methods and times.

Terry S

 

[koraks]

Terry, it's difficult to compare washing regimes of FB, RC papers and salted paper prints. The latter require a *much* more thorough wash.

 

[NedL]

I think koraks is right on it. I tend to change the water more often near the beginning and then near the end as much 15 or 20 minutes between. I always go more than an hour, probably average around 1:20 or 1:30.