Strange stain in Vandyke, what is happening here?

Ozzietx

Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2013
Messages
15
Location
San Antonio, Texas
Format
4x5 Format
I just processed a couple of Vandyke prints today, and had a strange stain occur while developing.

The stain went away when I toned the print in gold toner, and everything looks good now.
The first photo is still in the developer. You can see an uneven coloration across the middle of the print.
Did I just need to develop longer?

I am just curious what caused the staining as sometimes I like the native Vandyke brown tone.

See photos.
 

Tom Taylor

Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2005
Messages
579
Location
California
Format
Multi Format
Last week I processed a Kallitype and pulling the print from the final wash I noticed a large circular stain in the sky area about the size of a fifty cent piece. No stain was on the backside and none had appeared during processing and toning. I hung it to dry after which the stain had disappeared. This was the 2d or 3d time I have had such a stain appear and disappear.

Thomas
 

ebenostby

Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2007
Messages
5
Location
Bay Area
Format
Multi Format
It looks to me like the coated paper was not uniformly dry. When there's a pocket of dampness in the paper, you'll get a darker, greyish image in the damp area.
It generally disappears (in tone, anyway) after toning, but it may still be slightly denser than the surrounding area.
 
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