Unexplained Stains on Prints

[John Irvine]

Something just popped up I've never experienced before. On the last print Sunday night and the first six prints Monday night there was a stain at the bottom in the center. The seventh print was not stained and I haven't made any others since. The location was essentially the same in all prints, bottom center. All were similar but did not have the same exact shape. I was printing 6X6 negatives on 8X10, leaving a 2 inch white border at the bottom. The stain was a "flowing V", like a spot of something flowing up and outward. The arms of the V are approximately 2mm wide and bluish colored. The area in the middle of the V is very, very pale yellow.

The developer (D-72), stop bath, and fixer were made fresh Monday. So it happened with old chemicals and with fresh. The paper was a recently purchased Arista Private Reserve RC VC.

The shape and appearance says wet chemistry but I cannot figure any way anything in any of the chemicals can always appear on the same area. I though maybe it was coming from the tongs but I handel the prints from the corners, not the center.

And I didn't notice the stains until the prints were dried.

I tried to scan one stain for others to see, but I could not get anything you could see.

It's got me mystified.

 

[flash26c]

Did you handle the paper with anything with grease on it?

 

[nickandre]

underfixing gives yellowish color.

 

[ozphoto]

If it's staining similar to what I've experienced, I learned the hard way that my fixer was exhausted.
My best description of the staining I had is kind of "wave" like - and it only appeared after I turned on the lights after fixing!

Not sure if that's what you are experiencing, but I'd bet it was a fixing problem - underfixed, exhausted fix - take your pick. Best way to check is to mix a new batch right before you print and see if you can replicate. I haven't had the problem since monitoring my fixer use a little more closely.

 

[John Irvine]

Thanks for the thoughts. Unfortunately I can rule out almost everything.

1. Handled only with tongs from developer on. Used fingers to take the paper from the box to enlarger to the tray. Neither fingers or tongs would have handled the paper at the center of the bottom where all the stains are.

2. Resin coated paper fixed 5 minutes or more in Kodak rapid fixer mixed about 2 hours before the second session showing the problem.

3. The prints go into the fixer face down. They are left about 1 minute before the lights are turned on the side of the darkroom opposite the sink. The prints are then turned over and the overhead light turned on. Total fixing time is 5 to 10 minutes. The first time I saw the problem I was using fixer that was near exaustion. The next time it was the first six prints in a 2 hour old batch. The yellow color makes me think fixer, but the blueish outline is odd. Also, why would inadequate fixint always occur at the same specific position?

 

[Stan160]

You shouldn't need more than 1 minute in rapid fixer for RC paper, unless the fixer is very dilute. Unlikely that 5-10 minutes in the fixer would cause a problem though.

Ian

 

[winger]

Is the spot where it would have been under the arm of the easel? Could there have been something on the easel that transferred to the paper until it was gone?
The other possibility is that there was something wrong with those sheets before you even got them out of the package.

 

[pgomena]

Try processing an unexposed sheet and see if the stain persists. If so, you probably have a bad package of paper.

Peter Gomena

 

[Stefan Findel]

From your description it sounds like a stain I once got from a vertical print washer at the points where the air bubbles were rising up from the bottom of the washer. Only happened with sepia toned prints.

 

[Chazzy]

Try processing an unexposed sheet and see if the stain persists. If so, you probably have a bad package of paper.

Peter Gomena

That sounds like a very good idea, although there is no guarantee that a problem with the paper would affect every sheet. It sounds as if some of the prints turned out okay.

 

[removed account4]

i have had strange stains before
can you post a scan of yours?


i did a few things to narrow down what it might have been

what i did was
made a print without the easel,
made a print with no tongs
made a print in different trays
made a print minimal times in the chemistry
processed a sheet of paper without exposing it
processed a sheet in the easel, but exposing it 2x normal time .. ( opened up lens )

had a holding tray of water, and fill and dump it 10 times after making "test prints"

i don't remember what the problem i had was
i think it was "sloppy technique / user error" more than anything else ...

good luck!
john

 

[John Irvine]

I've been wondering about the paper but that is as difficult to explain as anything else. It started with the last sheet on Night 1 and through the first 6 of 7 prints on Night 2. The 7th print was fine, as were all four prints on Night 3. I think I'll send one of the prints to Freestyle and see what they say.

Since it now seems OK I guess this is a "Huh! I'll be damned".