vandyke - moist vs dry?

actually i ran out of sensitizer last week, so i mixed up a new batch and let it sit for a few days. so it's fresh (but *not* too fresh).

this print is untoned (not going to tone until i've got the procedure working a little better). i'm not using rapid fix, just normal hypo (sodium thiosulphate). then clear it (sodium sulfite).

i printed two at the same time, because i wanted to compare inkjet with imagesetter negs. however the imagesetter print came out very poorly...lots of mottling, and some dark stains or deposits. i think this particular sheet of paper hadn't dried as much as the other.

so perhaps this is just a problem of the sensitizer not being dry enough?

i think i'm going to have to coat, dry, coat, dry, and then humidfy. otherwise getting the timing right is going to be tricky.

Careful of the diBEEEEEEEPal neg too, the ink can sometime take ages (over a day) to dry properly, and if it's not dry it will "bond" with the sensitizer and create bloched highlights.

heh. sorry about using references to the 'evil D'...i forgot this wasn't hybridphoto i was on.

this negative was nice and dry...at least a week. but good point! thanks buze.

ok, problem solved!

rather than trying to rely on the sensitizer not being completely dry - which i think was causing the graininess - i just let both coats completely dry. then, an hour or so before it was time to expose, i took the electric tea kettle and the paper into a small bathroom, and repeatedly ran the kettle with the door closed.

it worked very well! in fact, it worked too well...the first print i thought wasn't dark enough, so i exposed another for twice as long. turns out, with drydown, the first exposure was closer (but there was a flaw in the paper, which was why it was my test). i ended up having to bleach the second print a little, which gave me more contrast...dmax still better than the first exposure, but the highlights were brightened nicely.

thanks for all the help! now here's the print...