vandyke - moist vs dry?

[rippo]

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.

 

[buze]

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.

 

[rippo]

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.

 

[rippo]

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...