Washing tecniques FB paper

Further to my other thread on RC or FB.............

Can anyone let me know any washing tecniques and hints for washing FB paper if I don't have an archival print washer.

I read the Ansel Adams direction on this (transfer the print between two bown of fresh water for 1 hour, if I remember rightly) and that sounded pretty tedious.

If I like FB I will in time invest in an archival print washer, but until then I need a way of washing.

Thanks for any help,

Matt

I usually put it in the shower dish, under the flush.

Hi Matt,

I've also just started printing on FB, and had the same question. One of the more seasoned members of my camera club handed me this procedure:

after fixing, 5 minutes under running water
then 10 minutes in Hypo Clearing Agent (or similar product from other manuf.)
then again 5 minutes under running water

keep the temperature around 68°F/20°C or a little bit higher. He also added that I should use rapid fixer (1 minute or so), to avoid too much fixer to get in the paper base (I gather all or most of the fixing agent has to be washed out of the print)

Maybe this can help you, I'm sure other forum members will help you out. (I'd be interested in hearing their procedures as well!)

Dirk

Do a search; you will turn up at least one thread with a lot of informative comments regarding the benefits/detriments of an archival print washer as opposed to the 'soak and dump' method. My conclusion after reading all the comments here was that the 'soak and dump' method consumes less water and is equally, if not more effective, in terms of washing prints to archival standards.

Matt5791 said:

Can anyone let me know any washing tecniques
and hints for washing FB paper if I don't have
an archival print washer. Matt

Click to expand...

I've a method I'm quite sure very sound. It is the
time tested two tray method with a couple of twists
of my own added. First though a sound SOP.

After the last fix, rinse, hca, rinse, 2, 3, 2, minutes with
constant agitation and all that in one tray. Use the hca at
half strength and keep solution volumes minimal. They are
fresh each print or few prints if batch processing. If you
have been holding after the last fix, then consider the
first rinse done.

Fill a tray with enough water for easy agitation then
transfer the print/prints. At this juncture the only way to
have those prints well washed and sooner is to be impatient.
Not much sooner though because by the time those prints
hit the wash only a slow diffusion will have them clean.

Each succeeding wash will take longer. As a minimum
allow for 30, 60, and 90 minute washes. Your routine
should be a relaxed now and then, bottom to top
shuffle with agitation. It's really quite a hassel
free way to wash.

Following the above procedures and with three total
changes of wash water I'm quite sure your prints will
test clean by the HT-2 test. You can take two hours
of relaxed attending or twelve hours of very relaxed
attending. Dan

Matt5791 said:

Further to my other thread on RC or FB.............

Can anyone let me know any washing tecniques and hints for washing FB paper if I don't have an archival print washer.

I read the Ansel Adams direction on this (transfer the print between two bown of fresh water for 1 hour, if I remember rightly) and that sounded pretty tedious.

If I like FB I will in time invest in an archival print washer, but until then I need a way of washing.

Thanks for any help,

Matt

Click to expand...

As far as I know, if you use hypo-clear/wash-aid pretty well, you don't really have to do a long wash like an hour; you can cut it down to 30 min or even 20 min. Or you can do a rinse-and-dump for a number of times if you like.

Do a search here and find the thread(s) for your own needs because there are many ways to do that so effectively and minimize the amount of water you want to use.

If you really want a hassle free wash routine use an alkali fixer like the Formulary's TF-4. A twenty minute wash is all that is needed and thats without the use of a Hypo clearing agent. Photographers formulary says you don't need one but I soak my prints in Heico Perma-Wash for 5 minutes after a 5 min wash anyway. This is followed by a 20 minute wash. An archival washer isn't needed to get archival prints but if you use a tray siphon setup like I do I wouldn't try to do more than one print at a time no matter what size it is. Its too easy for the prints to stick together and create "dead spots" in the water flow that will inhibit the removal of fixer.

Check the detergent based washing aid in the formulas section. This is similar to Perma Wash and Orbit Bath.

For a final wash without a washer, someone here recommended a two-hour sit-and-dump method, changing the water every 20 minutes, shuffling the prints around a bit each time you change the water, so you do this for six times, and this is what I have been following.

Prior to this final wash, and after fixing, I put all my prints in a holding tray, then when I'm done printing, I send each print through the following sequence: selenium toning (10 minutes), running water rinse (10 minutes), perma-wash (10 minutes), and then into the final wash tray.

I hope this helps! There are lots of ways and recommendations both on and off this board, I hope you find one that works for you!

Krystyna