What causes magenta cast, greenish cast, and dull grey cast on white parts of RA paper?

rpavich · Mar 19, 2017

My magnet came off of my Jobo today so I've been printing RA by hand and roller drum and my results have been inconsistent.

I've had a greenish cast (including the white border) and a magenta cast (including the white border) and a dull greyish cast (including the white border)

I'm not sure if my chems are exhausted or if it's my inconsistent processing. My chems were cooling down and I'm wondering if going from 103 to 75 deg was the culprit.

rpavich · Mar 19, 2017

Well, it was my chems. I realized that I'd printed about 20 8x5 test prints from the same 250ml graduate of chems.

I realized that I hadn't replenished at all, so I did and then let the chems hit room temp and no problems now. I think it was mostly bad chems and huge temperature drift.

bvy · Mar 19, 2017

Watch your blix! Especially if you're not using a stop bath. Exhausted blix won't clear your whites. The good news is you can re-blix in fresh solution.

rpavich · Mar 19, 2017

bvy said:
Watch your blix! Especially if you're not using a stop bath. Exhausted blix won't clear your whites. The good news is you can re-blix in fresh solution.

OH that's great! I'll have to check that now. Thanks very much!

rpavich · Mar 19, 2017

One question about the blix; is it a "length of time" thing or when it's exhausted it's just exhausted? In other words...would adding an extra minute do anything?

bvy · Mar 19, 2017

rpavich said:
One question about the blix; is it a "length of time" thing or when it's exhausted it's just exhausted? In other words...would adding an extra minute do anything?

When it's pooped, it's pooped! My experience anyway...

rpavich · Mar 19, 2017

bvy said:
When it's pooped, it's pooped! My experience anyway...

Thanks...it worked!!
So what's the best way to keep blix going the longest? Lots of fresh stop? A wash after the stop also?

bvy · Mar 19, 2017

rpavich said:
Thanks...it worked!!
So what's the best way to keep blix going the longest? Lots of fresh stop? A wash after the stop also?

I use a stop of 1% acetic acid -- or 5% distilled white kitchen vinegar mixed 1+4 with water. I follow it with a very quick water rinse. This will help maintain the pH of the blix, but the other thing you have to watch for is simple dilution with each use. When it starts looking watery or weak, it's time to replenish or replace.

As a check, keep a small supply of fresh blix around (like 100ml) just for testing. Periodically, clip a white border from a processed image and drop half of it into the fresh blix for about three minutes. Pull it out and rinse thoroughly. If the soaked end is whiter than the unsoaked end, then it's time for fresh solution.

rpavich · Mar 19, 2017

bvy said:
I use a stop of 1% acetic acid -- or 5% distilled white kitchen vinegar mixed 1+4 with water. I follow it with a very quick water rinse. This will help maintain the pH of the blix, but the other thing you have to watch for is simple dilution with each use. When it starts looking watery or weak, it's time to replenish or replace.

As a check, keep a small supply of fresh blix around (like 100ml) just for testing. Periodically, clip a white border from a processed image and drop half of it into the fresh blix for about three minutes. Pull it out and rinse thoroughly. If the soaked end is whiter than the unsoaked end, then it's time for fresh solution.

Ahh...very good, thanks!
At the moment I use Ilford stop bath 1:19 per directions. I'm not sure if that's the best choice.

Wayne · Mar 19, 2017

bvy said:
When it's pooped, it's pooped! My experience anyway...

And are you finding that it poops before the developer that you (presumably) mixed at the same time, or are you trying to get more prints per unit of blix than unit of developer? I haven't done all that much RA-4 myself but I've never experienced any Blix pooping and I usually have not used a stop.

bvy · Mar 19, 2017

Wayne said:
And are you finding that it poops before the developer that you (presumably) mixed at the same time, or are you trying to get more prints per unit of blix than unit of developer? I haven't done all that much RA-4 myself but I've never experienced any Blix pooping and I usually have not used a stop.

I use the developer one shot. Blix doesn't keep forever. The symptoms described here are indicators that it's exhausting...

Wayne · Mar 19, 2017

bvy said:
I use the developer one shot. Blix doesn't keep forever. The symptoms described here are indicators that it's exhausting...

But assuming you buy equal amounts of developer and blix (perhaps a mistaken assumption), why not just use the blix one shot too? Are you penny pinching, and if so how much do you save when you factor in time (for stop and rinse when you don't need either) and added expense (for stop).

bvy · Mar 19, 2017

Wayne said:
But assuming you buy equal amounts of developer and blix (perhaps a mistaken assumption), why not just use the blix one shot too? Are you penny pinching, and if so how much do you save when you factor in time (for stop and rinse when you don't need either) and added expense (for stop).

The blix has a lot of capacity. It's not about penny pinching, but one shot would be wasteful. Additionally, a stop bath promotes even development. I used to get uneven development when I went from developer directly to blix. The stop bath and rinse solved that problem.

Photo Engineer · Mar 19, 2017

RPAVICH, I suggest that you read some other RA4 posts while sitting back with a brew or two. Then start over.

PE

rpavich · Mar 20, 2017

Photo Engineer said:
RPAVICH, I suggest that you read some other RA4 posts while sitting back with a brew or two. Then start over.

PE

Will do.

What causes magenta cast, greenish cast, and dull grey cast on white parts of RA paper?

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