U of S | Mailing List Archive | alt-photo-process-l | Re: Safe methods for washing gum prints

Re: Safe methods for washing gum prints



On Wed, 13 Dec 2006, Jack Brubaker wrote:

I will develop back to back and turn them over now and
then. Mounting them on a rigid substrate would be a great asset in
developing, it would be possible to develop many print in a vertical tank if
the tank was set up with grooves in the sides to separate the prints.
Jack, when I washed prints on a rigid substrate (aside from tendency of print to pucker on the substrate unless it was fastened with gorilla glue) I found the backs (undersides) didn't wash, but retained strong dichromate stain. Removing prints from the substrate while gum was still soft led to many accidents (tho you may be more adroit in such matters than I), as did putting wet prints in grooved (or similar) vertical tanks. And once the print has dried, washing is more difficult & further development dubious at best.

My solution (so to speak) is tri-level, or even quarto level trays. For instance I have a computer table on wheels with four surfaces that will take trays... I can wheel it nearer or further from the sink. I also have rigged possibilities for several levels at the sink. All else failing, trays can go on the floor (so they get stepped in. There are worse accidents) but if they're large they have to be emptied by bailing. (I used to siphon in the darkroom, but bailing is less trouble.) The problem of course is that if I have been so profligate with spreading trays, some inevitably get lost -- and redisovered only years later.

Judy.