long development [was Re: Gum on masa, again
On Sun, 12 Oct 2008, Christina Z. Anderson wrote: It is kindof amazing how long, really, one can leave a gum print in the development bath and still get a great print. 8 hr--no problem for me.When I was teaching all day, I used to expose a print before dropping into bed, & leave it in water (face down) until the next morning... then agitating, or brushing, or not, and/or leaving it longer. Long development is presumably controlled by the "curve" of the negative, times the exposure (not to mention the mix). If too much washes off, you just add another coat. However you need to be sure all "airbells" are knocked off first or you'll get dark circles on the print. I also put very light weights (like plastic tongs) on the back to keep the paper submerged... I haven't had a problem with the print touching bottom, tho --- maybe New York water is stronger??? Meanwhile, if memory serves, Paul Anderson used to brag about his 24-hour soaks. (I didn't hear that in person, but remember it from his book.) J.
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