> I have some questions about fixing VDB prints:
>
> Paper: Arches, 100% cotton, sized, coated with "standard" formula,
> airdried, exposed, wash with water for 5 min, fix with Na
> thiosulfaat.5H2O (50 g per litre) for 1-2 min;
>
> I notice the following: no "brown" leaves the paper during washing, but as
> soon as I put it in the fixer it turn dark brown (normal as I understand)
> but also there is considerable bleeding of the dense brown parts and also
> a bit of fading. My fixer turns brown quite fast and than contains little
> brown "debris" which sticks to the paper.
>
.Judy responded..
Cor, why are you sizing the paper and how?
In my experience, Van Dyke Brown doesn't like a gelatine size and, if it's
air dried, doesn't need an added size of any kind.
<snip>
.well I assumed that my Arches paper has internal sizing, since the
emulsion "sits" the surface. I just phoned my "paper supplier" to ask the
details: I use Arches Grain Torchon, 185gr, internally sized with natural
gelatine, 100% cotton content..
<snip>
There is also the possibility that you are simply piling on too much
emulsion so that some of it washes off.
.well I try to coat as light as possible. I should add that I have
reasonable/good results (well it's hard to tell when you work on your own,
and never have seen a VDB "life", only on the web..) when test printing my
Stouffer tablet under the same conditions: nice darkbrown, but also the
bleeding in the fix..
How long do you use your fix, and what is the amount of Na2S2O4.5H2O per
litre and the fixing time you use?
Thanks in advance
Cor Breukel
http://ruly70.medfac.leidenuniv.nl/~cor/cor.html
"The Infrared Gallery"
http://ruly70.medfac.leidenuniv.nl/~cor/ir-gallery.html
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