> I get about 7 steps of a Stouffer 21 step to print.
Yes but from what kind of negative ? I find that if I use a good
continuous tone negative with a D Max of 1.4 and expose it so that the low
mid tones and the shadows reverse and the highlights and the high mid tones
turn dark blue and only the whites are left greeny yellow, you will get a
cyanotype with good tonal range and beautiful gradation. They will look so
good that everybody else will think that you have been cheating.
> Oh, my prints took about an hour to
>expose in Seattle's February sun. Isn't this a bit long? Any less, and my
>highlights washed away.
That sounds far too short an exposure. As a general practice it is better
to judge whether a cyanotype is done by what the exposed print looks like
rather than by timing it.
Terry