The worry about using the same trays for silver and Pt/Pd is a bit
exaggerated I think. Of course, I keep a very clean darkroom, but I've seen
other darkrooms and cleaning methods where I would worry about
contamination. If one is a purist, keeping a kosher dakroom makes sense so
you can say "This print has platinum metals only" since there would be no
residual silver from an earlier printing session. But while plastic trays
do absorb some chemistry, thorough cleaning pretty much eliminates the
contamination problems people talk about.
Furthermore, Jobo drums are made with a polypropylene which cleans very
well. Every few months I take all my Jobo drums, lids, reels, etc and send
them through the diswasher (minus the drinking glasses, etc., of course) so
that if I missed anything in my regular cleanings its sure to be gone then.
In nearly ten years of using Jobos, I've never had a problem with staining,
cross contamination, etc. Just rinse after every use with water as hot as
your hands can stand.
Bill
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WILLIAM LAVEN PHOTOGRAPHY
Offering Platinum/Palladium printing services and workshops and tutorials
in Pt/Pd printing and other areas of photography (Zone System, etc.)
1931 23rd Street, San Francisco, CA, 94107
415-647-9432 (voice) 415-647-9438 (fax)
wmlaven@platinotype.com
www.platinotype.com
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