From: Carl Weese (cweese@earthlink.net)
Date: 05/02/00-02:49:18 PM Z
Eric,
My understanding based on communication from Dr. Ware as well as Roger
Vail who teaches the Ware/Malde ammonium method is that two-step drying
was their recommendation. Worksheets in the Ware/Malde method furnished
to me by Pradip Malde mentioned only two-step drying. If that
recommendation has changed, fine, I'm just not aware of it.
As for even drying with afo/LiPd prints, in fact what can work best is a
controlled unevenness: a fairly dry surface with a more humid 'resevoir'
of moisture in the body of the paper. This is easily achieved with
one-side cold-air drying. This works great with small and medium size
prints. With large sheets of paper for negatives over 8x10, one-step
drying tends to leave an unstable sheet that can be difficult to print
flat and is more likely to show uneven color across the surface. In this
case two-step drying can work better. Just as useful though is simply to
hang the sheet in a controlled humidity (around 60% is good) environment
for half an hour or so. Or switch to standard develop-out materials
which is what I do for many of my large negatives. Having just acquired
a vacuum frame though, I may go back to POP/zia formulas (even though
inspection won't be possible) for some of the big prints where I want
the neutral and cool colors or very low contrast more easily achieved
this way. One other point that comes under the heading of potentially
useful control is that a print composed of AFO/LiPd will print with
significantly higher contrast if it is dried *very* thoroughly and then
rehumidified, compared to one-step drying. But in my experience
inconsistency and lack of repeatability from print to print is much more
of a problem with this approach.
I frequently get email from folks asking for trouble-shooting help on
their first attempts at zia printing. When drying problems--uneven
color, etc-- occur it usually turns out the person is using two-step
drying because it seems easier or safer. A switch to one-step generally
fixes things up.
---Carl
-- Website with online galleries and workshop information at: http://home.earthlink.net/~cweese/ NEW PICTURE GALLELRY: Connecticut Woods, April 2000
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