Re: Sodium Bisulfite

Kate M wrote:
>
> Why Sodium Bisuphite? I always use Potassium Metabisulphate - the stain
> goes away in a few moments in most cases -the only trouble I ever had
> was not letting the prints dry before clearing.
> Kate

Either is fine; I've always used sodium bisulfite myself. (But to be
clear, this thread happened to be about sodium bisulfite, not about what
people should or shouldn't use for clearing.) Some recommend potassium
metabisulfite because they think sodium bisulfite is too strong and
softens the gum; I have never found that to be the case. But if you're
worried about that, I'd use potassium metabisulfite. And I don't know
how the potassium metabisulfite compares in terms of fumes; I use the
sodium bisulfite outside because it can irritate your lungs if you
breathe it. But even with that, there's nothing about it that's so
disagreeable that I've ever felt the need to change; as I've said I
don't need a clearing agent very often, and maybe I'd want something
less caustic if I were clearing every day.
kt
Received on Tue Aug 24 16:11:04 2004