Re: Sodium Bisulfite

P.S. I can't speak to the relative clearing effectiveness of sodium
bisulfite vs potassium metabisulfite, but I do know that both are used
to the satisfaction of those who use them. I also know that sodium
metabisulfite isn't nearly as effective as sodium bisulfite, or at least
I had to mix it many times stronger to get a similar clearing effect to
the sodium bisulfite. And to Giovanni: I don't know about sodium
sulfite; I've never heard of anyone using it for this purpose; if you've
just got some sitting around you could try it and see what happens, but
if you have to order something anyway, why not order something that is
tried and true?
kt

Katharine Thayer wrote:
>
> 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 19:04:05 2004