RE: Drying Pt/Pd. prints

Sandy, et. al,

I know that heat drying sensitized paper can cause a loss of contrast with
cyanotype, VDB and other processes because I have tested it; howver, I have
not noticed such an effect with platinum.
That being said, I did read a reference that said that heat drying
sensitized platinum paper could result in little particles of platinum
sensitizer floating around the darkroom and this is not good stuff to breath
in. I don't know if that is true but I have been gently air drying my
sensitized platinum paper ever since, just in case.

Like all things, I suspect that this is a matter of degree. So, a hair dryer
turned on low heat and low speed would surely not produce a lot of
"particles" like a hair dryer set at high speed and high heat.
I think with platinum we would want the paper to dry slowly so that the
sensitizer is absorbed into the paper rather than sit on the surface.

Personally, I use a very small fan that gently moves air around the newly
sensitized paper.

Bob Schramm

Check out my web page at:

  http://www.SchrammStudio.com

>From: Sandy King <sanking@clemson.edu>
>Reply-To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
>To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
>Subject: Drying Pt/Pd. prints
>Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 18:16:00 -0400
>
>Does anyone know if using heat with a hair dryer to dry Pt./Pd.
>prints has any affect on the Dmax or contrast?
>
>Sandy King
>
>
>
Received on Sat Jul 3 23:12:35 2004