Hi Bob,
I use the same microwave method for all my calibrations with PT/PD. This
really speeds things up and I find it to be a very accurate method. Microwaves
vary in terms of power, but I find that 20% power for 4 minutes does a paper
like COT 320 bone dry and ready for evaluation.
I have not noticed the highlights getting lighter and all my prints are from
digital negatives.
I have noticed that I can greatly increase the DMax of my prints with
microwaving if I forget and set the power level too high for too long a period of
time. It also sets off my smoke alarm.
Mark Nelson
Precision Digital Negatives
In a message dated 7/21/06 5:12:39 AM, bobkiss@caribsurf.com writes:
> Hi all,
> It seems that there are some techniques for minimizing dry down and the
> discussion of the causes is very interesting but I feel, if you've got it,
> how do you live with it? Though I appreciate the commercial lab's
> techniques, I use a microwave oven (which I learned reading Ansel in the
> 80s). Used, they are pretty cheap and work very well for drying test
> strips. I lay the strip across the print in such a way to include the
> important highlight, midtone and shadow, when possible. I carry it through
> the process to about half way through the clearing, give it a 5 minute wash
> and then microwave it for two or three minutes in one minute steps,
> depending on the size of the strip. Voila! A dried down print. I judge my
> densities and choose my exposure accordingly. This has proved to be VERY
> reliable and I hardly ever have a print that isn't the density I have
> chosen. Whether I have chosen well is another question ;-)) but I get what
> I asked for!
> I mentioned in a post about 1 1/2 to two years ago that I found that
> prints
> from digital negatives had a curious drying phenomenon that prints from
> camera original negs did not. In prints from digital negs, the shadows lost
> density but so did the highlights...they both got lighter!!! In prints from
> camera original negs the dry down was more standard, i.e. the highlights got
> darker and the shadows lighter.
> CHEERS!
> BOB
>
Received on 07/21/06-07:55:31 AM Z
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