Re: water temp

Judy Seigel (jseigel@panix.com)
Fri, 11 Aug 1995 17:14:46 -0400 (EDT)

Hello sober citizens,

I'm so delighted by a question with no implications of death (or the
"c-word") that I leap to plumb water temperature with a definite "it
depends."

It makes sense to use "available temperature" water from the cold tap; it
will soon be room temperature anyway, as soaks may go on for several hours
or more. To conserve water (and laborious filling) I use one tray to get the
worst of the dichromate & pigment, then one "clean" tray. For same
reasons, if tray of water is reasonably clear at end of day's printing, I
put a cardboard cover over it & keep til next time.

If you've overexposed the print or for some other reason it isn't
clearing well, raising water temperature speeds and/or increases
clearing. Watch progress, & if necessary go quite hot (though not above
about 140 F which will ruin your gelatine size).

If this is still inadequate, add some household ammonia (non-sudsy, and
for god's sake non-perfumed unless you want your prints to stink like
lowgrade "house of pleasure") starting with maybe an ounce (30cc or so)
to the litre. Or you can use another alkali. Puyo recommends sodium
carbonate, though his first choice is sodium bisulfite, apparently a
household cleaner in his day! (Chemists: is that really an alkali?)

Judy

On Sat, 12 Aug 1995, M Rand Carlton wrote:
> What is the optimum temperature for the water, used to clear gum prints?