Long soaking in hypoclear?

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When processing FB prints, I typically place them from fixer into a water bath until I have enough prints to selenium tone or wash in a batch. I change the water from time to time, but I suppose this helps the remaining fixer to settle deep into the paper fibers. I use hypoclear/permawash just before the wash agitating for a couple minutes. So my question at least for those prints which I will wash without toning first: Why don't I just give the prints a post-fix rinse and then leave them to soak in a hypoclear solution until I have enough to wash a batch. Is there any risk or problems with lengthy sitting in hypoclear, e.g. bleaching? Conversely, could there be a benefit, namely that the fixer is less likely to entrench itself in the paper than if it is sitting in a water soak? Lately, I've switched to 1 minute fixing with 1:3 Rapid Fix. Although the question would be relevant for longer fixing times as well.

-- Eric Pederson (epederso@darkwing.uoregon.edu), June 29, 2001

Answers

Nah, just keep the prints in their water bath before you wash them them as usual. It's good that you change the water many times though. 3-4 minutes in the perma wash before the final rinse bath should be enough. I think you should buy a test solution that you can use to see if there are remains of the fixer in the paper after the final rinse, and adjust the time after that.

-- Patric (jenspatric@mail.bip.net), June 29, 2001.

Eric, Ilford recommends a two bath fix. 1 minute in a bath of rapid fix followed by another 1 minute in a second bath of fix. The second bath of fixer helps eliminate any byprducts carried into the second bath followed by a bath in hypo clear. Works fine. I've used it for about 6 years now with no deterioration of prints even the ones on my wall that have sunlight on them a couple hours a day. James

-- james (james_mickelson@hotmail.com), June 30, 2001.

HCA is just a sulfite solution; the worst that can happen because of a prolonged soak in it is that the prints wash cleaner.

-- John Hicks (jbh@magicnet.net), June 30, 2001.

HCA is mostly made of sodium sulfite. The bath feels more "wet" than an ordinary water bath, and it gets soaked in deep in the paper. If the bath contains fixer it vill get in deep in the paper too. So I guess the best way is to do as you do with changing the water in the bath where you stock the prints after the fixer.

How long do you wash the prints after the HCA bath? Some "experts" say that 15 minutes is enough, but I always wash the prints for at least 45 minutes.

-- Patric (jenspatric@mail.bip.net), June 30, 2001.


Hi Eric. "I change the water from time to time, but I suppose this helps the remaining fixer to settle deep into the paper fibers." Err, NO! It certainly doesn't. Solutions of salts don't behave like that.
The phenomenon of osmosis means that a more concentrated solution (the fixer) will always come out of a permeable membrane (the paper fibres) into a less dense solution (the wash water). The more you wash or soak the paper, the more fixer will come out of it. Fixer doesn't 'settle' like sand, because it's soluble.

-- Pete Andrews (p.l.andrews@bham.ac.uk), July 02, 2001.


Sorry about saying "settle". that was misleading about what I actually imagined would happen.

Hmmmm, I guess I assumed that coming out of a quick fix the paper only has fixer on the surface layers. After a long soak this eventually approaches an even amount of fixer everywhere (core of paper, surface of paper, and water). I guess my concern is that even at the reduced dilution in the tray of soaking water the concentration would be higher than it is in the core of the paper before the soak. Thoughts?

-- Eric Pederson (epederso@darkwing.uoregon.edu), July 02, 2001.


I believe that Ilford recommends one minute in Multigrade fixer 1:4 and 10 minutes in the wash aid. Also, leaving prints in water for more than an hour may cause optical brighteners to wash out (if your paper has them), although I've read that extended display may cause the brighteners to fade. I guess you just can't win no matter how careful you are.

-- Steve Wiley (wiley@accesshub.net), July 03, 2001.

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