Brown spots on RC prints

[Photo Engineer]

Oren Grad;

I don't say what I have not tested! And, Kodak never recommended the same procedures that Ilford did, and it is due to the emulsion and not the RC itself. The emulsion is fixed when it is fixed, and washed when it is washed. Use a retained hypo and a retained Silver test. I do! I ran extensive keeping tests with Kodak and Ilford paper during the work on TF-5 and SuperFix VII. Kodak paper was slower in all regards (fixing and washing). But then the Kodak tests are moot now aren't they?

PE

[Oren Grad]

Oren Grad;

I don't say what I have not tested! And, Kodak never recommended the same procedures that Ilford did, and it is due to the emulsion and not the RC itself. The emulsion is fixed when it is fixed, and washed when it is washed. Use a retained hypo and a retained Silver test. I do! I ran extensive keeping tests with Kodak and Ilford paper during the work on TF-5 and SuperFix VII. Kodak paper was slower in all regards (fixing and washing). But then the Kodak tests are moot now aren't they?

PE

Indeed, we've reached the same conclusion about the materials, based on our respective tests. My point was just that the rationale for concentrated fix was not "meaningless" just because it's RC paper - it's an important part of what makes possible the extremely short processing cycle for Ilford (and also many other brand) RC papers. In turn, that helps make a one-print-at-a-time RC workflow efficient enough to be practical. For some of us that's a very tangible benefit. That's all.

[Photo Engineer]

I have seen wash times as low as 15" with special fixes and RC paper. It still takes 1' though with normal fixes. With FB it always takes longer. This is based on tests with the standard indicator solutions followed by a 5+ year keeping test.

PE

[BetterSense]

Well, I'm sure that I fix my paper for long enough and mostly sure I wash it well enough. I often fix my paper for many minutes, so I'm going to assume that under-fixing is not a cause, unless I have sometimes allowed my fixer to become exhausted. That's why I was thinking of moving to 2-bath fixing, because it seems like a pretty bulletproof guard against fixer going exhausted.

[Photo Engineer]

If you have brown spots, you have done something wrong. You can get those spots with a 2 bath fixer as well if you do something wrong.

PE

[BetterSense]

Well, I can't say this thread has really helped much.

I develop my prints, stop them in stop bath, fix them in fixer, and wash them thoroughly. If there's really no way to guess where the brown spots are coming from, there's nothing I can change.

[Photo Engineer]

Did you see what I said about air bubbles forming on the prints during washing? It happens all the time and can cause this problem.

PE

[wildbill]

I could also be deposits in your water. As I said earlier, I had this sort of issue in old place in california and I think that was the cause. The pipes were so corroded, If you didn't run the water for a week or so it was nasty brown when you turned it on.