Re: [Leica] Darkroom Equipment-Fiber

["Paul Klingaman" <pklingaman@hotmail.com>]

Anne,

Good move.  I bet you'll find yourself falling in love with the mere feel of 
fiber paper, just as you did when you first held that leica body.  I can't 
tell you much about Jobo processing of fiber paper, but here's what I can 
tell you:

1. You definitely need an decent wash for the prints.  Personally, I print 
11x14, and do 3 prints at a time.  I do just fine with a tray and a syphon 
washer.  If you do higher volumes than this, I'd suggest an archival washer. 
  From what I've heard, they work exceptionally well, and also conserve 
water.  They are pricey, though.  The "fish tank" fru-fru type washers are 
nice, but I hear they break easier than the mold poly types.  Look into 
versalab washers at www.versalab.com/server/photo/products/washer1.htm.  As 
soon as it's in my budget, this is what I'm going with.

2. Another worthwhile investment is a dry mount press.  Fiber paper can be 
hard to dry flat, especially in sizes 8x10 and larger.  Many people will 
tell you that hanging them to dry, or drying on screens works for them.  
Those methods didn't work well enough for me.  There are also some chemicals 
that you can buy that claim to help with this.  I have found these to be 
very expense, and not do a damn thing.  My dry mount press has made drying 
fiber prints flat a breeze.  The downside is that they can be quite 
expensive.  My advice would be to go to www.photo.net, and click on 
classifieds, then darkroom.  Place a "wanted to buy" ad for a dry mount 
press.  I did this, and within a week, I hooked up with a nearly brand new 
11x14 Technal press for $50.  Days later I got offers for similar presses 
for $125-200.  Stay away from new presses or Ebay "deals" here, unless of 
course you have a large budget.

3. I don't use a densitometer, but I can give you some other advice, which 
I'm sure you're already familiar with, but I'll note anyway.  Fiber paper 
requires more time in each bath.  I read somewhere that it takes most 
liquids at least 15 seconds more to penetrate into the fiber paper.  No 
longer can you give a quick stop bath, like you can with RC.  Stick to the 
recommended times given from your processing chemical manufacturers, and 
you'll be fine.

4. Tone your prints!  Aside from the asthetic advantages(and ohhhh, these 
are nice), the whole point of using fiber is for archivability.  So go the 
extra yard and tone.  I use selenium 1:25 for 4 minutes.  Experiment and 
find what works best for you, it's worth it.

Good luck, and have a blast with fiber paper.  You'll wonder why you hadn't 
made the switch sooner.

Best regards,
Paul Klingaman

>From: Anne-Temp_Brackett@READERSDIGEST.COM
>Reply-To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
>To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
>Subject: [Leica] Darkroom Equipment
>Date: Wed, 22 Sep 1999 10:05:47 -0400
>
>I am currently printing in black and white using RC paper. I am fully
>committed to photography, as all you LUGNUTS are and want to take the next
>step into printing on Fiber. I use the JOBO Processor and understand that I
>can print Fiber paper in drums. I request direction in the following:
>      Do I need an archival wash?
>      Does anyone use a densitometer? If so, which one?
>      How do you dry the paper (screens or dryer)?
>      Any other suggestions?
>Thank you.
>
>Anne
>
>

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com