by Din » Fri Mar 08, 2019 6:13 pm
Drying in alcohol works well for Agfa plates. It doesn't seem to work so well for Slavich plates.
The issue may be that you're not setting up the plates to dry vertically. After the photo-flo, you have to prop the plates vertically, or at an angle, with a paper towel underneath to absorb the water as it flows off the plate. If you simply let the plate dry by evaporation, some parts of the plate will dry faster than other parts, causing discolouration. Also, if you agitate, you'll get bubbles, which will also cause discolouration.
For Slavich plates, I use a few drops of photoflo in about 250 mls of water (about 2% - 3%). dip the plate into the photoflo, shake (not agitate) the plate a couple of times, and place it at a small angle with a paper towel underneath. The paper towel is to absorb the solution, so it doesn't collect at the bottom of the plate and get re-absorbed.
Drying in alcohol works well for Agfa plates. It doesn't seem to work so well for Slavich plates.
The issue may be that you're not setting up the plates to dry vertically. After the photo-flo, you have to prop the plates vertically, or at an angle, with a paper towel underneath to absorb the water as it flows off the plate. If you simply let the plate dry by evaporation, some parts of the plate will dry faster than other parts, causing discolouration. Also, if you agitate, you'll get bubbles, which will also cause discolouration.
For Slavich plates, I use a few drops of photoflo in about 250 mls of water (about 2% - 3%). dip the plate into the photoflo, shake (not agitate) the plate a couple of times, and place it at a small angle with a paper towel underneath. The paper towel is to absorb the solution, so it doesn't collect at the bottom of the plate and get re-absorbed.