air bubbles when washing

[joe_freeman]

I'm assuming I have air bubbles all over my prints when washing b/c I

have hard water. Is that true, or does my water just have a lot air

it? I'm also assuming that these bubbles prevent thorough washing.

Any ideas on how to get my prints completely washed? I have a

Patterson washer. Raising or lowering the temp?

[gary_meader]

Joe-

I know this sounsds crazy, but to get rid of the air, install an

aerator on the hose. What happens, is the aerator makes the

bubbles so big, they won't stay submerged. As it is now, the air

is coming out of solution slowly, and the bubbles are so tiny they

want to stick to the paper more than they want to rise to the

surface.

That should do it.

BTW, have you ever experienced air streaming out of the fiber

paper as it's being washed? Sometimes it makes a racket I can

hear, and when I look, there's a stream of bubbles being forced

out of a corner of the paper. Only happens after selenium toning.

[joe_freeman]

Do you mean the little circular screens that are used on faucets? Sounds like a great idea...adding so much air it has to rise.

[keith_baker1]

Hi Joe,

I too have the same issue. Warmer water makes matters much worse since more gas dissolves in the warmer water. I wash in cooler water to 'debulk' the paper and then increase the temp to help with diffusion (which occurs more readily as the temp rises). When the bubbles appear I then lift the prints out of the wash for just a few seconds and the bubbles all pop. I repeat as often as I can stand it. I worry alot that that bubbles inhibit the washing process. I like the idea of introducing 'big air' but don't quite know how to do it yet; I'll have to figure something out however.

Keith

[eugene_singer]

Joe, try adding a few drops of wetting agent to your wash water. I use Photoflo, but LFN or Ilfotol will work just as well. I have this same problem, especially during the winter months, when the tap water runs colder. Cold water holds more dissolved gases, but heating the water to drive off the gasses will introduce another problem by softening the emulsion. During the washing sequence, occasionally raise and lower the prints in the washer to shake off the bubbles.