FIXING, WASHING, AND DRYING 411 



If a reasonable amount of care is exercised in handling ferrotype plates, and they 

 are clean and well polished, little difficulty should be experienced. Occasionally the 

 prints will stick, and the remedy in this case is to use an antisticking solution. This 

 solution consists of ^i oz. prepared ox gall, 2 drams of formalin, and 20 oz. of water. 

 The prints are soaked in this solution for at least 3 min. after the final washing and 

 are then transferred to the ferrotype tin without additional washing. 



A common cause for the prints sticking to the ferrotj'pe tins is insufficient harden- 

 ing in the fixing bath, washing in water that was too warm, washing for too long a 

 period of time, applying too much heat to the ferrotj^pe prints in an effort to hasten 

 drying, or failure to lubricate the plates properly. The lubrication polish for ferro- 

 type plates is made as follows: 



Benzol, gasoline, or benzine 15 oz. 



Paraffin 150 gr. 



Polish the tin with a soft cloth dipped in this solution. Rub dry with clean cloth, 

 and polish with a soft dry cloth until all traces of the solution have disappeared. 



Use of Alcohol. — Alcohol may be used to hasten the drying of prints in the same 

 manner as its use in the case of negatives. After the final wash in clear water, the 

 print should be immersed in alcohol from 2 to 5 min. (depending upon the amount of 

 water in the alcohol) and left until the print becomes translucent, i.e., until the outUne 

 of the image may be seen through the back of the print. The surplus alcohol is then 

 drained off, and the print is dried in the usual manner. 



Alcohol-burning Method. — When alcohol is used to hasten the drying of the print, 

 it can be burned from the surface more quickly than it will evaporate normally. 

 The prints are washed in water and then in alcohol, as already explained. The sur- 

 plus alcohol is drained off. With the wet print safely removed from inflammable 

 materials, the print is held by one corner and an open flame is applied, enabling the 

 inflammable alcohol to burn and in so doing to dry the print. Care must be exercised 

 that the print is not scorched or that the fingers are not burned. If the print is 

 allowed to remain too long in the alcohol bath, the alcohol will penetrate the paper 

 fibers,- and the entire print maj^ be burned. The method is not recommended, except 

 as an emergency measure. 



Bibliography 



Periodicals: 



Sheppard, S. E., and C. E. K. Mebs: Theory of Fixation, Phot. J., 46, 235 (1906). 

 Piper, C. Welborne: The Rate of Fixing, Brit. J. Phot., 61, 437, 458, 511 (1914). 



: Further Experiments in Fixing, Brit. J. Phot., 62, 364 (1915). 



Warwick, A. W.: The Laws of Fixation, Am. Phot., 11, 585 (1917). 



: The Fixation of Prints, Am. Phot., 11, 639 (1917). 



Elsden: The Theory and Practice of Washing, Phot. J., 67, 90 (1917); Brit. J. Phot., 64, 120 (1917). 

 Hickman, K. C. D., and D. A. Spencer: The Washing of Photographic Products, Phot. J., May, 1922; 



Phot. J., May, 1923; Phot. J., November, 1924. 

 LuMiERE, A., L. LuMiERE, and A. Seyewetz: When Are Plates Fixed? Brit. J. Phot., 71, 172 (1924). 



, , : The Time of Fixing Development Papers, Brit. J. Phot., 71, 108 (1924). 



Sheppard, S. E., Elliott, and Sweet: The Chemistry of Acid Fixing Bath, J. Franlkin Inst., 196, 45 



(1923). 



Books: 



Sheppard: and C. E. K. Mees: "Theory of the Photographic Process," Longmans (1907). 



: "Gelatin in Photography," Van Nostrand. 



Ross, F. E.: "Physics of the Developed Image," Van Nostrand. 

 Neblette, C. B.: "Photography, Principles and Practice," Van Nostrand. 



