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Corran
22-Sep-2011, 07:27
I printed a shot a few weeks ago that wasn't quite right so after fixing I just laid it out to dry so I could look at it. I wasn't worried about washing it because I was going to toss it. Anyway, I didn't, I kept it for an experiment. After a week or so it had turned a really nice golden brown.

I was wondering, rather than toning a print, is it possible to just not wash it, let the fixer discolor it, and THEN wash it? Or is it ultimately going to get worse and eventually be ruined or something because I let the fixer stay on it for a week?

It's RC paper if that makes a difference.
bob carnie
22-Sep-2011, 07:37
Where are you drying , if on screens you could be contaminating your screens for future archival work.

I printed a shot a few weeks ago that wasn't quite right so after fixing I just laid it out to dry so I could look at it. I wasn't worried about washing it because I was going to toss it. Anyway, I didn't, I kept it for an experiment. After a week or so it had turned a really nice golden brown.

I was wondering, rather than toning a print, is it possible to just not wash it, let the fixer discolor it, and THEN wash it? Or is it ultimately going to get worse and eventually be ruined or something because I let the fixer stay on it for a week?

It's RC paper if that makes a difference.
Corran
22-Sep-2011, 08:52
I just put that print down on some cardboard since it wasn't going to be used, so no worries, but I will keep that in mind. I'm still new with darkroom printing.
Peter Mounier
22-Sep-2011, 09:31
Fixer is acidic. If you want your prints to last you have to wash them. But rc paper is pretty good about keeping the chemicals out of the paper itself. It can only migrate to the paper at the edges where the paper is cut, and exposed to air and chemical contamination. Once the fixer gets into the fibers of the paper, it's going to require a lot more washing, and you may not get it all out. If the whole print is turning brown, I'd wonder if it was fixed enough. It sounds as though the print is not fixed and continues to develop. Is your fixer fresh?

Peter
Ari
22-Sep-2011, 09:35
It will continue to deteriorate over time as it was improperly washed.
This isn't a substitute for toning, only a happy accident, that, sadly, is ephemeral.
Corran
22-Sep-2011, 11:23
Okay, well nevermind.

Maybe I didn't even fix it, just stopped it in the stop bath. I was just wondering. Well time to look at some selenium toner.
Steve Smith
22-Sep-2011, 12:35
Why not just fix it and wash it now and see how it turns out?


Steve.
Corran
22-Sep-2011, 19:40
Well I assumed the problems might take months or longer to develop. Well actually I don't even know what the potential issues are for having the chemicals soak into the paper.
Brian Ellis
23-Sep-2011, 09:07
Fixer is acidic. If you want your prints to last you have to wash them. But rc paper is pretty good about keeping the chemicals out of the paper itself. It can only migrate to the paper at the edges where the paper is cut, and exposed to air and chemical contamination. Once the fixer gets into the fibers of the paper, it's going to require a lot more washing, and you may not get it all out. If the whole print is turning brown, I'd wonder if it was fixed enough. It sounds as though the print is not fixed and continues to develop. Is your fixer fresh?

Peter

First rule of responding to questions: read the question before responding.
Peter Mounier
23-Sep-2011, 11:16
Too many words? Here are the pertinent ones...

"Once the fixer gets into the fibers of the paper, it's going to require a lot more washing, and you may not get it all out."


But I saw another problem that I thought the OP may not be aware of, and that is that the whole print wouldn't have turned brown from the fixer since fixer only migrates into the fibers of the paper at the edges. I suspect that the print was turning brown from not getting fixed at all, or inadequately, and was turning brown from exposure to daylight, and development after "fixing".

Peter
Corran
23-Sep-2011, 11:28
Wouldn't it then fog uniformly if it wasn't fixed or fixed enough? The tinting is not a fog over the entire print but looks like it was toned.
dsphotog
23-Sep-2011, 11:35
Sounds like it's solarized.
Peter Mounier
23-Sep-2011, 11:43
The darker grays and blacks wouldn't change as much because they are already partially or mostly developed out. The whites and lighter tones would get the majority of the "toning" because they are basically unexposed paper, which would be getting exposure and development after the lights came on, if the print wasn't fixed properly.

If you could upload the image it would be easier to tell what's going on. So far it's a guess.

Peter
Corran
23-Sep-2011, 15:50
It's basically the opposite of that, the whites are white and the darkest blacks are full brown.
Mark Sawyer
23-Sep-2011, 18:42
The sulphur in the fixer (ammonium/sodium thiosulfate) is attaching to the metallic silver to form silver sulfate, the same fundamental process as sepia toning. But this is a rather uncontrolled reaction, with more sulfates in the paper than the silver can handle in the long run. It will eventually get splotchy and turn an unattractive rust-orange and possibly react with the gelatin emulsion, ruining it as well.