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Leaving aside the discussion on personal choices and observations...

The point about using filters other than the more common yellow-orange-red family is a good one.

AA liked and used a Wratten...

Daniel,

I think you're making things too complicated. If you find that using a certain filter with your in-camera meter consistently results in under- (or over-) exposure, just make a note of...

I'll add my two-cents worth of advice here too.

Do try and use the camera as-is, i.e., without any focusing aids at all except a loupe and maybe some reading glasses if you need them and try to...

Just to add a point of interest for the OP maybe:

The "f" in the f/8, etc. is the focal length of whatever lens your using. Replace that with the actual focal length of a particular lens and you...

Thomas,

I spent years photographing my home city of Vienna on my bike. Every chance I got, I'd shoulder the camera bag, strap the tripod on the bike's luggage rack and head out. I always carried...

Michael's point about a thorough wash between sessions if you're going to dry your prints in between is important. That's what I do.

My workflow, just FYI:

Printing session: develop, stop,...

I think this falls in the category of urban myth. The last time I checked, the rule applied only to vendor's carts with hard plastic wheels. Soft rubber and pneumatic wheels were okay and tourists'...

Me too: PMK for film, fixer is Hypam or Rapid Fixer. Never a problem.

Doremus

Ben,

Your test with the unexposed sheets shows that the problem is not paper fogging or developer-related issues.

Since you get no stains with an intermediate wash between fix one and two, I'm...

Wow, lots of high-tech solutions here. Hat's off!

Me, I just duct-tape some corrugated-cardboard boxes together to fit lens, both lens caps, lensboard and attached cable release. I stack the...

It's interesting to me how Drew and I arrive at the same general results through completely different means.

I ALWAYS meter through the filter.

Yes, I'm aware of the different spectral...

Sounds like staining from developer, etc. seeping in to the middle of the paper from the edges now. This would be extremely difficult to wash out.

Can you see any separation/physical damage to...

Films: 320TX and TMY these days
Film Dev: PMK pyro. Used to use lots of others, but this is my standard now.
Kodak Indicator Stop
Ilford Rapid Fixer or Hypam without hardener

Printing Papers...

Okay Ben...

Seems we've eliminated lots of the usual suspects, so let's look for some not-so-usual ones :)

Since the emulsion doesn't seem to be affected, I'm thinking that the stain is in the...

Is there any (easy) possibility of adding a banner to subsequent posts by the OP that identifies them as the original poster similar to what is being done over at Photrio? It would really be helpful...

Ben,

It seems the only possible remaining culprit is the Perma Wash. Ditch that and see what happens. If you still get stains, we'll have to start over examining all the elements once again.
...

I think Ben means 6 oz. fixer concentrate in 30 oz. total of working-strength fixer, at least he should :) That is 6 + 24 = 30, which is 1 part in 5, and the standard 1+4 dilution.

At any rate,...

Michael,

Seems you left out the final wash time :) Just to clarify:

Ilford recommends 30 minutes minimum after toning and a 10-minute treatment in wash aid.
Kodak recommends minimum 20...

An advantage of living in Vienna and having the Wiener Staatsoper just around the corner from your apartment. I mentioned it since Corran is a Schönberg fan (as am I - Guürre-Lieder - Wow!).

I'm...

Well, Ben, the plot thickens...

Possibilities:

So, are you still washing before the toning? May it still isn't enough. Or, maybe the Perma Wash is getting in the way. Fixing should be...

Like Drew, I have two sets of filters, one 52mm and one 67mm. I don't have any lenses that take filters larger than this - on purpose. I started years ago with Nikon Fs, so had a bunch of 52mm...

Fascinating that my comment triggered such an outpouring! I wasn't aware there were so many opera-lovers and musicians among us.

The opera discussion so far just underlines my point. Wozzeck is...

Using a larger filter on a lens with a smaller filter size by means of a stepping ring will never negatively impact the image. Many of us do that all the time; standardizing on the largest size...

Exactly right!

Remember that you can use selenium toner as a test for adequate fixing. If the print is not fixed well enough, a stain will result. The same with general toning.

Doremus

Ben,

The consensus seems to be either no wash before the toner, i.e., transfer directly from fix to toner, or wash thoroughly before toning, i.e., probably more than five or 10 minutes, if you...

Michael,

Thanks for answering anyway :) Sorry I confused you with LabRat. Actually, I quoted the wrong post and didn't read it, just looked at the name; I meant to quote LabRat.

Best,
...

Heroique,

I'm sure Wagner was in a class of his own; arguably the largest ego that ever existed. I don't know of any photographers like that offhand (except maybe for Fatali, who tried to burn...

John,

I'd think that just about any halogen bulb from a major manufacturer would be more than adequate for the job. If you really want exactly 3200K or some other specific color temperature, then...

Yes. You won't know which till you test.





Yes, if you want to fix to Ilford's standard for optimum permanence. As I mentioned, Ilford also gives a standard for "commercial" use; the...

Ben,

I'm placing my money on inadequate fixation then. If not that, then inadequate washing before toning; maybe 5-10 minutes isn't enough.

Maybe my workflow will help you, since yours seems...

I just finished listening to Götterdammerung, the last installment in Wagner's Ring Cycle. The other three preceding parts I listened to earlier in the week, all broadcast by KING FM from a live...

If I were you, I'd go back to using incandescent lighting to evaluate prints.

When printing, I usually view my prints hung up on a magnetic white board with clips under a mix of 3200K and...

Ben,

Basically, two things cause this kind of staining (i.e., selenium toner stains). 1. trying to tone prints that are inadequately fixed and 2. transferring prints from an acid solution directly...

Heroique,

My Pentax spot meters are on lanyards that tie to a tab on my vest (about shirt pocket height) or something similar, like a button, or even around my neck. The meter lives in a pocket,...

Ben,

Yes, the stains in your developer tray can rub off on the back of prints. It happens to me quite regularly (well, not to me, really, to my prints :) ).

However, these are usually just...

I'm not so sure.

Art is communication. Keeping your audience in mind when crafting your message is never a bad idea. That's not pandering or dumbing-down. Making something accessible to the...

It's a very old dilemma. Leopold Mozart admonished his son, Wolfgang, to always include both elements, the erudite and the popular, in his pieces; to ignore neither the intellectual/technical part...

Philip,

To address the split-toning issue: I have taken to developing my negatives a bit less to end up printing at a rather high contrast setting lately, e.g., aiming for around 75M as "Normal"...

Philip,

I missed this on first reading and calculated incorrectly the first time (it's always setting up the problem that gets you :)).

As far as Kodak is concerned, 1:19 and 1+19 are exactly...

John,

I like the busyness in this print.

I see what you mean about tonalities... If it were me, If I couldn't easily dodge up the areas that were too dark, I'd have my bleaching brush out and...