Confused about X-ray bleaching procedure

[gavjenks]

So I've seen plenty of descriptions of how to bleach off one side of the emulsion on two-sided X-ray paper, exactly how to do it, etc. But very frustratingly, in none of the dozen or two dozen descriptions can I find any mention of WHEN during development you are supposed to bleach.

Before developing at all?
Before even exposing?
After the developer but before the fix?
After the fix?

[Andrew O'Neill]

I've talked about stripping xray film here several times. Here was the last place, I believe: http://www.largeformatphotography.in...y-film/page137


You do it AFTER you have developed, stopped, fixed the film and AFTER it has completely dried. Make sure you strip the side of the film that was facing away from the lens. To make sure, lay the negative down on a light table, oriented the correct way. The side facing you is the side you bleach.


Andrew

[gavjenks]

Alright, thanks.

[Corran]

I strip right after washing, BEFORE drying, which for me was easier/safer. Test it for yourself.

Dilute the bleach 1:1 though for the stripping. I find that makes a big difference.

[Andrew O'Neill]

Curious... how is it easier/safer? I've tried stripping with wet film, and you run the risk of bleach seeping to the "good" side. With dry film, you get the best seal possible with duct tape. Thanks.

[Peter De Smidt]

I'm with Corran. I bleach the back right after taking my film out of my Jobo drum. It's wet, and it sticks right to the glass. Bleaching takes under a minute, and then the negative goes in the wash. This means that the negative is only washed and dried once, which minimizes it's getting scratched during handling. It's also much faster.

Nonetheless, it would be easy to try both ways and use whichever method works best for you.

[Corran]

It's wet, and it sticks right to the glass.

Yep, this is why.

[Andrew O'Neill]

And the negative doesn't move around on the glass at all when applying bleach? Sounds risky to me, no?

[Corran]

I'm not really hip to fluid dynamics, but I've found that the 1:1 dilution with water seems to equalize things. I haven't had any issues with the bleach seeping into the other emulsion. I hold the negative in place though. No worries about scratching anyway, since you are bleaching.

[Andrew O'Neill]

Thanks Corran. What are your reasons for bleaching? Do you print on photo papers? Scanning? I only do it when I want to scan for a digital neg. There is a difference in sharpness.