45% Humidity and Ilford FB Still Won't Dry Flat

[ASA1000]

This is the extension of a previous thread about how Ilford Fiber Base paper curls badly on one side. It's the short side on 8x10s and the long side on 11x14.
I wash, blot with a sponge, hand dry on a soft towel on a flat surface, and then screen dry, face down. The edges curl when drying and when I flatten them in the press, even in the best situation, there is still a noticeable crinkle along the affected edge after pressing
Several people suggested that the 20% humidity in my Colorado basement was the problem and that I needed around 45% humidity for prints to dry flat.

So I bought a humidifier and set up a screen in a 10x12 bathroom. With the door slightly cracked I can be at 45% humidity all day. (photo)
Next, I took a fresh sheet of paper out of a new box, fixed and washed it and then went through the blotting and towel dry procedure and put it on the screen for about 12 hours.(photo)
It was a little flatter on three sides, but one side still curled and when flattened, there were wrinkles just as at 20% humidity. (photo)

I have thought this could be a manufacturing problem caused by a dull cutter that 'pinches' the paper and causes the water to wick off that side differently - I really believe this, most!
I have thought perhaps something in my chemistry is causing this - but it's pretty much Dektol and F24 non hardening fix, hypo clear and a 30 min wash.
I have thought about humidity - with no humidifier the prints dried in about 3 hours and even with the humidifier prints dry in about 5 hours - that seems too fast to me.
I have thought about a double-roller squeegee to put the wet prints through (like a mop bucket!)

Any other ideas?
Thx!

[Merg Ross]

Have you tried to squeegee the prints both sides and then place face down on the screen? I'm not understanding the sponge and towel procedure. Seems the prints are drying too fast, as you say.

[interneg]

What sort of washer are you using?

And secondly, why are you not using a rapid fix? Are you using a stop bath?

Properly squeegeeing the print surface is also a good idea.

The wrinkle is most likely from the gelatin drying & shrinking in particular ways - that is what causes FB to curl, owing to a different drying/ shrinkage rate relative to the base.

[Rick A]

Looks like a product of over washing. I use a neutral rapid fix followed by a short wash, then HCA (wash aid) then final wash. I squeegee my prints then dry on screens. I don't get near the curl your prints show. I've given away my print dryers, they help keep curl to a minimum but you still need to squeegee before drying.

[Michael R]

My FB prints are sometimes curled/wavy all over the place after air drying so I flatten them on low heat in the dry mount press which leaves them basically flat with a slight curl. Makes them easier to store for later dry mounting. I’d never expect a FB paper to dry flat/uniform enough for presentation without it least having it tipped in or something but anyway.

I do it all the old fashioned way. After the wash I simply squeegee and then let them air dry.

Ilford suggests using Ilfotol (like Photo Flo) to aid even drying but I’ve never done it. Perhaps OP can try that.

[Corran]

I've had this same problem randomly with one batch of prints/paper. Never happened before or since. Perhaps your idea of a strange manufacturing difference / effect is possible. My process did not change.

[Kiwi7475]

I can only tell you what worked for me: an electric press. Since I got this all my prints are flat. Here’s what I use:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/23441435317...mis&media=COPY

(Other models and sizes exist). Works great— I basically stick the print in between two white mat boards and press it hot. Here’s a good video on how to do this:

https://youtu.be/oG30kHW6cBU

[ASA1000]

Have you tried to squeegee the prints both sides and then place face down on the screen? I'm not understanding the sponge and towel procedure. Seems the prints are drying too fast, as you say.

Yes I've tried squeezing both sides, but to eliminate 'loading' one edge of the print with water I went to blotting with a sponge and then patting them between dry towels before putting on the screen. The blotting and towels give a better result. But yes I've squeezed them and it doesn't help. thx!

[ASA1000]

I've had a Patterson washer for30 years.... prints stand up in it. I've thought about this too, but even when I wash them in a tray, like the blank sheet I showed at the top of the post, it curls.

I like the metabisulfite fix. No hardener and a nice tone. I'm trying to make prints that look like the prints I was making in the 80s. That fix and the 54D developer formula was what I was using. This new fangled Ilford paper with that recipe, and untoned, is very close to a selenium toned Ilford Gallery print from back then.

That said, do you have a reason to think this could be chemistry related?

Thx!

[ASA1000]

Looks like a product of over washing. I use a neutral rapid fix followed by a short wash, then HCA (wash aid) then final wash. I squeegee my prints then dry on screens. I don't get near the curl your prints show. I've given away my print dryers, they help keep curl to a minimum but you still need to squeegee before drying.

This is a fiber based paper. I washed the test print in the photo above for 25 minutes. What can you tell me about overwashing? The curl you do get, is it on the edges like mine, or is it a uniform bend of the entire sheet... and what size paper? Thx!