I am using fiberglass screens for drying fibre prints and they have been in use for well over a year now. Is a good soap and hot water wash sufficient to decontaminate them or is there some other method. I vaguely recall reading that household bleach could be used. Any advice?

-- Alan Shapiro (ashapiro@yorku.ca), October 02, 2001

Answers

That's right. Use a mixture of bleach on the screens and then wash it off. Neutralizes the fixer. Doesn't have to be real strong. I use about 1:12.

-- Alec (alecj@bellsouth.net), October 02, 2001.

They shouldn't be contaminated if you are careful in your processing techniques. If you're putting less-than-clean prints on the screens then every subsequent print you put on will become contaminated. Why bother washing. An archivally processed print shouldn't leave anything on the screen but water.

-- r (ricardospanks1@yahoo.com), October 03, 2001.

We're not all perfect like you, Ricky.

-- Alec (alecj@bellsouth.net), October 03, 2001.

More than hypo can collect on those screens. Unless you do a final rinse in distilled water the screen will collect mineral deposits. It shows up very well on the black plastic window screen I use. I don't know if bleach removes this but I just replace the screen periodically, it's so cheap.

-- Tim Brown (brownt@flash.net), October 03, 2001.

I think 1:4 is the proper dillution for the bleach/water solution.

-- Steve Wiley (wiley@accesshub.net), October 04, 2001.

Ricky;

I agree. If you must dry contaminated prints on a screen, use separate screens or just throw them on the darkroom floor or in the sink to dry. Nothing that has not had an archivial wash ever gets on my screens. I still rinse my screens periodically to remove dust, etc. I run hot water thorough the screens.

-- Gene Crumpler (hassieguy@att.net), October 04, 2001.

It's not about being perfect, Alec, it's being careful and conscientious. I sell my pictures through a gallery. People pay alot of money for them. I would not want one of my pictures crapping out in a few years because of sloppy processing.

R.

-- r (ricardospanks1@yahoo.com), October 04, 2001.

its what you don't know about that will hurt you. as careful as we all may be, accidents happen. if you don't occasionally wash your screens- -just in case--you may contaminate prints for a long time. and that is even more sloppy, wouldn't you say?

yes, household bleach is the best for removing fixer contaminants

-- mark lindsey (lindseygraves@msn.com), October 06, 2001.

My only concern would be how do you remove the bleach from you screens. Bleach will rip the silver right off of a silver print. One of the well known people that advocated cleaning screens with bleach found that after awhile many of his prints had the screen design on the emulsion of his prints. He then suggested drying your prints face up. Once in awhile I wash my screens with water. If you really need more than that, why not use a hypo remover?

-- Jeff White (jeff@jeffsphotos.com), October 06, 2001.

screens are cheap. it's probably better to just replace then on a yearly basis.

-- ricardo (ricardospanks1@yahoo.com), October 08, 2001.

well of course, after bleaching I would wash with water.

-- mark lindsey (lindseygraves@msn.com), October 08, 2001.

Yes, but if it takes an hour to wash the fixer out of a print, how long does it take to was ALL of the bleach out of your screens. I would rather not risk putting something dangerous to my prints in contact with them. As has been suggest, be careful not contaminate your screens. If you do contaminate your screens, replace them.

-- Jeff White (jeff@jeffsphotos.com), October 08, 2001.

actually it is very easy and fast to wash bleach out of screens...

-- mark lindsey (lindseygraves@msn.com), October 08, 2001.