Has anyone figure out a way to dry their fibre paper without it curling up? I've tried blotters and lieing the prints face down on screens. I even placed weight on top of the prints. No matter what I do the prints curl. I am using Ilford Muligrade IV.

Thanks, David

-- David Sinai (DSinai@investran.com), October 25, 2001

Answers

Sure:

There is a 100% method. First, you get a piece of glass or plexiglass. Then you buy at an artist's shop some aquarelle tape: it's a papertape with glue that sticks when made wet with water. Fasten the edges of the print as shown in the example on the piece of glass;

http://home.tvd.be/ws35654/fbprint.jpg

Let dry for a day. Loose the print by cutting of the edges. Your print will be flat as a billiard.

-- Marc Leest7 (mmm@n2photography.com), October 25, 2001.

The preferred method of flattening fiber prints is with a dry mount press. Simple place pring between two clean matt boards and close the press for 60 seconds. Use approx. 250-275 degrees f.

-- R (ricardospanks1@yahoo.com), October 26, 2001.

Check out Lloyd Erlick's site at: http://www.heylloyd.com/technicl/technicl.html

He has various tips that may be of interest including drying fibre- based paper.

Roger Bird

-- Roger Bird (rpbird@home.com), October 29, 2001.

A dry mount press is the best way to flatten FB prints. But if don't have one, try this:

Dry your prints in the usual manner. Then dampen a cloth or towel with water. Rub the back of each print with a damp, not wet, cloth, just until the print starts to get limp. Then stack up to 1/2 dozen, all facing in one direction and put between two smooth mat boards, place about 12 National Geographics on the top mount board and let dry over night.

This worked pretty well until I got the drymount press.

-- Gene Crumpler (hassieguy@att.net), October 29, 2001.

Go to the "older messages" section, click on "uncategorized," then use the "Find (on This Page)" feature of your brouser (under Edit using Inernet Explorer) and type in "fiber" or "drying." You can find a lot of information that has been posted in the past on drying fiber prints.

-- Jim Rock (jameswrock@aol.com), November 02, 2001.