I have a stainless steel drum dryer for fiber paper (an old Pako 18SS in excellent condition) that I have started to use more. I use glossy paper but dry for a matt print by having the emulsion surface face the apron.

I have found that I occassionally get spots that look like water spots. This seems to occur most often when I use certain papers like Forte Elegance for some reason. Sometimes I can get rid of them by dabbing the print with a moist cloth, but often I have to wet and then dry the print again.

Does anybody know if it would help to put the paper I intend to dry in Photo-Flo before I place the prints on the apron? Would this contaminate the apron? (I take great pains to make sure everything is properly washed to prevent apron contamination, which is one of the biggest problems with this kind of dryer.) Or is there anything else someone would recommend. Would Pakasol help?

I know that very few people have access to or use this type of dryer, but it is really convenient (will dry up to 16x20 prints), and the process gives prints a little extra contrast and snap. Plus, I can dry the print, press it overnight (I don't have ready access to a dry mount press), and mount and frame it the next morning.

Any advice would be appreciated, espcially from those of you who may have experience with the drier from the days when they were more widely used.

-- Jim Rock (jameswrock@aol.com), January 09, 2002

Answers

Jim, I still use my Pako drum drier Model 13 to dry fiber prints. It's great to have flat dry prints within minutes instead of waiting hours for rumpled ones. I use exclusively Ilford MG papers these days, so I can't speak to problems that are specific to the Forte papers. I also dry emulsion against the apron, and without pretreatment of any kind (e.g., no Pakosol). The Pakosol pretreatment I believe is to harden and condition the emulsion to ensure good contact with the ferrotype drum, so it isn't needed for matte drying against the apron. When was the last time you cleaned the apron? Is it possible your prints are picking up salts or other chemicals from the apron? Alternatively, could these be water marks from minerals in your water? If so, you could just do a final soak in deionized water.

Some folks I've talked to are horrified that I still dry my prints this way instead of on more archivally-correct screens, but I am fastidious about keeping the prints and aprons clean. I have drum-dried prints that are 30 years old and counting that show no evidence of deterioration, so I'm not too worried. I think contamination becomes more of an issue when these driers are in multi-user facilities, because all it takes to contaminate everyone is one careless person.....

-- Tim Nelson (timothy.nelson@yale.edu), January 10, 2002.

Tim,

Thanks for the response. I do keep the apron very clean, and washed it not that long ago. I realize how important it is to keep it clean and to try to prevent contamination as much as possible, and don't use the dryer unless my washing is careful and thorough. And I'm the only one who uses it.

I'll try soaking the prints in distilled water and see how that works (my water is filtered, but not everything can be filtered out). I'm tempted to try Photo-Flo, but am worried about contamination of the apron. I've gotten mixed opinions on this from some printers who used drum driers years ago.

I got to thinking about why it might be affecting Forte paper more than Ilford Multigrade. I am thinking it may have something to do with the fact that the paper is thicker and a little more difficult to dry. So maybe I'll try turning the heat.

The problem I've had with Ilford paper is having it stick to the apron. Since it's thinner, maybe I need to try a lower heat setting. I haven't experimented enough with Ilford Multigrade, as right now most of the what I'm printing is on Forte.

I know what you are saying about reactions of others to this process. But if you have complete control over its use, I don't see the problem. At least we don't have screens to clean or put up with. One thing I like, in addition to the convenience, is that it gives prints a little extra contrast and snap. I believe Ctein even estimated the additional contrast from this type of drying (and he didn't make any disparaging remarks about the process). Also, you can see dry-down effect immediately (though you have to wait for a complete washing process).

Thanks again.

-- Jim Rock (jameswrock@aol.com), January 10, 2002.