613. Developing Sepia Prints

Developing Sepia Prints. Catching the corners of the print between the thumb and first finger of both hands, and with the face side up, slide the print under the solution and with a quick motion draw the print through the bath. See that the developer is over all the print at the first dip. After passing the print through the hot developer you can hold the print in the hand to complete developing, but it must be held perfectly flat otherwise you will have uneven developing. Should the print be a trifle light, again immerse in the bath allowing it to remain for a few minutes, and it will grow considerably darker.

614. Developing With Wood Photo Clips

Developing With Wood Photo Clips. Where one's fingers are very sensitive to the hot bath, an ordinary wooden photo clip can be employed. Attach this clip to the corner of the paper, draw it through the bath; allow the print to remain in this bath and with the photo clip constantly shake so as to avoid the sediment settling on it. Allow the print to remain in the bath until completely developed.

615. Special Sepia Solution

Special Sepia Solution. Should the tone of the print from this bath be too cold and warmer tones be desired, add 1 dram of special sepia solution to each ounce of sepia developer. This W. C. sepia solution can be procured from any photo supply dealer. It will brighten (clear up) the whites and add to the sepia tone. The more of this sepia solution you add the warmer tones you will produce.

616. As this solution has a tendency to purify the whites, it is a good plan, if you have very flat prints from a weak negative, to develop in a bath to which has been added sepia solution. Should you have a hard negative where the contrasts are great, it will not be well to develop resulting prints in a bath where the sepia solution has been added, as you would thereby produce too much contrast. Better results will be obtained by developing with your regular sepia developer, omitting the extra sepia solution.

617. Caution. Special Sepia Solution. - Where satisfactory prints can be produced by using the regular sepia developer, it is advisable to omit the special sepia solution. The only object of this sepia solution is to purify the whites. It does give more contrast to the print, but where negatives are made with sufficient contrast it is better that the sepia solution be omitted.

618. Preparing Clearing Bath.

619. You will notice this bath is not as strong as the one used for black and white. The reason is that sepia paper is likely to bleach if fixed in too strong an acid bath. Exercise care in preparing the clearing bath. Do not make it stronger than proportions recommended above and place prints into it directly from the developer.