678. Testing Exposure

Testing Exposure. Use small strips of Velox paper to test and experiment with. After you secure the proper tone and everything is working well, proceed to make your prints. You can use the developer over and over again, by adding a little more fresh stock to keep up the bulk of bath.

679. Caution

Caution. It is essential that the hands be perfectly clean and dry when handling Velox, or any printing paper. They must also be thoroughly cleansed before developing, and never attempt to develop paper after having had your hands in the hypo, but wash them thoroughly, removing every trace of hypo from the hands. In order to save placing the hands in the hypo bath after developing each print and the necessity of washing the hands thoroughly before developing a second print, slide the print under the solution and with a wooden paddle keep your prints moving in the hypo for a few seconds. They should never be allowed to remain packed together, but, on the contrary, must be kept separated. After fixing, the prints must be carefully washed and separated by hand. Handling over for half an hour in several changes of water will be sufficient. After prints are washed blot them off with royal blotters; then lay them out on dry blotters, face side up, to dry, unless you desire to mount them at once.

680. Trimming Prints While Wet

Trimming Prints While Wet. Any print you desire to mount at once may be trimmed wet. This can be done very conveniently. Take a square piece of glass, wet it and place your print on the glass, face side down; turn the glass over, and your print is now on the under side, face up. Slide it to the edge and square it to the glass, then trim the edges with a pair of large shears. After each print is trimmed, place it back in the tray of water until all are trimmed. Then lay the mount on a large glass plate, face side down, one print overlapping the other a trifle, until all are on the plate. Mop off the excess water by placing a blotter over the prints and run over it with a print roller until all surface water is removed. Paste the backs of prints with ordinary starch or prepared paste and mount in the usual way.