Re: gold toner
Rajul,
I don't believe there is much I can say to reconcile differences. I
have used the gold formula that is made up of 5-10 grams of citric
acid and 5ml of a 5% gold solution but it was not as stable in stock
solution as the palladium and platinum toners I more routinely use.
The latter last for months in stock solutions, whereas my
recollection is that the same toner with gold lasts for no more than
a month or so. I may have contaminated the solution and accelerated
its demise, but I did not find it stable by comparison to the
palladium and platinum toners.
As for the method described by Arentz, I have never used it for
toning kallitypes.
Sandy
At 10:33 AM -0800 12/11/06, Venkatram Iyer wrote:
Hi Sandy,
Your article on the Unblinking Eye website gives the better Au toner
recipe to contain 50 ml 1% AuCl4, 1% thiourea and 0.5g tartaric
acid. When I made this up, a slurry (colloidal gold?) separated out.
However, it did work as a toner.
When I checked other formulae for the toner, I found that both Chris
Anderson in her book Alternative Processes Condensed (p.81) and
Carmen Lizardo (p.19 of PFF#8) prescribe: 10 or 5 g. citric acid /
liter respectively + 25 ml 1% AuCl4. You state that this formula is
unstable (your Unblinking Eye article).
Dick Arentz in his 2000 book on Pt and Pd printing (p. 81) suggests
that AuCl4 can be brushed onto the wetted print usually with
glycerine to control application.
I would appreciate your input/clarification on the above differences.
Many thanks. Rajul
PS- I am re-sending this message because I have not received
confirmation that the one sent to the alt photo site went through.