U of S | Mailing List Archive | alt-photo-process-l | RE: Lithium palladium vs. "normal" palladium

RE: Lithium palladium vs. "normal" palladium




> Eric,
> 
> Thanks for the information; it's amazing how much there is to learn about
> pt/pd printing.
> 
> 
> > 2 Moles of [Li, NH4, Na] Cl, to 1 mole of
> > PdCl2. How you decide to dilute it is up to you.
> 
> How do different dilutions affect the print (color, dmax, etc.)?  Just out
> of curiosity, which dilutions do you (and others) use?
>

The idea is to match the solution strength of the metal salts with that of
the Ferric; either AFO or FO. One can get bad Dmax or extra contrast
depending on which way the equation is set.


 
> 
> > How does one make there AFO, or FO is equally
> > important. The numbers are not etched in stone but the results nearly
> are
> > :)
> 
> Not sure I'm following you here.  Are you saying that there is an "ideal"
> dilution of AFO/FO for a given dilution of pd, or are you simply saying
> that the AFO/FO dilution, whatever it may be, plays a significant role in
> print results?
>

Yes, equal to required needs. When you look at % solutions and matching them
with molar solutions, that can be an easily lost battle unless you know the
equivalent for each. What is a molar solution? A 1 molar solution is the
formula weight to make 1 liter of solution. Note I did not say add to 1
liter different solution. You can see in Ware/Malde there is a .7M solution
of both the ammonium based palladium and platinum salts. The AFO is mixed at
1.4M. And I see the mixing of solution / reactants like this,


If you are going to error on one side or the other you should error on the
side of too much of the catalyst. So for mixing your metal salts, the extra
would come in the form of a little extra chloride cation _ the sodium,
ammonium, lithium, because with out it, the PdCl2 can not get into solution.
And like wise, add extra AFO,FO because without it the precious solution of
PT / PD will sit in the paper with no enough available Ferric to convert it
into the new "black" state that forms your print.    
 

I mix my solutions as close to .7 M as possible. The B&S solution are quite
a bit less than .7 M. That is not to say that they are wrong, but it might
be a possible reason that many seem to require and extra coating to get good
Dmax.  Jeffrey Mathis has an extensive write up about optimizing the
solutions. I might not agree with everything there, the idea is a good one.
Coat a variety of amounts, and see what gives you the best Dmax, color,
contrast. Find out what this ingredients really do, not just what someone
else has settled on. 


Eric Neilsen Photography
4101 Commerce Street
Suite 9
Dallas, TX 75226
http://e.neilsen.home.att.net
http://ericneilsenphotography.com
Skype ejprinter