RE: PT/PD MOGULS, MAESTROS & GURUS

[Eric Neilsen <ejnphoto@sbcglobal.net>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: BOB KISS [mailto:bobkiss@caribsurf.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 2007 6:48 AM
> To: alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca
> Subject: PT/PD MOGULS, MAESTROS & GURUS
> 
> DEAR PT/PD MOGULS, MAESTROS & GURUS ON THIS LIST,
> 	Please help me resolve what appears to be a conflict in both the
> literature and common wisdom.
> 	Here are the two conflicting bits of info:
> 1) You must not use a hydrochloric first clearing bath when printing with
> palladium as it will bleach the print, even though the concentration
> should
> be around 1 to 1.5 %.


Where did you see that? Hydrochloric acid was routinely used as the ONLY
clearing bath when I learned and from those that I knew that were making
PT/PD prints. It does do a bit of "burning" of the paper. You ( I)  can feel
the stiffness in a paper cleared with HCL as opposed to sodium sulfite and
EDTA. 


> 2) Recently, when I asked the list if there was any way to slightly reduce
> the density of a Palladium print I was told that the concentration of HCl
> necessary to have any effect would be so high that it would be dangerous
> to
> use in a regular darkroom and might have deleterious effects on the paper.
> I was told to just make another, lighter print.

On the B&S site, there is a spotting solution posted that can be used to get
rid of the occasional back speck. I'd be careful in trying to "bleach" a PD
print due to possible damage to the paper. While I have not used it, I have
been told that some have had success using it. I prefer to etch my prints if
possible and reprint if needed. 


Eric 


Eric Neilsen Photography
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