RE: Merits and Demerits of Salted vs. VDB
Gordon, Sounds like you need to add a water filter to your wash water line. Pretty easy to do even in an apartment. Don Bryant -----Original Message----- From: Gordon Cooper [mailto:nwlorax@comcast.net] Sent: Saturday, September 01, 2007 3:55 PM To: alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca Subject: Re: Merits and Demerits of Salted vs. VDB Sandy King wrote: > At 9:16 AM -0600 9/1/07, Christina Z. Anderson wrote: >> >> However, in my packet of step wedges and test prints and tonal >> palettes printed in both, I notice that there is a fading and >> yellowing and mottling in the VDB packet I do not see in salt. The >> salt prints look exactly like they did the day I made them. In the >> troubleshooting section of my VDB chapter (Alt Proc Condensed) I have >> a quote from Mike Ware via Wynn White: "Most sources state that >> Vandyke prints can be cleared in plain water. In Mike Ware's >> description of the argyrotype process he explains the problems >> iron-based silver processes have. If processed in an alkaline >> solution residual ferric iron is left in the print which will >> eventually cause it to fade since iron (III) will oxidize silver." >> >> >> Chris >> > > > There are two important steps that if carried out will dramatically > improve the quality of VDB prints. The first is to make absolutely > sure that the first wash is carried out in water that is slightly > acidic. If the water is alkaline iron hydroxide will be set in the > paper and this can can be removed in subsequent processing. However, > don't make the first bath too acidic because it might bleach the silver. > > Second, bite the money bullet and buy some noble metal solution (gold, > pallaidum or platinum) and tone the print before fixing. This will > eliminate bleaching and give you the deepest possible shadow values. > > Sandy King > > > I use a platinum toner after an acidified wash. An important factor is the quality of the rinse water My apartment's water supply is through 50+ year old steel pipes. I have had bits of iron from this stick to my VDB papers while rinsing. I have gone to the use of distilled or de-ionized water for all of my process steps. Expensive, but consistency counts for a lot. Gordon Cooper Bremerton, WA
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