Re: ferric oxalate

[Jeremy Moore <jeremydmoore@gmail.com>]

To tack on to the end of Clay's email, Diana, check out
http://www.chemistrystore.com/ for prices on bulk oxalic acid and
potassium carbonate. I have had good and quick service from them in
the past to get these same chemicals.

-Jeremy-

On Mon, Nov 10, 2008 at 5:21 PM, Clay Harmon <wcharmon@wt.net> wrote:
> Diana,
>
> It is pretty easy to mix up your own potassium oxalate developer from
> combining oxalic acid, potassium carbonate and water.  Here is a cut and
> pasted recipe from Carl Weese:
>
>> 2 lbs of Pot Carb with 1.75 lbs oxalic acid to make 1 gallon of water. 1
>> lbs = 457
>> g and 1 gallon = 3.8 l ( top of my head but close enough as it is just POT
>> OX).
>>
>> Mix you Pot Card into cool distilled water; about 1/2 your total volume.
>> SLOWLY  add your Ox Acid as it WILL BUBBLE!!!!.  Add to completion and top
>> off with water to make final volume.
>
> Clay
>
>
> On Nov 10, 2008, at 5:02 PM, Diana Bloomfield wrote:
>
>> Thanks, Brian.  I'm gonna have to go get that book now.
>>
>> I almost always use palladium with Na2 for any contrast.
>>
>> I noticed too-- not much info on the web, but I need to get the second
>> edition of Arentz's book.
>>
>> Although I was in a panic some months ago, when I was getting ready for a
>> show-- and I ran out of developer right at the 11th hour.  I typically use
>> potassium oxalate-- and, naturally, I'm 1,000 miles-- at least-- from
>> anybody who sells it.  And my platinum printer friend here was out of town--
>> so, I did find this little recipe for a sodium acetate developer on the
>> web-- a weird mix of distilled white vinegar and sodium bicarbonate-- all
>> readily available at my local grocery store.  I had to go buy this stuff by
>> the gallon/pound-- and felt like a Mr. Wizard mixing up this concoction--
>> but it worked like a charm.  Definitely a cooler (less warm) look in the
>> final print, but it worked fine.  And the prints still look good. :)
>>
>>
>>
>> On Nov 10, 2008, at 5:48 PM, Brian Pawlowski wrote:
>>
>>>> Thanks Brian.  So that's it-- nothing else added?  I was heating the
>>>> water, but maybe it should be hotter.
>>>> I do like the Chubby Checker idea, though--  I'll try that and-- you
>>>> know-- dance like I did last summer.
>>>
>>> So, what Pt/Pd process for contrast will you use?
>>>
>>> That affects the solution. Na2 process uses Ferric Oxalate in water
>>> as the sensitizer, Na2 contrast agent (smidgen), and Palladium sol'n
>>> (will *not* work with Platinum!).
>>>
>>> Wow - I was trying to find a simple web page that describes the
>>> Na2 contrast method for Palladium, but haven't found anything
>>> I can fwd.  The other widely used method is the ratio method,
>>> and there is a pretty good write up here:
>>>
>>>  http://www.bostick-sullivan.com/articles/platprintsimple.html
>>>
>>> This is all well described in Arentz Pt/Pd *Second* Edition...
>>>
>>> I'm a little surprised there is not more readily available canned
>>> info on the web that summarizes this... Odd.
>>>
>>> Boy, there are other methods than Na2 and ratio methods out there
>>> (Ware's approach, hydorgen peroxide Rudiak mentions, and use
>>> of dichromate in developer for contrast control - all of these
>>> are also covered in Arentz bible...)
>>>
>>> Wheeee!
>>
>
>