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Anne and David...
Wow...no kidding! Every time I do an argyrotype
(Ware's VDB cousin), put it in the clearing tray, it looks good for a few
seconds and then fades quickly...poof! I think even the James book mentions
folks who clear for 20 seconds only.
Anyway I started with argyrotype as a less
expensive way to get introduced to alt process on the road to pt/pd, and all I
can say is that pt/pd is infinitely "easier" to handle...
Between argy's clearing and it's ridiculous finicky
paper choices, I'll take pt/pd any day of the week!
(OK, got that off my chest early in the
morning) ;-)
Paul
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, March 11, 2009 5:45
AM
Subject: Re: VDB
David,
Previously I was living in Tennessee with very high humidity. Now
it's winter time in Michigan --- could be part of the problem. And I
have been rinsing under running water.
I've been treating VDB like cyan. VDB is so much more sensitive.
Thanks for you help! Anne
On Mar 10, 2009, at 9:18 PM, david drake wrote:
Anne,
are you clearing in a bath of water or running water? Generally, a
combination of three separate baths of water with a pinch of citric acid in
each, works well. Also, if the paper is not soaking up the sensitizer it
will easily come off in your rinse. Most find that VDB and other iron based
processes require a higher humidity than normal (60% ) is important for good
results. the humidity helps the paper absorb the sensitizer, otherwise it
stays on the surface. this is a bigger a problem during winter or in
dryer climates.
Francis, what is sprint fixer remover? Is that a hypo wash or sodium
sulphite?
I also do double coating to get good dmax. this can also be problematic
during the clearing stage it takes much longer to clear.
Toning in platinum, palladium or gold is also recommended for
permanence and very nice blacks.
david
On 10-Mar-09, at 1:13 PM, francis schanberger wrote:
I suspect the water supply pH or minerals may be
involved. I am having slight changes to my VDBs depending on where I
process them. At school they seem to dry down a lot more and give me a
very strong brown background compared to the ones I make at
home.
You may also wish to experiment with shorter fix times or
changing your dilution of thiosulfate. I am using a 30g per liter
solution.
I don't clear with citric acid but with Sprint Fixer
remover.
-francis
On Tue, Mar 10, 2009 at 12:53 PM, Anne van Leeuwen
& Peter Hoffman <anne_peter@earthlink.net>
wrote:
Hello, I've recently been using VDB again but with different
results than I've had in the past.
I made up a fresh batch of the VD and am using fresh
thiosulphate,
the results are not a strong brown and there is weak contrast.
When I first rinsed the contrast was good but that was quickly
lost. I did try pot. dichromate but that didn't do anything
visible to the contrast.
Any
suggestions would be appreciated.
Thank
you.
Anne
--
francis schanberger
www.frangst.com
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