U of S | Mailing List Archive | alt-photo-process-l | Re: Anybody experimented with Argyrotypes?

Re: Anybody experimented with Argyrotypes?



I used negatives, that were a little contrasty for SG, but not very much. As the other says, the paper choice is crucial for this proces (contrast depends of paper too). I sometimes got perfect image out of water but after drying they were ruined at drying (irregular spots ...). But even not perfect ones are sometimes quite interesting. I have one which is quite "dreamy" (without contrast, faded ..., I showed it at my exhibiton) but very suitable for the image (but that was merely a luck), quite a lot ended in a bin.

Regards
Stane Kocar


----- Original Message ----- From: "Loris Medici" <mail@loris.medici.name>
To: <alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca>
Sent: Monday, April 20, 2009 10:48 PM
Subject: Re: Anybody experimented with Argyrotypes?


You need pretty contrasty negatives for Argyrotype. Much more contrasty
than what you'd need for silver gelatin. If your negatives are
exposed/developed for s/g printing, I'm afraid you won't be able to get
nice contrasty/punchy Argyrotypes. (AFAIK, there's some contrast control
with the chemistry but I'm not sure if that will suit negatives optimized
for s/g printing.)

I don't think they're necessarily more stable than any other process
giving colloidal silver image on plain paper - as long as the images are
correctly processed/thoroughly cleared. Especially so when you choose to
tone your images with noble metals.

I had good results with Bergger COT 320 paper (the only paper I had used
for making Argyrotypes). As a rule of thumb, any paper that doesn't give
problems with New Cyanotype is also good for Argyrotypes. Search the web /
list archives for paper information.

If you extremely value image stability (and need the extra protection)
then you should definitely tone your Argyrotypes (or
Vandykes/Kallitypes/Salt Prints) with gold, platinum or palladium. But be
aware that toning for extra longevity comes with the price of changing the
original color of the image.

Regards,
Loris.


20 Nisan 2009, Pazartesi, 11:30 pm tarihinde, fernando cruz florez yazmış:
Thanks again for the quick response...
I have some negatives in black and white which I want to use for an
exhibition using this technique (Argyrotype). I've read a couple of books
which suggest that this process is more stable than a couple of other
processes I was considering. Since you've experimented with this process
are
there any particular paper types (brands?) which you'd recommed?

I will have to mix the chemicals myself since they're not available
pre-made
here in Colombia.

I have some experience with the Bichromate Gum process from when I worked
in
Arte 2 Grafico (an artisanal/crafts workshop - http://artedos.com/ ) but
this is the first time I'm experimenting with this particular process and
the stability/longevity of the images to be used for the exhibition is
very
important.

Any other advice would be very welcome and greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Fernando Cruz

--
Fotografía y diseño.
Fernando Cruz Florez
Para ver mi portafolio entre a:

fernandocruz.fotografiacolombiana.com
www.fotografiacolombiana.com

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cgcentrodelaimagen/
http://www.elangelcaido.org/muestras/2008/200812fcruz/200812fcruz.html

facebook  fernandocruzf@gmail.com
skype fernandocruzflorez
telefono 57 1 3232287
movil 57 3108686025




2009/4/20 Loris Medici <mail@loris.medici.name>

Fernando, I did. What exactly do you want to know?

The first thing to mention is that it's a very picky process when it
comes
to paper choices; you have to use the best and purest papers.

Also, it's better to tone the image in gold before fixing, if you value
longevity that is; colloidal silver in paper is pretty vulnerable... And
the color + darkness is beautiful that way. (Pt or Pd toning also is
possible, but, personally, I got best results with gold.)

It's pretty easy to mix the solution - definitely more complex than
Vandykes (if you have to compound silver oxide yourself) but not a big
deal. Mix a volume enough for a couple of months (not longer than 5-6
months), the solution will deteriorate and silver out as time passes.

Regards,
Loris.


20 Nisan 2009, Pazartesi, 2:41 am tarihinde, fernando cruz florez
yazmış:
> ...
> I was wondering if there's anybody out there who's worked with
Argyrotypes
> willing to share their experiences and tips/tricks for the process.
> ...




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