[alt-photo] argyrotype

[Christina Anderson]

Dear List,
Yesterday we started our argyrotype unit and I thought I'd share a couple points.

I tested old argyrotype from 3 years ago and it printed beautifully.  I was able to get 8  stops out of it on a Stouffers 31 step with a  printing time slower a bit--10.6 minutes--than fresh argyrotype which I had mixed for the class. So don't throw out old stuff til you test it. This was on Weston paper.

Argyrotype is excellent on Weston paper.  Very dark chocolate brown, moving toward platinum black.

We had a major problem with a couple papers yesterday.  When students went to develop, the solution would completely bleed off with leaving a sort of gray looking print behind.  When I looked at the surface of a coated print I noticed the solution was all glossy and looked like syrup on TOP of the paper.  It obviously did not sink into the Rives and another one--Strathmore I think.  I added Tween (25 drops full strength to equate to 50 drops 50% which is in the middle of the recommended range for a liter) but unfortunately I could not change the humidity nor the temperature in the darkroom, nor the water temp which for some reason was shut off with only cold water coming through.  It is always something when one teaches. But the Tween helped greatly.  I have never had to use that before so I am thinking the humidity at 20-30% max here right now and temp all contributed to the paper drying too quickly. I will have to try adding water to it as some of you have said, but for now, the Weston and what I have mixed is great.  It sunk into the paper well, exposed well, no bleed.

One student is doing it on handmade paper.  She will be calibrating her curve a la PDN tomorrow, which is going to be a hoot because the paper is all pocky and bumpy. But the argyrotype looked excellent on her paper.  That deep, rich, yellowy chococate brown.

That's all...
Chris


Christina Z. Anderson
christinaZanderson.com