[alt-photo] permanence of kallitypes and vdb

[Christina Anderson]

Sandy's answer, below, as he is not on the list at the moment.
chris

Chris
Visually I did not see any difference in the test prints after a year in
my car. They were mostly shielded from the sun but got a lot of UV light.
Unfortunately I lost the original test densities that were recorded before
I put the prints in the car so the test has no scientific validity.
Best,
Sandy
> 
>> From: Christina Anderson <zphoto at montana.net>
>> Date: January 2, 2012 9:51:34 PM GMT+08:00
>> To: Alt List <alt-photo-process-list at lists.altphotolist.org>
>> Subject: [alt-photo] permanence of kallitypes and VDB, Sandy King's
>> tests 2002
>> Reply-To: The alternative photographic processes mailing list
>> <alt-photo-process-list at lists.altphotolist.org>
>> 
>> Quote from August 2002 0086 post by Sandy King is below. I am dying to
>> know what his results were. Maybe I will find them in the 2003 or 2004
>> archive (all I have left to go through) but this seemed an interesting
>> proposition considering our discussion of the week. If I come across
>> them before Sandy answers, I will post, but it usually takes me about 16
>> hours to go through one year. I don't know if Sandy is even still on the
>> list?
>> 
>> Permanence of Kallitype Prints
>> For some time now I have been making gold, platinum and palladium
>> toned kalllitypes (ferric oxalate version), and posted working
>> procedures on my method to the list earlier this year. People who
>> have seen my prints have been impressed with the deep, rich shadows,
>> clear highlights, and a wide tonal range. With platinum and
>> palladium toning I have recently begun to get the same kind of
>> results with the simpler Van Dyke (ferric ammonium citrate) version
>> of the kallitype. The platinum and palladium toned prints are
>> identical in color and tonal range to pt/pd prints and print with
>> about the same speed. In fact, since toning substitutes one metal for
>> the other, platinum and palladium replacing silver in this instance,
>> there is every reason to believe that this kind of kallitype is in
>> fact a platinum or palladium, with the same degree of permanence.
>> I recall that a Portuguese photographer, Carlos Gasparino if memory
>> serves me well, once stated that he had placed some toned kallitype
>> prints in his care and drove around with them for a year or so and
>> saw no change. However, I would like to be sure on the question of
>> permanence so since I have been doing quite a bit of printing with
>> toned kallitype I have decided to run a similar, but more detailed
>> test than the one reported by Mr. Gasparino.
>> What I have done is this. Using a Stouffer 4X5 step wedge I made ten
>> kallitype prints, five Van Dykes and five traditional kallitype
>> prints (ferric oxalate). The five Van Dykes were finished as follows.
>> #1	No toning
>> #2	Platinum toned
>> #3	Palladium toned
>> #4	Platinum and Palladium, equal amounts, toned
>> #5	Gold toned
>> The three traditional kallitypes were finished as below.
>> #6	No toning
>> #7	Platinum toned
>> #8	Palladium toned
>> #9	Platinum and Palladium toned, equal amounts
>> #10	Gold toned
>> All of the prints were processed for maximum archival qualities,
>> which included two separate fixing baths, separated by a wash, and
>> the use of a hypo clearing agent, in this case a 1% solution of
>> sodium sulfite. Prints were washed for 30 minutes following the
>> hypo-clearing bath.
>> I have now read and recorded the densities of each of these prints
>> with a reflection densitometer, and mounted them on a piece of
>> archival mat board with pushpins. What I propose to do is now place
>> the mat board with the prints in my car and leave them there for a
>> year, rotating the board every week. I am going to place the board in
>> the area of the car where it will receive both direct and indirect
>> sunlight every day. At three months I will read the densities again
>> and note any changes, dot he same again at six months, and again at
>> the end of one year.
>> I believe that the results of this test should answer some important
>> question about the permanence of kallitype prints, in general, and
>> the permanence of traditional kallitypes as opposed to Van Dyke
>> prints in particular. It should also indicate the archival
>> importance of toning with the metals tested.
>> Any comments or suggestions regarding this test would be appreciated.
>> Sandy King
>> 
>> 
>> Christina Z. Anderson
>> christinaZanderson.com
>> 
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> 
> 

Christina Z. Anderson
christinaZanderson.com