[alt-photo] Re: permanence of kallitypes and vdb

[Mark Nelson]

Did Sandy's mileage improve?

Mark Nelson
www.PrecisionDigitalNegatives.com
PDNPRint Forum @ Yahoo Groups
www.MarkINelsonPhoto.com

sent from my iPhonetypeDeviceThingy

On Jan 13, 2012, at 11:07 AM, Christina Anderson <zphoto at montana.net> wrote:

> 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
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Alt-photo-process-list | http://altphotolist.org/listinfo
>> 
>> 
> 
> Christina Z. Anderson
> christinaZanderson.com
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Alt-photo-process-list | http://altphotolist.org/listinfo