Re: Blues to die for

Judy Seigel (jseigel@panix.com)
Thu, 3 Oct 1996 17:50:40 -0400 (EDT)

On Thu, 3 Oct 1996, j.r.anderson wrote:

> I would be interested to hear about anyone who prints cyanotypes regularly
> on RKB paper. I got somewhat confused the other day, and accidentally put
> one sheet of some RKB, which I had soaked in sodioum chloride in totally
> the wrong place. As a result, very late yesterday evening, I coated it with
> the "Keepers of Light" standard cyanotype mix and exposed it. I got quite a
> shock on washing it, as the print had beautiful deep blues and a much
> higher contrast level than, say, with platine, or come to that almost any
> other paper.

> Anyway, serendipity rules - Alexander Flemming (and others) knew how to
> exploit good fortune; so I will be doing some studies of this if no-one
> else knows of such a "procedure" being documented. If the result is only
> due to the paper I apologise for wasting everyone's time, but I got so
> excited to see such beautiful blues (I've been searching for them for ages)
> I am dying to know if anyone else has any information!

Actually, it's great to share your excitement -- whether or not it pans
out.

Maybe someone with great browser ability will dig this up, though I have
it in hard copy & know where the folder is... Within the last few months
someone posted a formula to the list of a post-development sodium chloride
bath (10%?) that, he said, made the blues brighter. I had made a note to
try it, but hadn't. Sounds like this could be the same effect, but pre-
instead of post ... if true.

But you'd better check it out "cyantifically." For instance, many books &
other "authorities" say a post-development peroxide bath intensifies the
blue. This is not the case. What the peroxide does is oxidize the blue in
seconds to a richer, darker tone, which otherwise takes a day or so to
happen -- as is proved by tearing a print in half, peroxiding one half,
letting the other simply air dry, then comparing the two in a few days.
This may be a similar effect....

But, you will let us know, right?

Judy