Jack
I'd second all Mike says, except that you may get results more easily by
brushing on the silver nitrate solution - and it is certainly a cheaper way to
experiment as you only need to make up small volumes of the silver nitrate
solution. I did all my salt prints this way without any problems.
Peter Marshall
On Fixing Shadows, Dragonfire and elsewhere:
http://faraday.clas.virginia.edu/~ds8s/
Family Pictures & Gay Pride: http://www.dragonfire.net/~gallery/
and: http://www.speltlib.demon.co.uk/
> Jack,
>
> One thing you haven't mentioned in your description is a washing of the
> print before fixing. The print will have an excess of silver nitrate in it
> that must be washed out before toning and fixing. Usually ten to fifteen
> minutes until the wash water runs clear (no more milkiness). Without this
> washing before fixing, you will get black stains.
>
> I also suggest a two to three minute flotation on the sensitizer and the
> use of a slightly alkaline plain hypo bath.
>
> Sodium thiosulfate (pentahydrate) 150g
> Sodium Carbonate 2g
> Water to make 1L
>
> Good Luck,
>
> Mike Robinson
> Toronto, Canada
> robkiss@io.org
>
>
> Jack wrote:
> Am @ school teaching right now......a student has made a set of salt
> >prints.She floated the watercolor paper (Letrus?) of about 130 lb in salt,
> >and let hang till dry.
> >Then she floated each piece in silver nitrate for, I'd say, less than a
> >minute, and hung to let dry.
> >The exposures vary .... but the problem is w/staining. She used rapid-fix,
> >or ammonium thiosulfate diluted first @ 1:3 and immediately experienced
> >staining upon immersion into fix. She then diluted to 1:7 and it lessened
> >but after 3 prints was very evident again.
> >I advised to first let soak longer in silver nitrate and prior to printing
> >make sure the print is totally dry. These images are 16"x20". My next
> >advice was to use standard fix or sodium thiosulphate at normal strength.
> >I feel the fix is the problem.
> >If you have any suggestions I'd appreciate it. Our textbooks are all
> >checked out.
> >Thanks
> >Jack Fulton
>
>
>
>