Uranium and its purpose in life

Richard Sullivan (richsul@roadrunner.com)
Wed, 11 Dec 1996 10:11:36 -0700

Judy inquisits:

>What do you sell the uranium for Richard? Are folks still toning platinum
>with it? I know it's used in ceramic glazes, too. (Gee, I have a bag of
>uranium glaze somewhere, wonder if it would tone a photograph?) Or?

Gee Marty I dunno.

It's in all the old books and lots of people like to experiment. Just
because it wasn't permanent in 1905 doesn't mean that it isn't today. I have
a friend in Pasadena who I gave a kallitype to in @ 1970, it's in a glass
frame in a very sunny room next to a window and has not faded but does shoes
signs of iron staining due to improper clearing ther is also some edge
staining which is due to the rubber cement it was mounted with. Ok Ok, it
was 26 years ago and what'd I know. Kallitypes were supposed to be very
fugitive.

In the bigger picture I don't have a clue as to what's going on with uranium
toning as far as the chemistry or the mechanics. As far as I know the metal
itself is fairly inert. How would it work in combo with other tonings,
particularly with gold and if in combo would it be more permanent. Let's
hope some of the modern geniuses can provide with some new and wonderful
things to play with.

Dick Sullivan