> Hi Joe,
>
> That's really fascinating that your results are so different from mine. Our
> tap water here is extremely alkaline, but I have no idea how much iron is
> in there. I do use distilled water for the silver nitrate as well, so that
> can't be a factor. I believe at least one source I read said to age the
> solution before use, though it did not mention why. My freshly mixed
=====cut========
But Sam, if I remember correctly, you're mixing the REST of the emulsion
with tap water, or am I confusing you with Joe? But if you are, I'd
definitely try an emulsion mixed entirely with distilled before
considering facial experession -- crucial though that may be...
The white particles, by the way, I've always assumed were silver
precipitated out, possibly silver chloride, but not "non-dissolved"
silver. When mixing the emulsion, if you add solution A or B too rapidly
to solution C (the dissolved silver nitrate) you'll see that cloudy
substance *form* at the point of contact. You keep stirring and it goes
back into solution again, which seemed to me to suggest a precipitate.
Another time I added the last ingredient to a kallitype formula (with the
silver already in it, dissolved) that *instantly* precipitated out the
silver -- turning the solution all cloudy white, refusing to re-
"dissolve."
In fact, the only evidence of "undissolved silver" I can think of is a few
lingering crystals in the bottom of solution C, before full mixing. But
those are crystals, not that cloudy white -- which is what I take your
finding for ???
As an interesting sidelight -- Carlos Gasparinho theorizes that old
kallitype formulas (which the one I mention was) sometimes added a *wrong*
ingredient because people didn't want to share their secrets. I could
believe anything at this point, but let's just say there was no way that
formula as printed in that old manual was going to work here and now.
cheers,
Judy