Re: First kallitype

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From: Sandy King (sanking@hubcap.clemson.edu)
Date: 12/28/00-10:22:06 PM Z


Randall Webb wrote:

>
> > Well, beginners luck or what I made an absolutely first rate
> > kallitype from one of my 7X17 negatives on the very first try.>>
>
>The first time is quite often the best! I was interested in your your very
>thorough account of kalli printing.

Some of my subsequent kallitypes have been very nice as well. I have
also discovered that this can be a very complicated process as well
and some of the paper/developer combinations have not worked at all
for me, or at least very poorly. However, the Bristol Rising 2-ply
gives beautiful kallitypes with both the sodium acetate developer
listed by both Farber and Young (cold gray tone) and with the sodium
citrate developer of Young (warm black). Arches's Aquarelle has not
worked well for me.

>I am curious to know why you chose
>Farber as your source. I didn't think he was an authoritative reference, but
>then it's some time since I read him and my opinion is somewhat distorted .
>I was reading him on a crowded commuter train and my fellow passengers
>looked at me as much as to say " What's that old pervert doing reading a
>girlie mag - especially a blue one!!

In spite of the blue girlies I find Farber a reliable source for many
processes. His section on carbon, in fact, is first rate. However,
before I tried kallitype I reviewed all the references, including
your book. It is really quite surprising how much variation there is
in what one would consider the most basic working directions. The
source I like best for the kallitype is Russ Young in Coming into
Focus. Russ spent a lot of time actually making kallitypes and
experimenting with the process over a period of many years and it
shows in his writing, and in his directions, which really work!
Young also explains well what needs to be done to get as much
permanence as possible from the process.

>
>At this point we have to make a public confession. In Spirits of Salts ( if
>you have it) in the chapter on kalli/vdb we inserted a palladium print. We
>did this deliberately and without any sense of shame, but as nobody has
>noticed it yet then it was probably a waste of time anyway

Well, nice of you to confess but why would you expect anyone to
notice the substitution? In the very little time I have worked with
the process one thing that is crystal clear is that kallitypes can be
made that look exactly like Pr/Pds.

Happy New Year to you as well, and to all on the list,

Sandy King

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