From: Judy Seigel (jseigel@panix.com)
Date: 06/26/00-01:16:22 PM Z
On Mon, 26 Jun 2000, edzachary wrote:
> Occasionally, there seems to be an effort to make alternative
> processes more "mysterious" than they really are. Methinks the
> attribution of colour variences in Salt Prints to the BRAND of silver
> nitrate used my be one on those occasions!
>
> Ed
> --
Ed, if you're a chemist, this offer is null & void, but my bet would be
that BRAND of silver nitrate might well matter. After all, where did they
get their bullion, what mine was it from, what fire did they forge it in,
what about their nitrate, I mean what had the nitrate touched before it
got into the silver, what's in the packing material, etc. etc. etc.
I have found MAJOR differences in color from what was in the tray before
the toning solution (in silver gelatin), even tho tray had been rinsed,
one drop of runoff probably remained, and, as the chemist explained,
"there are millions of ions in everything."
Not only brand, incidentally, but batch and lot number can be hugely
different from same mfr... including of course gum arabic. Who would
scoff at these variables may face even MORE mysterioso, or oblivion to
fine distinctions -- or both.
Judy
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