Re: P/P and different developers

[Sandy King <sanking@clemson.edu>]

Carl,

Thanks for the information about potassium oxalate.

Based on some of my recent difficulties with streaking in printing 
kallitype with 20X24 negatives I suspect that your problem may be due 
to an inadequate amount of sensitizer, and/or and brushing for too 
long. I had been using about 6ml of combined solution for 12X20 
prints and reasoned that doubling that amount should work fine for a 
20X24 print. However, with 12ml of solution I immediately saw some 
streaking on the 20X24 prints, even though the coated emulsion looked 
very even when dry. I increased the amount to 16ml and the problem 
went away. I think that with small amount of sensitizer the solution 
dries very quickly and once it reaches a certain level of dryness you 
get brush strokes. I think that the key to success is to use a lot of 
solution, then brush it on and even it out *very quickly* before it 
starts to dry out.

I am not certain about the humidity requirements of kallitype but I 
was getting pretty good results in the winter when humidity was 
around 55%, and now it is around 65% and things are still working 
well.

BTW, in making the 20X24 prints I found that I can get full toning, 
as judged by a complete change of color from maroon to neutral black, 
with the #3 platinum solution using just 0.25ml of solution in 500ml 
of water with 2.5g of citric acid.

Sandy





>Sandy,
>
>In fact I tried a couple 12x20 kallis earlier this week with fresh potassium
>oxalate. It appeared to work fine, but I encountered streaking problems
>again, as I had with big prints before. A coating that appeared perfect, and
>dried with a perfectly smooth surface, showed streaks and brush stroke marks
>after exposure, before development. This did not happen with my small 5x7
>tests, but has happened each time I've done bigger ones. I suspect that
>kallitype wants a much lower humidity level than the 65% I find ideal for
>Pt/Pd printing. Both Lenox and Stonehenge White show the problem. As for
>smoothness in the areas unaffected by streaks, if anything the pot.ox.
>developed print seems grittier than earlier ones in sodium citrate, so its
>superiority may only be for Pt/Pd.
>
>---Carl
>--
>         web site with picture galleries
>         and workshop information at:
>
>         http://home.earthlink.net/~cweese/
>
>----------
>>From: Sandy King <sanking@clemson.edu>
>>To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
>>Subject: Re: P/P and different developers
>>Date: Tue, May 7, 2002, 10:37 PM
>>
>
>>  Carl,
>>
>>  I wonder if you tried potassium oxalate with kallitype? It would be
>>  interesting if it also gives smoother tones and a less gritty look in
>>  kallitype than the sodium citrate developer I proposed. Somewhere I
>>  read that potassium oxalate was very tricky to use with kallitype and
>>  for that reason never tried it.
>>
>>  Sandy
>>
>>
>>
>>>My two-cents worth is this: potassium oxalate gives simple and effective
>>>relief to many of the problems people encounter with citrate developers.
>>>Smoother tone with less tendency to go gritty, etc, etc. It's available from
>>>the usual suppliers but you can make it up yourself from oxalic acid and
>>>potassium hydroxide (lye) quite easily and cheaply. You need a source for
>>>the oxalic acid in bulk at cheap prices, and it will entail a hazmat charge.
>>>I've been pleased with the service from:
>>>
>>>http://chemistrystore.com/index.htm
>>>
>>>Many chemicals will effectively reduce a Pt/Pd print, but in my experience
>>>nobody does it better than PotOx.
>>>
>>>---Carl
>>>
>>>--
>>>          web site with picture galleries
>>>          and workshop information at:
>>>
>>>          http://home.earthlink.net/~cweese/
>>>
>>>----------
>>>>From: Wendy Gollihue <wgolli@flash.net>
>>>>To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
>>>>Subject: P/P and different developers
>>>>Date: Tue, May 7, 2002, 5:57 PM
>>>>
>>>
>>>>   I would like to 'ditto' Jonathon Russells question.
>>>>
>>>>   I didn't see an answer yet and would like to know also.
>>>>   ....awaiting....
>>>>
>>>>   Wendy (TX)
>  >>>
>>>>>>>>>Can someone enlighten me as to the difference between Ammonium Citrate
>>>>   and
>>>>   Sodium Citrate developers when it comes to Platinum/Palladium 
>>>>prints?<<<<<<
>>>>
>>>>>>>>Jonthon Russell
>>>>
>>
>>
>>  --


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