RE: salt printing questions

Chris,
To remove silver stains I use a mixture of potassium ferricyanide solution
and sodium thiosulfate solution (Farmer's reducer). It works nice on hand,
clothes, etc. Once mixed the solution does not last very long.
Marek

>From: "Christina Z. Anderson" <zphoto@montana.net>
>Reply-To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
>To: Alt List <alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca>
>Subject: salt printing questions
>Date: Fri, 21 Oct 2005 07:41:22 -0600
>
>Good morning,
>
>Since I'm teaching alt process next semester and cannot just confine the
>course to my own interests (gum/cyano/pd/argyro/VDB) I made my first foray
>into salt printing these last 2 weeks. What a hoot to learn a new process
>that I never intended to.
>
>What is the capacity, do you think, of a liter of 5% sodium thiosulfate fix
>(with 1% sodium carbonate) for 8x10 salt prints?
>
>Is it an old wive's tale (alias young live in lover's tale) that blow
>drying with heat after fixing and washing will add density to the print? I
>can see, if this is a myth, how one might believe that because the salt
>print starts out very red at first, lightens and yellows in the fix, and
>exhibits amazing dry down and tonal change to a dark brown when completely
>dry. But I can't see how, once fixed, the tones remaining will get added
>exposure/density by a blow dry that wouldn't be there anyway with an air
>dry.
>
>How do you clean silver nitrate stains off your sink/bathtub/hands?
>
>I used a few different papers--of course, Arches Platine is so beautiful,
>Buxton at $10 a sheet needs more sizing more soaking or else it doesn't
>release the silver and will darken and dull horribly, and I have 2 Cranes
>papers that I think I mislabeled--they look very similar but one is
>slightly creamier. They may be Platinotype and P Wove (?) so if someone can
>enlighten me which the creamier one is I'd be obliged.
>
>I have to say that it is an addictive process, and produces beautiful
>prints...my very first print was a keeper, not because I'm so wonderful but
>because I calibrated a curve for it beforehand with the PDN system...during
>which I found that salt has a seriously looonnnnng tonal range.
>Chris
>
>
Received on Fri Oct 21 14:00:04 2005