Salt & gum
Allan Janus (NASARC07@SIVM.SI.EDU)
Mon, 21 Mar 94 08:10:56 EST
No - Stop! Don't try selenium toning on salt prints! The picture
disintegrates. I don't know why (Luis, are you out there - do you know?) but I
quickly gave up my brave attempt. The best negatives I've made expressly for
salt prints (and there's no getting around it; that's what you have to do)
were done on Kodak 'A' surface paper. 'A' is lighter than single weight, so
one can contact print easily through it. On gum printing in only one go, it
was known to the ancients - many of the classic gum printers like Demachy were
virtuosi at the practice. But I like taking the time to print and over-print a
gum - a picture may take a week or two, but I've got time to think about the
image & let it mature. Rather than moping all day in a dark-room, gum printing
is a leisurely, reflective way to make pictures. If you find multiple-printing
too boring, you might try doing an initial cyanotype printing, and then gum on
top. But since we were talking about salt printing, one of the lovliest
combinations I've done (if I do say so myself) was gum over salt prints.
Remember Steichen's gum over platinum - well, salt's a little cheaper. (Or try
my new Lo-Salt prints for collecters with high blood pressure...) Is anyone
actually doing calotypes - in camera negatives - using gallo-acetic-silver
& etc.?