Re: Cyanotype help!
Jack Fulton (jfulton@itsa.ucsf.EDU)
Sun, 9 Jul 1995 10:54:27 -0700 (PDT)
> I am cyanotypeing. Everything works fine up to a point. It drys the
> right color, it exposes right. Then, I wash it (just with cold bathwater),
> and out comes the beautiful blue... but only for a second! Then, IT ALL
> WASHES OFF THE PAGE AND DOWN THE DRAIN!!! There is nothing left but a
> blank white sheet of
Paul ... IF you prepared your chemistry in the commonly used
proportions (ferric ammonium citrate <green form> 25 grms. to four ozs.
water & potassium ferricyanide @ 17 grms/4 ozs. water AND then mixed
together in equal amounts for coating) and have used them and not kept
them over a week or ten days, the coating is okay. The BFK Rives paper is
porous and soft and will absorb a lot of chemistry so put it on
liberally. Sun is the best light source.
It sounds to me that your exposure is not long enough. Print until the
darkest shadow areas have turned sort of silver-purple color.
You can also bleach a dark blue print back toward a lighter blue
w/a 1 to 32 dilution of household bleach (not Clorox)and then immerse it
in a strong solution of tea to turn it a sort of browny color.
Hope this helps.
Jack Fulton
***The eye is the Pencil of Nurture***