Kallitype issue

[Andrew O'Neill]

I've used both and it's a lot of bother... results were hit and miss. But I'll give it another go with the alumina once I'm through this round of carbon prints. By the way, I couldn't get your link to work....

[David Aimone]

Hmmm Andrew.... My link seems to work now! Followed you on Flickr too!

I've used both and it's a lot of bother... results were hit and miss. But I'll give it another go with the alumina once I'm through this round of carbon prints. By the way, I couldn't get your link to work....

[Andrew O'Neill]

Yup! Working now. Thanks David!

[RPippin]

I misspoke, it is fumed alumina that I'm using, not fumed silica, and the paper was bought back in 2013, so old stock. It's a mystery, but I think I might try another developer. I really like the deep blacks better than the warm tones that some developers give me. Every time I read something about Kallitype it seems there is a different formula or different times and workflow. I've been developing for about 7 minutes, rinse for a minute, clearing for 7 minutes, rinse, fix for 7 minutes in thyo, rinse, another clearing bath and wash for 30 minutes. Basically the formula for F295 cheat sheet. I wander if my times are off, or if the developer from B&S isn't compatible with the other chemistry. Bostick and Sullivan says to develop for a shorter time. The other thing might be the water. I'm using tap water for rinsing and washing and the water here has a bit hard. Perhaps someone would share their complete workflow with Arches Platine, and FE to nail it down, the devil it seems is in the details.

[David Aimone]

That's actually one of the things I like about Kallitypes. Between the developers and the toners, you can achieve quite a range of shades.

By the way, last night I took a sheet of that new batch of Arches that I've been having trouble with and made two changes to the procedure. I steamed the paper with a hand-held clothing steamer then let it sit for a short time, and I added a small amount of PVA to the emulsion (5% solution made from the stock book-binding glue and distilled water). This was on a recommendation of a printer on FaceBook, and it definitely deepens the black and enables the emulsion to sit a bit better on the paper.

So my general (and I vary it quite a bit) approach is this:

I roll fumed alumina onto the paper. Then coat with the emulsion made up of silver and ferric oxalate, with a bit of tween and now PVA. Instead of pouring from a shot glass like I used to, I now mix the emulsion in a larger plastic cup (like the one the fumed alumina came in from B&S), and dip the brush and apply the coating. After air drying in the dark for 30-45 minutes and then exposure, I develop for 8-10 minutes (most often in combo ammonium citrate/sodium acetate developer 50/50), then rinse and wash (the print lightens significantly at this point).

My order of processing varies here from most others, and I've been told there's no right or wrong to this. Next, I tone the print, which also restores most of the darker tones lost in the first wash), then rinse/wash again. Then 30 SECONDS in the fixer, and quickly wash/rinse again. I usually notice even more darkening (surprise) in this 30 seconds of fixing. Then the usual 5-15 minutes in one or more baths with EDTA, then finally 30-40 minutes in the print washer.

Right now 95% of the time I use one of two developers (the combo mentioned above and "Henry Hall" black developer), and three toners (gold, palladium and palladium black). The blackest prints are when I use the black developer and toner; the deepest most detailed prints when I use the combo developer and gold toner.

[Andrew O'Neill]

I found that using a puddle pusher was easier and required less mixing up of sensitizer (a little bit more than normal when using fumed alumina).

I coat the paper. Let it air dry.... usually 30 minutes, depending on RH in the room. Expose to my predetermined time. Develop in Sodium Citrate. Rinse in water with a pinch of Citric Acid (my tap water is more alkaline). I use a bucket filled with rinse water. Then clear in Citric Acid for a minute. Rinse again. Then fix in sodium thiosulfate/ammonia for one minutes. Then wash. If you want cool tone, tone in gold... but I don't bother because I love the natural colour of a kallitype. It's kind of warmy purpley, especially on Arches Platine.

[Andrew O'Neill]

Thanks for your info, David.

[tgtaylor]

http://www.largeformatphotography.in...llitype-Thread

Thomas

[Andrew O'Neill]

If you ask Oren, he'll merge this with the Kallitype thread.