Salt Paper Kit

[Aaron Ng]

Hi Lukas,

That sounds good enough information to get me started. I'm relieved to hear that toning is not going to make the print blue. Thanks for a couple of good tips.

I've got negatives overdeveloped (over normal time) at between 70 to 100 per cent. These negs are exposed for highlight on Zone VIII. Do they sound ideal negatives to start with?

Paper options is a problem here where I live (almost everything photographic here is). But I can get Rives BFK (ph 6.1). Have you tried this one?

Appreciate it,

Aaron

[Aaron Ng]

Again Lukas,

Would it be correct to assume that you tone your prints in good light since they're already fixed. Thus letting you better guess the tone shift you desire?

Also, how much of washing is needed before and after toning?

Thanks again,

Aaron

[Lukas Werth]

Aaron, yes, I tone in daylight, or whatever. People say the downsight of this is that there is not so much colour shift; it is, however, readily observable. I personally always give full toning (12 minutes); the colour depends somewhat on how many prints have gone through the borax toner already, and whether it is replenished or not. Another downsight is that you have to wash and dry twice. I have two reasons for sticking to my procedure: 1) I gather a few prints, and tone them in one day. This allows me to use up the gold in the borax toner (it doesn't keep). I calculate 4 8x10 prints can be toned by 5cc of 1% gold chloride. 2) the ironing step. This is mentioned in the literature as an alternative, already found by Talbot, to toning with noble metals. I however, can in this way observe the effect clearly, and I have yet to make a print which would not be improved by it. To be honest, I am not sure whether and to what extent it works also after toning - I tried it once, seems to be less - but as in all alternative processes, for which there are no industrial standarts, there are endless possibilities of experimenting, and there comes a time for me when I just stick to a method which gives me satisfying results - until something itches me again to do further experiments. You can, for instance, easily spend months or even years with salt prints just to work out different combinations of sizing, paper, salts to be used and organic acids in the silver nitrate solution. And there is more...

Washing: cannot be done too much. I always use a washing aid (sodium sulphite with EDTA, in my case, but Kodak hypo or an equivalent is fine), and then keep the paper in running water for an hour or more. After toning, I again wash for an hour. (By the way, a print fixed but not properly washed instantly destroys your toner.)

A last point: if you stick to this, subscribe to the alt photo list (I just do not have the address handy, find it via keyword search, also "alternative processes"). The possibility of asking there is immensely helpful if you seriously try to master an alternative process, and you will be able to work out your own method.

[Aaron Ng]

Lukas,

Thanks for the many pointers. That is very educational. Really appreciate it.

Aaron

[Lukas Werth]

Aaron, sorry, for some reason I did not read your first question. About negatives: you have to try. In general, I would say, the right negatives for salt prints have to be very long scale: if I am rehearsing correctly, the process should be able to print 12 zones! The gradation scale of HP5, for instance, has a shoulder at the upper end which you have to overcome, or you will not get clear and well separated highlights. Probably your kit contains some potassium dichromate for contrast control: it has to mixed in the salting solution. Very little, producing a barely perceptible colour shift in the freshly salted paper, already effectively sparkles the print up. But use too much, and the paper takes for ever to expose, and tonality will degradate: this is a tool which helps you to optimize certain motives, but not to beef up faulty negatives. As for paper: I have tried once Rives BFK for palladium where it did at first seemed to work, but did not produce optimal results. If you are going to try this paper, maybe you should give it a hot bath first, then size it with gelatine, and then - after drying - salt it. This is at least what I would try.

[Aaron Ng]

Hi Lukas,

Thanks again. I'll get to work soon. Hope it works out.

Aaron