Kallitype issue

[RPippin]

Been having this recurring issue with some of my Kallitype prints where the mid tones get these light or white spots after drying down. I've noticed on some of them there appears to be a small speck of something in the center. Most all of my chemicals are mixed fresh, and they don't show up during the developing, clearing or fixing stage, only after dry down. They also seem to get a bit worse after a couple of days just sitting around. I recently mixed up some fresh Ferric Oxylate to see if the batch I was using had any issues, but all the prints look great even with old FO, and still not till after dry down. Anyone had similar issues or can shine some light on this would be greatly appreciated. I would post samples but my scanner has been loaned out, and besides, would be hard to see from a scan. They are quite noticeable though.

[David Aimone]

Which paper and developer?

[Jim Noel]

I would like to see the original tobe sure,but I strongly suspect a fault in the paper or sizing.

[Andrew O'Neill]

That's weird... which paper?

[koraks]

I strongly suspect a fault in the paper or sizing.
I concur. Even with other alt. processes and some papers, I occasionally get these mystery spots. They usually already show up during coating, though, at least with new cyanotype.

[RPippin]

The paper is Arches Platine and the developer is Bostick and Sullivan's dark developer. I also use fumed silica on the paper before coating. Hope this helps shed some light on the problem. Thanks everyone who responded. I think I'll leave off the fumed silica on the next batch and see if that makes a difference.

[David Aimone]

As they say at Bostick and Sullivan, "Paper is a moving target". I've been using Arches Platine for some time now with Kallitypes and had NO problem until the recent batch. It's like a different paper. I can take a piece of the old and a piece of the new, and work them side by side and the older batch works great, and the new batch has spots.

These spots appear to various degrees, and slight changes in the technique can affect it greatly (no so much with the older batch), from horrible spottiness to none. If I make sure the paper is humid enough, dab a brush in the solution instead of first pouring on the paper, along with a few other mods, I can get decent results. But it is a pain. Sometimes the spots show immediately. Sometimes not until fixed or even until it dries. Sometimes the spots fade in the drying process, where a print I thought was ruined looks fine when dry.

It's maddening!

Also, I've used both fumed silica and fumed alumina. The alumina seems to work better with Kallitypes, and it also darkens the blacks a tiny bit. I mostly use a "combo" developer out of the book of alternative processes: 1/2 ammonium citrate and 1/2 sodium acetate. Have used all of B&S developers, as well as all the developer recipes in the book and this one is the most consistent for me.


The paper is Arches Platine and the developer is Bostick and Sullivan's dark developer. I also use fumed silica on the paper before coating. Hope this helps shed some light on the problem. Thanks everyone who responded. I think I'll leave off the fumed silica on the next batch and see if that makes a difference.

[Jim Noel]

The paper is Arches Platine and the developer is Bostick and Sullivan's dark developer. I also use fumed silica on the paper before coating. Hope this helps shed some light on the problem. Thanks everyone who responded. I think I'll leave off the fumed silica on the next batch and see if that makes a difference.

THat would be my first choice.

[Andrew O'Neill]

Arches Platine is an awesome paper and really shouldn't give you any problems. That's terrible to hear about newer batches. I bought a wack of it last July, and it's just fine. It doesn't need fumed silica or acidifying, either. Just a great paper. If you still are having the same problems without silica, try giving acidifying a whirl. I use Sulfamic Acid. You can buy it at your local hardware store as a tile cleaner. Do you have another paper you could try?

[David Aimone]

One of the nice things about using fumed alumina instead of fumed silica is that it acidifies the process:

http://markhilliardatelier-blog.com/2015/03/09/using-fumed-alumina-to-fix-paper-issues-in-van-dyke-brown/


Arches Platine is an awesome paper and really shouldn't give you any problems. That's terrible to hear about newer batches. I bought a wack of it last July, and it's just fine. It doesn't need fumed silica or acidifying, either. Just a great paper. If you still are having the same problems without silica, try giving acidifying a whirl. I use Sulfamic Acid. You can buy it at your local hardware store as a tile cleaner. Do you have another paper you could try?

[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.info/forum/showthread.php?126987-The-Kallitype-Thread

Thomas

[Andrew O'Neill]

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