Alternative for Sizing and Salting the Paper for Ziatype

[Greg]

Instead of sizing and salting the paper for the Ziatype process (and others) with gelatin, ammonium (or sodium) chloride, and sodium citrate, would one get similar results by just taking some old fiber base paper, fixing it (not sure with or without hardener?), hypo clear, and a long wash, then dry on screens and flatten in a Seal press? After fixing and clearing the paper, maybe one has to also soak the paper in ammonium (or sodium) chloride, and sodium citrate? Was just thinking out loud this afternoon as I was re-doing my plumbing. Would be great to be able to some how be able to use my collection of way outdated FB papers. Has anyone ever tried this? I would easily try this, but my darkroom sink is in the process of being redone so not possible in the next 2 weeks. Maybe for some obvious simple reason this would not work, but sure intend on trying it out in the near future. Any opinions or info would be most welcome.
thanks

[Jim Noel]

I do not slat paper for use with ziatype.

[pmviewcam]

Ziatypes don't need sizing unless the paper you are going to use is not already sized; the papers I use, Berger COT160/320 and Arches Platine, are already gelatine-sized. However, using old FB paper? The Ziatype coating needs a "tooth" to hang onto, so coating with gelatine may be of help. I'm not sure what a salt coating would do - I suspect it would be of no use for Ziatypes, but certainly of use for salt printing. When I print with collodion chloride, I use fixed out, hypo-cleared, way-out-of-date and flattened FB paper, and the surface has enough grab for the collodion. The downside to using FB paper with collodion chloride is the paper curls unbelievably, and flattening in a press afterwards can often crack the coating. I hang my prints from pegs to dry, but add a small weight at the bottom to help them dry straighter. I don't know whether using FB paper for Ziatypes/salt printing would have this effect.

The issue with the sizing/salting is whether they will sink into the paper enough to hold the sensitizing solution. But what you are suggesting is interesting, so I might try it myself.

Peter.

[Vaughn]

Folks have experimented with coating fixed-out photo paper for platinum prints. Works, but tricky. Getting sufficient chemicals evenly into the emulsion will take some research and experimentation.