The Salt Print Thread

[tgtaylor]

I shot this image several months back and recall being attracted by the alternating pattern of light and dark on the road. However I was kind of turned off by the breaks in the canopy and never printed the negative...until yesterday morning. When it had dried, I placed it against the microwave and it passed the initial test and after coffee this morning mounted it on 4-ply mounting board. Stopped by the local Tap Plastics this afternoon for a sheet of OP3AR and then to a Blick's for a Nielsen frame. It's back up against the microwave and I'll hang it tomorrow for the final test. I love the play of light of shadow and the further you get from it the more it pulls you back in.

Thomas

[D-tach]

I shot this image several months back and recall being attracted by the alternating pattern of light and dark on the road. However I was kind of turned off by the breaks in the canopy and never printed the negative...until yesterday morning. When it had dried, I placed it against the microwave and it passed the initial test and after coffee this morning mounted it on 4-ply mounting board. Stopped by the local Tap Plastics this afternoon for a sheet of OP3AR and then to a Blick's for a Nielsen frame. It's back up against the microwave and I'll hang it tomorrow for the final test. I love the play of light of shadow and the further you get from it the more it pulls you back in.

Thomas

Nice Thomas, do you mount with a drymountpress?

[photojeff3200]

This has been a great thread and I'm happy to see so many salt printers. I've been making salt prints for a few years now and have given up film, ambrotypes, etc to shoot specifically for salt. I think they're the prettiest images. Just a few humble observations based on what I've read;
Ellie Young's book is a must have for anyone who wants to pursue this process.
I use Arches Platine paper only. I find that I don't have any staining problems that I do with other paper and I like the tone it produces.
I like to use a well washed (distilled water) foam brush to apply my silver nitrate, I use a coating rod for bigger prints.
I found that the tone of a print has to do with four things; salt type (sodium or ammonium), paper type, negative density and toner (whether you choose to tone or not).
My prints got A LOT better when I bought a densitometer. A density around 1.5-1.8 works best for me because it gives a nice deep chocolate brown/black tone. I make wet plate negatives so its easy for me to check how the density is coming along as I redevelop the negative.
Here's a photo I made a few weeks ago for a Christmas card. It took me about 20 hours to build and shoot the diorama. The the moon was printed on vellum paper and taped to a hole I cut out in the black paper background. The scene was a 4 minute exposure at f4 and the moon was 45 second exposure at f4.

[jp]

That's real nice Jeff!

[Kimberly Anderson]

Jeff! I love that photograph! Are you selling copies of it? I absolutely love it.

On a side-note, has anyone toned with selenium? I looked at the Young paper and didn't see any reference to it. I also did a search and the only one who mentions it at all is Ole on APUG in THIS THREAD.

[MDR]

This has been a great thread and I'm happy to see so many salt printers. I've been making salt prints for a few years now and have given up film, ambrotypes, etc to shoot specifically for salt. I think they're the prettiest images. Just a few humble observations based on what I've read;
Ellie Young's book is a must have for anyone who wants to pursue this process.
I use Arches Platine paper only. I find that I don't have any staining problems that I do with other paper and I like the tone it produces.
I like to use a well washed (distilled water) foam brush to apply my silver nitrate, I use a coating rod for bigger prints.
I found that the tone of a print has to do with four things; salt type (sodium or ammonium), paper type, negative density and toner (whether you choose to tone or not).
My prints got A LOT better when I bought a densitometer. A density around 1.5-1.8 works best for me because it gives a nice deep chocolate brown/black tone. I make wet plate negatives so its easy for me to check how the density is coming along as I redevelop the negative.
Here's a photo I made a few weeks ago for a Christmas card. It took me about 20 hours to build and shoot the diorama. The the moon was printed on vellum paper and taped to a hole I cut out in the black paper background. The scene was a 4 minute exposure at f4 and the moon was 45 second exposure at f4.

Since you have given up film what negative material are you using calotype or some other process. I also agree with you salt prints are extremely beautiful prefer them to all other alt. processes even platinum prints aren't as delicate as salt prints.

[tgtaylor]

Thanks D-tach. I dry mount sandwiching the pint with release paper and then board.

Thomas

[Ramiro Elena]

This is a hard negative to print. Very expired Polaroid 665 and a low contrast lens such as the Aero Ektar.
Like I mentioned in the albumen thread, I printed this last week and ran it under a hot iron just an hour ago. The warm brown tones immediately changed to cool brown.


img325 copy by rabato, on Flickr

[tgtaylor]

I've read that heat changes the color but I have yet to notice even a slight color change when dry mounting. In fact the print above was pressed for a minute twice @ 190F. After the first press I notcrd the left edge unadhered and thought that the tissue failed to cover there. But it was there Andi pressed it fr another minute @ 190F. No color change but I use release paper and sandwich with board.

Thomas

[photojeff3200]

QUOTE=Kimberly Anderson;1201569]Jeff! I love that photograph! Are you selling copies of it? I absolutely love it.

On a side-note, has anyone toned with selenium? I looked at the Young paper and didn't see any reference to it. I also did a search and the only one who mentions it at all is Ole on APUG in THIS THREAD.[/QUOTE]

Thanks Kimberly! Yeah I can sell you a print. Send me an email with address.
I took a class on alt print making with Quinn Jacobson and he said not to use Selenium toner. I don't remember the reason. Ellie Young does say not to use it either but, again, I don't remember the reason. If it's not in her salt book then it's in her dissertation paper which can be found on line too. I do remember a salt printer using Selenium but it was a very low concentration, maybe 1% and only in the toner for a minute or two.
jeff