Pre-mixed Platinum/Palladium kit vrs mixing own chemistry.

[Greg]

Up to now have been using the 35 ml Traditional Platinum & Palladium Combo Kit from Bostick & Sullivan. Very easy to use. They say it will make up to 35 8"x10" prints... have never kept track but sounds about right.

Soon will be starting to print 11x14 Pt/Pl prints. Calculated that same kit would allow me to make about 18 11x14s.

Am wondering if I should now start to mix my own chemistry. I took Advanced Chemistry courses (all be it many years ago in college), have a lab grade digital scale, a collection of lab glassware, and a ventilation hood will soon be in the corner of my darkroom. Think all I would additionally need is a heated lab mixer. Have copies of Platinum & Palladium Printing (Arentz), The New Platinum Print (Sullivan & Weese), and Instructions for Pt/Pl Printing from ELEGANT IMAGES so definitely have enough of reference material to refer to. Directions for mixing chemistry in the ELEGANT IMAGES booklet sound actually quite simple.

Would appreciate any advice....

Anyone in the Connecticut, Western Mass area seriously printing Platinum/Palladium? Would love to get together and share experiences.

Greg

[Alan9940]

Hi Greg,

No idea what the Combo Kit is and you don't give any specifics regarding metals used, developer, clearing, etc, but mixing your own is simple. You should continue to buy the metals from B&S, but things like FO, Potassium Oxalate developer, EDTA style clearing baths, etc, are all easily mixed for yourself. For the clearing bath, for example, I use simple tablespoon measurement and mix at time of printing. Once I'm done, I toss it and mix fresh the next time.

Good luck! And, have fun!!

[angusparker]

Powdered heavy metals always seems like a bad idea to be dealing with. I do quite a bit of Pt/Pd and always buy from B&S. But as Alan said above you could get the other stuff from an alternate source.

[Jim Noel]

I looked into the same thing not too long ago. I came to the conclusion that the savings from mixing of the metal salts is minimal, and not worth it. I do mix the developers, and buy my EDTA and the salts for clearing agents in fairly large quantities from B&S. The big gain in mixing my own is not having large quantities of liquids sitting around,as well as not paying for the shipment of liquids. A good savings, particularly on the metals, is available when they have their Back to School specials.

[Jim Noel]

Powdered heavy metals always seems like a bad idea to be dealing with. I do quite a bit of Pt/Pd and always buy from B&S. But as Alan said above you could get the other stuff from an alternate source.

I do not buy the "other stuff" from other sources because in the past I have had problems with purity.

[Duolab123]

I'm sure there's a lot of very level headed people that will say messing around with aqua regia will kill you, and they are quite right, that is if you breathe it. I actually got a BS in Chemistry, many years ago. I am a darn good old school wet lab man. I say go for it. I wouldn't trust your hood inside. I would do it outside in a wide open space. Even then I would go slow, no need to put a lot of heat to this. All you will end up doing is creating a cloud of pure chlorine and nitrogen dioxide. Very unpleasant even in small quantities. You can buy 1/10 oz pure platinum coins. Pd coins are also available. I've made gold chloride for toning before, at the time I was working in a lab, had access to huge acid digestion apparatus, huge hoods. I could knock out several grams of gold chloride in about an hour. That was with heat blocks and digestion tubes, the block temp. Was set at 300 C. It looked like a Titan missle silo going off.
All the old guys played around with this stuff and probably more than 8 in 10 came out unscathed. If you know what your dealing with, and your safe it's fun. If you are trying to save money and aren't going to use a lot, well in that case, if you're happy with the results you are getting?
Good luck, be safe,Best Regards Mike

[Greg]

I looked into the same thing not too long ago. I came to the conclusion that the savings from mixing of the metal salts is minimal, and not worth it. I do mix the developers, and buy my EDTA and the salts for clearing agents in fairly large quantities from B&S. The big gain in mixing my own is not having large quantities of liquids sitting around,as well as not paying for the shipment of liquids. A good savings, particularly on the metals, is available when they have their Back to School specials.

Thanks to everyone who posted or Emailed me. Now totally agree with the above. My darkroom's ventilation system is no where near being a ventilation hood suitable for mixing chemicals. Contacted a friend from years ago who worked in a research lab and asked him... his answer was "don't even think about it" but in much stronger language.

thanks

[Duolab123]

Thanks to everyone who posted or Emailed me. Now totally agree with the above. My darkroom's ventilation system is no where near being a ventilation hood suitable for mixing chemicals. Contacted a friend from years ago who worked in a research lab and asked him... his answer was "don't even think about it" but in much stronger language.

thanks

Good Call!

[davehyams]

good call, you also have to put a value on your time and energy when talking about creating your own metal salts. My time and energy is better used in learning how to really master a process, rather than learning how to master creating the compounds necessary to getting started in the process. Good luck with your printing

[Vaughn]

And do not blow-dry your coated paper, if at all possible. Lovely way to get those platinum and palladium salts airborne!