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After a couple decades of not making any cyanotypes, I've started again. Soooo much easier then back in the day. Built an LED UV printer and all.
View from StBlasius church tower (1580?) in Hann.Münden, Germany, by handheld cambo wide on Ilford FP4
See thread "historical buildings" for details
This is traditional copperplate héliogravure (digital interpositiv) from the 4x5 neg, printed on Hahnemühle paper with Gamblin Black bone ink, picture size about 3,6X4,8 inch.
Etching provides more details than I can see without my magnifying glass. And see some (asphalt) aquatinta points.
Etching is rather hard contrast, that I prefer for still lifes, and sometimes can not get out of my skin
Delighted to be in a position to post in this thread, after having begun the alt-pro journey in earnest over the weekend with Argyrotypes and Cyanotypes, contacting-printing with a Lotus frame from 8x10 negatives from Chamonix 810V and FP4+ home-developed with Pyrocat HD, all without a darkroom.
My success-rate with the prints after 2 days and nearly 20 sheets of Bergger Cot 320 11x14 paper is about 50%. I'm learning fast myself about suitable negatives, and the vicissitudes of sunlight and humidity.
Here are representative examples of what I've managed so far (crummy iPhone images) with details. Both prints from my writing on / photographing trees 'Acontius Project'.
"Bob", argyrotype.
50ºRH/23ºC at coating, pre-humidified in steam for 10 minutes (Christopher James's 'cat box' solution), exposed for 27 minutes in early morning light (Lotus 12x14 frame).
5mins in 1500ml distilled water with lemon juice then another 5 mins in tap water; 3 mins in hypo (4tsp crystals in 1500ml water); 1 hour wash. Dry flat between boards.
"Fraxinus in silvis pulcherrima", untoned cyanotype.
52ºRH/24ºC/exposure 18mins in morning sunlight.
5 mins in warm water/citric acid (3/4tsp and 1500ml water) and washed twice more in warm water for 10 mins further.
Still Life #1 by Bill, on Flickr
Salt print on watercolour paper from a whole plate collodion glass negative. All the smudges and artifacting are from the negative, not the print, but I'm not entirely sure why they're there. The subject is a gallon glass jug full of soap bubbles that caught my eye as I was washing it.
A platinum/palladium print I made a couple days ago. 5.5"x14" negative from my last trip to Zion (April 2019). Warm Potassium oxalate developer.
Not a great digital reproduction (need to buy PhotoShop), but you'll get the idea.
Chamonix 11x14 w/ modified darkslide, Fuji W 360mm, FP4+ in PyrocatHD
"Landscapes exist in the material world yet soar in the realms of the spirit..." Tsung Ping, 5th Century China
They look gorgeous DaveF. I have done some kallitypes and cyanotypes, with mixed results. As I have not much time left for trials. Most of my problems are subexposed prints, mostly with cyanotypes. My success rate is lower, about 25-33%. But I'm going to buy some UV lights to try at least to have an uniform light source, and hopefuly now I have a bit more time somedays...
[QUOTE=DaveF;1518671I suppose I should gold-tone the argyrotypes but it's expensive and quite hard to get hold of here I think.[/QUOTE]
Expensive yes, but available at https://www.ag-photographic.co.uk (assuming you are located in the UK) for example. Always wanted to try out Argyrotypes, it looks really great.
"Be still and allow the mud to settle."
Thanks for that- not sure the Tetenal stuff is quite what I need though - gold ammonium thiocyanate. I'm still very new to all this so I may of course be entirely wrong!
Meanwhile, here are a couple more successful efforts with Argyrotype from me. As before, both 8x10 contact prints on 11x14 Bergger Cot 320 paper in Lotus printing frame; Chamonix 810V and Nikkor-SW 150 f/8 (FP4+ processed in Pyrocat HD / BTZS Tubes)
and
So far all exposed with sunlight. I'll try to get a lamp setup soon to get some more done. Work getting in the way somewhat...!
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