Argyrotypes and chlorinated water

MurrayMinchin · Oct 4, 2024

For those of you who're making argyrotypes with chlorinated city water, how do you get rid of chlorine (besides adding a bit of citric acid) for the clearing bath? Boiling & cooling seems annoying, and leaving in deep trays to off-gas takes a day or more.

I was thinking of getting an inline activated charcoal water filter; the type used in RV's that's rated for 300 gallons...like this: https://www.excelpurefilters.com/outdoor-travel

How do you deal with it?

Herzeleid · Oct 4, 2024

I use bottled drinking water just for the first wash, with small amounts of citric acid. After fixing, the image is no longer affected by chlorine in water. The specific bottled water brand that I use has very little chlorine in it, it is said that they use ozone for sterilization instead of chlorine. It is cheaper than using distilled water for the initial wash.

MurrayMinchin · Oct 4, 2024

Herzeleid said:
I use bottled drinking water just for the first wash, with small amounts of citric acid. After fixing, the image is no longer affected by chlorine in water. The specific bottled water brand that I use has very little chlorine in it, it is said that they use ozone for sterilization instead of chlorine. It is cheaper than using distilled water for the initial wash.

Ahhh, good tip. I'll check out what's available locally. Thanks!

If you don't mind...how much would you use for 8x10's and how often do you dump it?

Herzeleid · Oct 5, 2024

I would put 1.5 liters of water in the first tray. I would dump it when I feel like there is so much yellow cloudy appearance happening. Probably I won't do more than 10 8x10 prints in the first wash.

koraks · Oct 5, 2024

Could you do what they do in pools: add a little bit of thiosulfate to the water? It might be tricky since it'll take a tiny amount of thiosulfate, only. However, a small excess of thiosulfate in the initial wash bath of an argyrotype may not be detrimental to the print.

MurrayMinchin said:
leaving in deep trays to off-gas takes a day or more.

Doesn't have to be a tray; you could have a couple of jerrycans sitting by. That's what I did for carbon transfer before I found out that water directly from the tap worked fine too.

But, maybe to start with - what's the detrimental effect of trace amounts of chlorine in your wash water? Does it really make a difference?

MurrayMinchin · Oct 5, 2024

koraks said:
...what's the detrimental effect of trace amounts of chlorine in your wash water? Does it really make a difference?

Mike Ware explains, after exposure, for the clearing bath:

2 Clear: bath of de-chlorinated water (10 l) + citric acid 2-5 mins

It is very important to avoid chlorinated water at this stage, when the silver nanoparticles are still highly vulnerable; use rainwater or water that has been passed through an activated charcoal filter, or been boiled and allowed to stand. Add a tablespoonful (ca. 25 g) of citric acid to each 10 litres of water to scavenge any traces of chlorine, and to provide slight acidity (pH 4). Alternatively use two baths of smaller volume. Change the first bath for each print. Immerse until the yellow stain is cleared.

https://www.mikeware.co.uk/downloads/ArgyroWork.pdf

I assumed chlorine was most heinous, because he suggests changing the first bath after each print.

MurrayMinchin · Oct 5, 2024

Herzeleid said:
I would put 1.5 liters of water in the first tray. I would dump it when I feel like there is so much yellow cloudy appearance happening. Probably I won't do more than 10 8x10 prints in the first wash.

Herzeleid · Oct 5, 2024

If you use chlorinated tap water in the initial washes with argyrotypes, the image suffers greatly. Silver chloride forms which clearly shows as white-ish precipiate over your image. Great loss of dmax and image detail occurs.

MurrayMinchin · Nov 26, 2024

koraks said:
...Doesn't have to be a tray; you could have a couple of jerrycans sitting by...

But, maybe to start with - what's the detrimental effect of trace amounts of chlorine in your wash water? Does it really make a difference?

Thanks. Have been using 3 wide mouth 2 gallon sized jugs and use them in rotation, so the next one has been sitting around for a few days & works perfectly.

The initial clearing bath(s) need to be chlorine free. I make the fixer with regular chlorinated tap water and do the final wash with that as well. Here's what happens if it gets into the initial clearing bath:

Herzeleid said:
If you use chlorinated tap water in the initial washes with argyrotypes, the image suffers greatly. Silver chloride forms which clearly shows as white-ish precipiate over your image. Great loss of dmax and image detail occurs.

koraks · Nov 27, 2024

Thanks; we're fortunate enough here that the tap water doesn't have to be chlorinated, so it's a problem I've never had to contend with!

Argyrotypes and chlorinated water

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