Black Salt Print

[Andrew O'Neill]

Decided to compare two prints. One made with Sea Salt, and another with Black Salt.

 

[Kino]

Great looking print!

Would Himalayan Pink Salt be different?

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Great looking print!

Would Himalayan Pink Salt be different?

I've not tried it but I suspect it's different... Does it smell like rotten eggs?

 

[Kino]

I've not tried it but I suspect it's different... Does it smell like rotten eggs?

No, I don't recall it having a distinctive odor. In addition for cooking, it is used for making decorative lamps that are supposed to be therapeutic. My wife has one and it has no odor I can detect.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

No, I don't recall it having a distinctive odor. In addition for cooking, it is used for making decorative lamps that are supposed to be therapeutic. My wife has one and it has no odor I can detect.

This black salt absolutely pongs!

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

...and should be filtered to remove all those tiny black particles.

 

[Kino]

I suspect the Black Salt has a tiny amount of Hydrogen Dioxide as an ingredient. Worked and grew up in the Oil Fields of Oklahoma and a byproduct of many oil wells was salt water that smelled like "rotten eggs". With enough concentration, the well was deemed "poison" and respirator use as required. Doesn't take but a few parts per million to smell it, however. Doubt it would be sold if the concentration was within hazardous limits...

 

[koraks]

Hydrogen Dioxide

You mean (di)hydrogen sulfide?
That's rotten egg smell compound. And yes, it's part of certain culinary salts, like Kala Namak. I suspect it'll fog a salt print pretty effectively. Difficult to get clear whites, I imagine. May give a pleasing tone.

 

[Rick A]

I used Himalayan Pink Salt on a few of my prints, there is a very subtle color difference from Kosher salt.

 

[drkhalsa]

Up until now, I've only used black salt in food, but I may have to give this a try!
I enjoy the taste and smell of black salt.

 

[fgorga]

The 'rotten egg' small is hydrogen sulfide (H2S). This compound is a gas at room temperature and is detectable (by smell) at very low concentrations.

The compound present in black salt is almost certainly sodium sulfide (Na2S), although other salts of sulfide are certainly possibilities. Sulfide reacts with water to form H2S. Even the traces of water present in air are enough to generate the rotten egg smell.

As for 'hydrogen dioxide'... this is chemical nonsense. There is no such stable species. Anything close to hydrogen dioxide (i.e. the anion of hydrogen peroxide or maybe the peroxyl radical) is not stable in the presence of organic matter (e.g. crude oil).

As to the original topic, thanks for the experimental report both prints are quite nice and the difference is as you say subtle.

I've put some black salt my Amazon cart for when I place my next order. Salted-paper is my main process these days. I'll be interested in seeing what happens upon gold toning.

 

[pentaxuser]

The main difference that I can see is that you seem to have better shadow detail with sea salt wíthin the window area but no-one seems to have mentioned this


pentaxuser

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Under the right conditions, I too can generate that smell...

 

[Kino]

As for 'hydrogen dioxide'... this is chemical nonsense. There is no such stable species. Anything close to hydrogen dioxide (i.e. the anion of hydrogen peroxide or maybe the peroxyl radical) is not stable in the presence of organic matter (e.g. crude oil).

Well, that was 40 years ago; I appear to have remembered incorrectly.

Anyway, the stuff stinks...

 

[BAC1967]

Andrew, the print looks great! As someone who has never done this process I have a question. In the video you brush the silver nitrate on with the light turned on. Is it only light sensitive after it dries? The process looks quite simple, I may be tempted to give it a try.

 

[NedL]

Kino is probably thinking of SO2 instead of H2S. I think Niranjan successfully used black salt as a toner for salt prints...... I tried to use it as a redeveloper for paper positives, and it worked a little but was far too weak to be useful.... I still have it in my cupboard but haven't used it for anything ( including food! ) since that little experiment

 

[Tom Taylor]

I have a salinity refractometer for measuring the salinity of San Francisco Bay water. Somewhere I read of a photographer making prints using Tokyo Bay water and got the idea of making salt prints using San Francisco Bay water.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Andrew, the print looks great! As someone who has never done this process I have a question. In the video you brush the silver nitrate on with the light turned on. Is it only light sensitive after it dries? The process looks quite simple, I may be tempted to give it a try.

After I coat on the silver nitrate solution, I let the paper dry in the dark. I have the same light on when I'm placing the negative on top, and sticking them in the UV box. The process is quite easy. I don't know why I didn't give it a go years a go... I appreciate the consistency in tone from print to print. That was always a struggle with Kallitypes, unless I always gold toned them. I just made a salt print and gold toned it. I'm hooked.

 

[ole-squint]

I have a salinity refractometer for measuring the salinity of San Francisco Bay water. Somewhere I read of a photographer making prints using Tokyo Bay water and got the idea of making salt prints using San Francisco Bay water.

That's Wynn White. You can find his articles at alternativephotogrphy.com.

 

[eli griggs]

I used Himalayan Pink Salt on a few of my prints, there is a very subtle color difference from Kosher salt.

The pink Himalayan salt I have does have the sulfur oder, the black salt does not.

 

[NedL]

I have a salinity refractometer for measuring the salinity of San Francisco Bay water. Somewhere I read of a photographer making prints using Tokyo Bay water and got the idea of making salt prints using San Francisco Bay water.

Hi Tom!

I made a salt print using the water in one of those old salt ponds at the North end of the Bay. I made a hydrometer from a straw to estimate the salinity. It was fun and I learned something!

The print is here.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I'll have to scoop up some of the water in Port Moody and give it a go!

 

[Tom Taylor]

That's Wynn White. You can find his articles at alternativephotogrphy.com.

That's him! I'm going to see if I can get a surfer at Fort Point to fill a thermos bottle for me when he is out from the shoreline.

 

[Tom Taylor]

Hi Tom!

I made a salt print using the water in one of those old salt ponds at the North end of the Bay. I made a hydrometer from a straw to estimate the salinity. It was fun and I learned something!

The print is here.

This is the one I use. Not homemade but not expensive either.