blank areas on salt print

pneumato · Jun 1, 2015

Hi
I am having a hard time with salt paper printing. Some parts of it remain white, just if they were not sensitized.

Salting is a 5mn bath in citric acid 20g/salt 20g/gelatin 4g.
Sensitizer is a 10% silver nitrate solution applied with coton ball TWICE.
Anybody has an idea of where my problem comes from??
thanks in advance
Laurent Millet

NedL · Jun 1, 2015

I've seen something like that happen when I dipped my hake brush in distilled water and did not shake it out well enough before applying the silver nitrate. Since then I always use my hake brush dry. Did you wet the cotton ball first?

Was the paper completely dry before applying the silver nitrate solution?

Edit: and welcome to APUG!

cliveh · Jun 1, 2015

pneumato said:
Hi
I am having a hard time with salt paper printing. Some parts of it remain white, just if they were not sensitized.

Salting is a 5mn bath in citric acid 20g/salt 20g/gelatin 4g.
Sensitizer is a 10% silver nitrate solution applied with coton ball TWICE.
Anybody has an idea of where my problem comes from??
thanks in advance
Laurent Millet

I think you have answered your own question in the first sentence - Some parts of it remain white, just if they were not sensitized".

gzinsel · Jun 1, 2015

well somewhat remote, but plausible, is contamination! 1.either the paper from a store you bought it from? someone could have spilled on it, then left it to dry. 2.you yourself or someone close to you could have done that too. remember there are chemical foggants out there.
I would strongly suggest you use a glass rod/push rod for both salt solution and for silver nitrate solution. If you haven't read MECHANISMS OF CONTROLLING COLOUR AND AESTHETIC APPEARANCE OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC SALT PRINT by eleanor d. young. Its a good read.

gzinsel · Jun 1, 2015

by the way, I really enjoyed your print!!!!! its not to often around here, that we get to see "abstract" work. best regards greg

gone · Jun 1, 2015

I agree w/ gzinsel. Just sign it Clyfford Still, and hang it proudly on the wall.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...hS5r4bDPmP29OyVBc=&docid=-2GFBOZ-kQsIEM&itg=1

Herzeleid · Jun 2, 2015

Try doublecoating with %10 silver nitrate. If the problems gone it means you need a stronger silver nitrate solution.

I would have used slightly more than %12 to begin with because %2 salt and %2 citric acid in sizing.

Good reading on silver salt ratios.
http://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/POP/pop.html

pdeeh · Jun 2, 2015

It's just a miscoating, nothing to do with needing double coats or stronger nitrate or contamination.
you've missed the bit that is white, nothing more.

take more care with coating, do it under a tungsten lamp so you can see what you are doing, and perhaps try a different material than cotton wool - a foam brush for instance. Cotton wool strikes me as not the best choice - too absorbent

pneumato · Jun 2, 2015

gzinsel said:
well somewhat remote, but plausible, is contamination! 1.either the paper from a store you bought it from? someone could have spilled on it, then left it to dry. 2.you yourself or someone close to you could have done that too. remember there are chemical foggants out there.
I would strongly suggest you use a glass rod/push rod for both salt solution and for silver nitrate solution. If you haven't read MECHANISMS OF CONTROLLING COLOUR AND AESTHETIC APPEARANCE OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC SALT PRINT by eleanor d. young. Its a good read.

I used several papers with same results. All were high quality papers: Ruscombe Chateau Vellum and Fabriano Artistico. I discovered yesterday the thesis from Mrs Young, which is as you say an instructive book.
Thanks!

pneumato · Jun 2, 2015

Herzeleid said:
Try doublecoating with %10 silver nitrate. If the problems gone it means you need a stronger silver nitrate solution.

I would have used slightly more than %12 to begin with because %2 salt and %2 citric acid in sizing.

Good reading on silver salt ratios.
http://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/POP/pop.html

Thanks for your advice, I am going to try this today.

gzinsel · Jun 2, 2015

Looking at the "spot " in question. . .. . . there are hard lines, as if something dripped on it? I am assuming the "white area" of the print in the upper middle? correct. If you have tried different papers and still getting the identical "non-image" then something is blocking the negative, would be my guess. I am still uncomfortable with a cotton swab as the silver nitrate applicator, though! Although there is no connection with with the white spot and cotton swab. Also there appears to be uneven silver nitrate application, IMO. . . . the dark and light red splotchiness throughout. On a side note "all" these imperfections DO make the print! it was al very fresh in my view.

blank areas on salt print

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