Cyanotypes?

Vaughn said:

If it reproduced accurately on the forum, I would say that it would have benefited with an intensifier bath after development. A brief dunk into a weak bath of Potassium dichromate would deepen the shadows and given more apparent contrast.

"Modern" cyanotype formulas toss in a little Potassium dichromate in the mix (along with Oxalic acid).

Papers that are buffered with an alkiline can be used if given a good soak in a 2% Oxalic acid bath -- I do this for platinum/palladium printing on some papers.

Keep it up!

Vaughn

Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice, I will say that at this stage of the game I'm going to stick with straight prints until I get a better feel for where I'm going with this. Once I've got to that stage I'll try toning/intensifying etc.

Cheers

Martin

Over the past several years I have made traditional cyanotype prints on a variety of papers including Prachmon WOve, Platine, BFK, Stonehenge, COt 320, and others.

Today as I finished a session testing VDB on Weston Diploma I decided to do a cyanotype on the last piece of paper whcih was cut to size. The negative which had been developed in Pyrocat HD had preinted on VDB in 75 seconds so I tried 4 times as long or 6 minutes.

This is one of the most beautiful cyanotypes I have ever made. I used not oxidizers at any stage, just the very traditional 2 part mixture 1:1. The shadows are almost impenetrable blue and the scale is wonderful.If anything, the printing time could be cut by 5 or 6 seconds to lighten the highlights a touch without resorting to bleaching.

I have to agree with Lukas wholeheartedly, I think Spirits... is a poor book. Richard Farbers book Historic Photographic Processes is IMHO a much better general intoduction into the world of alt processes.

J

I like this work, not personally being a lover of the blue image. I believe I might be about to see things differently !

I use Strathmore drawing 500 for cyanotypes. There is a small book of paper which will fit a 4x5" negative with room for a border. The paper is thin but it handles well. It is also very inexpensive. I buy several books at a time and I am usually broke.