gold chloride

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Photo Engineer

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I'm surprised, as gold tends to soften toe in paper emulsions and lower contrast.

Well, I guess it depends on what curve shape or effect you want as to what addenda you are free to use.

Typically, gold is used in film to get long scales, and cadmium was used to get high contrast in papers. Cadmium is no longer used in most commercial papers, but some smaller photo companies still use it to make papers with sharp toe and high contrast.

PE
 

David A. Goldfarb

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Well, it's a nice looking paper.

I've heard it said that gold chloride accounted for the high cost of Super-XX compared to other Kodak films. Any truth to that?
 
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ann

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we use it for toning.

And it is amazing how time flies, didn't realize how old this post was; i will be interested to see what folks come up as i might be interested in some more .
 

Photo Engineer

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David A. Goldfarb said:
Well, it's a nice looking paper.

I've heard it said that gold chloride accounted for the high cost of Super-XX compared to other Kodak films. Any truth to that?


No truth to that one whatsoever.

Gold is used at such a low level it may be considered a trace element. However, at the amount used by EK making all of that film, it was a big expenditure in the budget nevertheless. It just was insignificant on a per roll basis. And, it still is.

PE
 

dancqu

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ann said:
Have been shopping for gold chloride.
Is anyone aware of a price less than 13 dollars a gram?

Gold alone is now over $15/gram; $470/troy ounce +/- .
There are 31.1 grams/troy ounce. Dan
 

Rlibersky

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Photo Engineer said:
Typically, gold is used in film to get long scales, and cadmium was used to get high contrast in papers. Cadmium is no longer used in most commercial papers, but some smaller photo companies still use it to make papers with sharp toe and high contrast.

PE

What papers have cadmium today?
 

Photo Engineer

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Some of the smaller mfgrs. is about all I can say.

One engineer admitted it to me in a personal conversation, but I would rather not mention names here. It is legal in some countries and legal below some limit even where prohibited at high concetrations such as would be used by Kodak.

They use DDT in some countries.

PE
 

fparnold

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For those who are still interested in prices, Strem Chemical will sell 25 g for $480, or roughly $20/g, or 5 g for $140, which is $28/g. On the other hand, it's > 99.9% purity.
 
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dancqu

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McPhotoX said:
What are people using Gold Chloride for?

I suppose a few are using it to brew Nelson's Gold Toner.
A very little gold chloride will go a long, long, long way
when used in Nelson's.

Nelson's is essentially a hypo-alum sulfide toner where the
minute amount of gold present modifies the color from
sepias to warm blacks. Also, I suspect the gold acts
as a catalyst as Nelson's will tone even at room
temperatures.

All that is from reading. I've all the ingredients and hope to
be working with it by winter. Dan
 
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ann

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there are a whole slew of gold toners, GP-1 is very popular, as well as the Nelson's gold mentioned in the above reply.
Then there is Blue-gold toner, or a whole list of other formulas available

Just as an FYI, the Nelson's gold does better warm and will split as well. Be sure to use a fixer with hardner after toning
 

dancqu

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ann said:
There are a whole slew of gold toners,
GP-1 is very popular, as well as the Nelson's gold
mentioned in the above reply. Then there is
Blue-gold toner, or a whole list of other
formulas available.

Actually I don't think Nelson's should be considered a Gold
Toner. The capacity of Nelson's is so great and the amount
of gold in the toner so little as to cause one to question
why it is there at all. There is Zero alum. Hypo is
Nelson's main ingredient.

Save for some Hypo-Alum toner, I think Nelson's may be
the least costly of all archival toners. Dan
 

David A. Goldfarb

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So the best source I found was mostlymetals.com. It's run by an alt-process printer who sells as "nukey235" on eBay, and it started as a buyers club so people could make group orders in quantity, but he said that it was difficult to coordinate the groups, so he started just making the large orders himself and selling it, at what I'm guessing is a pretty low markup, given his prices. I won 3 g for $60 on eBay and asked if he had more at that price, and said he would sell it at an even lower price, depending on quantity. So I purchased 25 g at $17.40/g last week (and the price is going up), and it arrived today. I haven't toned with it yet, but it indeed looks like 25g of gold chloride and not, say, orange sugar crystals.

He also sells precious metal salts for pt/pd and other processes.
 

zsas

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Have been shopping for gold chloride. Is anyone aware of a price less than 13 dollars a gram?

Goodness how times have changed!! ^^^ $13 in 2003 adjusted for inflation for 2013 is really about $17 and the least I can find gold chloride is $45 a gram at Artcraft.com

Anyone have any better leads than that?
 

Robert Hall

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It's gone out of control. I was lucky enough last year to get some in trade. I now have 3 liters of 5% gold chloride. That just might last me the rest of my life.
 

noacronym

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Oh man I picked the wrong time to get interested in printing out paper.

When I saw this pop up I was thinking the same thing. Maybe in heaven they'll have Kodak Studio Proof F. Down here on this earth, you need a time machine set to about 1978 and buy up from all the camera stores in town.
 
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ann

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good heavens I started this thread 10 years ago, is that possible :smile:
 

Robert Hall

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Oh man I picked the wrong time to get interested in printing out paper.


Yes... Yes you did. :smile:

Don't forget, however, you can tone with Platinum too!

(you can also tone with selenium, so there's not excuse)
 

Robert Hall

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zsas

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good heavens I started this thread 10 years ago, is that possible :smile:

I thought about starting a new thread then chuckled when I saw gold chloride as a mere $13 ($17 in today's dollar).

If anyone can find less than $45 per gram (per artcraft.com) please post where you are sourcing it...
 

Gerald C Koch

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There is always the possibility of accidently making fulminates of certain metals such as silver and gold when dissolving them in the presence of nitric acid. These compounds are explosive and extremely shock sensitive.
 

kb3lms

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B&S' price on 100ml or 1% has not changed at least recently. Theirs was the best price I found last time I was hunting Gold Chloride.

For the love of God, though, do not try making AgCl3 by recycling gold scraps and connectors. It is dangerous, dirty and not worth the effort - even at these higher prices - despite the fact that it questionably works.
 

zsas

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B&S is looking a few bucks cheaper than Artcraft ($45) and B&S ($42.35), I've never ordered from either, when I cart Artcraft I get a grand tot of $56 w ship and tax. Is B&S shipping/tax less than $11ish anyone know? When I cart an item at B&S it won't give me a grand tot unless I fill in all the stuff....

Edit, I created an account at B&S and was able to get a quote, B&S takes the cake as the lowest $51.05 for 100ml of a 1% sol (aka 1 gram)....

If anyone can beat that.....chime in
 
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