Kallitype Highlights

[fhovie]

Greetings all:

I just finished developing my first two 8x10 film sheets from my newly acquired ancient 8x10 camera. Negs are good and I'll never think 4x5 is big again. So i am printing them on Kallitypes and I notice that when they develop - the detail and range is stunning. Somewhere in the wash, zone 8 and 9 fade away and by the time the fixer hits it, they are gone. I tried more print exposure, different coating thicknesses. I am using the formulas for developer, clear and fixer from Sandy's artical - I wonder what I am doing wrong??

 

[sanking]

Greetings all:

ISomewhere in the wash, zone 8 and 9 fade away and by the time the fixer hits it, they are gone. I tried more print exposure, different coating thicknesses. I am using the formulas for developer, clear and fixer from Sandy's article- I wonder what I am doing wrong??

In which wash does the image face? The one after developing, clearing or toning?

Are you toning your prints before fixing? Prints that are toned before fixing with either gold, palladium or platinum do not, in my experience, lose highlights during washing.

 

[sanking]

One other comment. Paper quality is very important in kallitype. If you doing everything right and still having problems it could be that the paper you are using is not good for kallitype. And bear in mind that there are inconsistencies in paper batches so that even a paper that has been described in the literature as one that works well for kallitype may not.

 

[fhovie]

I am printing on Cranes Planitype paper. It doesn't seem to matter which batch - either bright white or natural white. The bulk of the fading takes place in the water bath following development and then what little remains gets hit in the fixer. I am wondering if the sizing on the planotype paper keeps the emulsion from gripping real well and the highlights expose and develop and then fall off? Maybe I should soak the paper and press it and then coat it?

 

[sanking]

You may need to try another paper. There should be no fading in the water bath following developmen, and only a little during clearing. However, the image should recover all of its density during the first 15-20 seconds in the fixing bath. If you did not tone the image after clearing it may bleach back just a tad during the fixing bath if you fix too long.

Good kallitype papers do not need to be soaked and pressed to work well. If you must go to this much work it would be best to change papers.