Kallitype Processing Question

All

I have a question regarding processing chemicals for Kallitype printing.

My Process is: Develop, Rinse, Clear (2 baths), Rinse, Fix, Rinse, Hypo Clear, Final wash

I am using Sodium Citrate as my developer and discard it after each printing session of a few prints.

I clear the print using 2 baths of Citric Acid and distilled water

Fixing in combined solution of Sodium Thiosulfate, Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Sulfite and distilled water.

Hypo clearing in Sodium Sulfite and distilled water which is discarded after a few prints.

My question is: how long is the clearing solution and fixer good for? Can I reuse them for a few days or should I mix up new batches for each printing session?

Thanks for your help.

Bruce

Staining can be a big problem with kallitypes, so I used fresh citric acid for every print. I buy it in 5 lb bags online. Hypo doesn't last long in the tray, so I mix it fresh for each printing session.

Philip

You must do a lot of Kallitypes to use up a 5lb bag. Where did you find this ? I have found 1 pound quantities listed at a few sources.

Do you have a favorite paper? I have been trying different papers just to gain some experience with the Kallitype process and to also determine my baseline exposure time.


Do you tone your prints and if so with what solution?

I have made a couple of purchases from NutriVitaShop on eBay. !0 lbs was $26.90 USD.
I purchased SODIUM THIOSULFATE Pentahydrate on eBay from chembasics, 5 lbs for $16.45.
These prices did not includes shipping, but still cost effective. One of the reasons I use so much citric acid is because I mix my own sodium citrate. I get 6 lbs of sodium carbonate from a local big box store for about $8 USD. I had much better success using fresh developer for every print.
I have used a few papers -- Rising Stonehenge, Fabriano Artistico, Bergger COT320, ... An acid pre-soak will help avoid staining with most papers. I recall that Revere Platinum stained even with very careful processing. The ability to control image with toners is one of the most compelling reasons for making kallitypes. I use various gold toners, platinum, and palladium. Sandy King has a lot of great info on kallitypes here: Kallitype.

Hi Philip

Thanks for the info regarding your chemistry sources. I will have to investigate these.

Are you acid presoaking all the papers you mentioned? I know that some papers require it while other dont need it.

I have been following Sandy King's process as he described in Unblinking Eye. Its a big help.

By the way, do you have a web site or a Flicker site where I can view some of your Kallitype prints?

Bruce

I also tried Clearprint and Canson Edition, and Arches Watercolor. I didn't expect to have to soak unbuffered papers that always work for platinum/palladium, but most of the papers I tried did better with an acid soak - either a stronger image, or no staining. I did use distilled water for *all* processing and I measured the pH of the developer with a calibrated meter. Everything was one shot, including toners. I will probably make some more kallitypes later this year.
Sorry, no web site. If you want to see/show handmade prints, schmooze with alt practitioners, and enjoy some good eats, check this out:

Save this Date, Saturday, Aug.30, 2014, Labor Day Weekend. The Bostick & Sullivan Platypus Party. In beautiful Santa Fe, NM. Show prints, see old friends, meet new friends, eat, drink and enjoy the day! More details will be on our website soon.

Philip

Thanks for the info.