Kallitype: Your Wisdom

[Franswa]

Hello good People. I’m about to begin my exploration into kallitype printing and would like to ask you for one single piece of advice that you found to be critical in helping you learn this process. What’s that one nugget of wisdom you wish you’d known known that you hadn’t previously?

 

[gbroadbridge]

Hello good People. I’m about to begin my exploration into kallitype printing and would like to ask you for one single piece of advice that you found to be critical in helping you learn this process. What’s that one nugget of wisdom you wish you’d known known that you hadn’t previously?

It's going to take a lot longer and cost more in materials than you ever expected, before you get to a reasonable print.

 

[retina_restoration]

Hello good People. I’m about to begin my exploration into kallitype printing and would like to ask you for one single piece of advice that you found to be critical in helping you learn this process. What’s that one nugget of wisdom you wish you’d known known that you hadn’t previously?

The best nugget of wisdom I can offer you is this: buy the Kallitype book by Don Nelson. There will be no unanswered questions if you follow this bit of advice.

 

[awty]

When I proposed to start Kallitypes along time ago, I was advised to start with VDB's, that I did and never progressed any further. VDB is easier and more affordable and so far I haven't seen anything in Kallitype or for that matter P/P to make me want to try either.

 

[revdoc]

I second VDB as the preferred path, if it's feasible. Kallitype is more flexible in terms of contrast, which makes it a better choice for film negs. With digital negs, VDB is the way to go.

My single nugget of kallitype advice: stick with sodium citrate developer. Clearing will be you biggest problem, and citrate developers are your best. option on that front.

 

[koraks]

Don't try to fix in the print what the negative lacks. Put differently: make the negative fit for the printing process.

 

[Tel]

Some years back I did a Kallitype workshop with Lisa Elmaleh at Penumbra in New York. She made it seem very do-able and it was: I bought the chemicals from Artcraft and made myself a UV lightbox and printed a bunch of things with satisfactory results. But the process literally left its mark--a group of black stains on my bathtub, directly beneath the spot where I hung my prints to dry, that have resisted all attempts to remove them. Anyone know the solution?