Mixing Palladium Solution from Palladium Chloride Powder

carbro · Feb 3, 2022

Hi All,
I am returning to platinum/palladium printing after a long absence, 1990's. In the past I had been working with B&S pre-mixed Palladium solution. I am now preparing to mix palladium solution from palladium chloride powder.
Is it looks as though for 25ml of palladium solution #3 is 15%. I have read that some have used 2.5 grams of palladium chloride with 25 ml of water. My calculation seems as though the required amount of palladium chloride needed for 25ml of 15% solution would be 3.75 grams?
Anyone be able to shed any light on that?
Thanks, Steve

Ian Leake · Feb 3, 2022

To prepare 25ml of a 15% sodium chloropalladate solution from sodium chloride and palladium(II) chloride:

Weigh 1.45g of sodium chloride (NaCl) into a glass beaker
Add 20ml of hot distilled water; stir until dissolved
Add 2.20g of palladium(II) chloride (PdCl2); stir until dissolved
Make up to 25ml with distilled water
Filter the solution into a brown glass storage bottle

carbro · Feb 6, 2022

Thanks Ian, I have your book coming today!
Steve

Ian Leake · Feb 6, 2022

carbro said:
Thanks Ian, I have your book coming today!
Steve

Thank you. Let me know if you have any questions when you get it.

carbro · Feb 13, 2022

Got your book, great read.
Couple questions: In the past I had dried all my coated papers with a hair drier. Is it possible to let palladium coated papers air dry, don't need to expose right away if they can be stored for a bit. Thinking in terms of not blowing
particles all around the room.
Also, have never used Tween 20. Is it needed on all papers, have heard not needed on Arches Platine. I have quite a bit of old stock.

Thanks, Steve

Ian Leake · Feb 13, 2022

carbro said:
Is it possible to let palladium coated papers air dry, don't need to expose right away if they can be stored for a bit.

Ideally you want the sensitiser bonded to the paper fibres but not absorbed too far. You can leave the sensitiser to dry naturally, but it's usually better to arrest drying early. It depends a lot on the paper.

Paper can be stored, if kept absolutely dry and then rehumidified before use. I've printed from palladium paper manufactured in the 1980s. That said, I think most contemporary printers prefer to coat their paper just before use. There are so many coating problems that only show up when you make the print, that it's usually better to do it this way.

carbro said:
Also, have never used Tween 20. Is it needed on all papers, have heard not needed on Arches Platine. I have quite a bit of old stock.

Tween 20 is only needed if the sensitiser doesn't get properly absorbed by the paper. If you find yourself brushing puddles of sensitiser around the paper for too long, then add a little Tween 20 and see if that improves absorption.

carbro · Feb 13, 2022

In years past I had used Cranes Platinotype, Arches Platine, Cranes Kid Finish papers. Tween 20 was not around in those days. Only time I would size paper at that time was for gum printing..

Ian Leake · Feb 14, 2022

carbro said:
In years past I had used Cranes Platinotype, Arches Platine, Cranes Kid Finish papers. Tween 20 was not around in those days. Only time I would size paper at that time was for gum printing..

In principle, I prefer to avoid additives in the sensitiser. When I printed on Buxton paper (and before that Arches Platine), I didn't use TWEEN 20 because those papers didn't need it. Nowadays I print on Rives BFK: the surface of this paper is very fragile, and I've found that TWEEN 20 helps get the sensitiser into the paper quickly so I don't need to do too much brushing. Whether to use this or not is a personal choice.

Mixing Palladium Solution from Palladium Chloride Powder

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