platinum/palladium printout with sodium paladium chloride

[Lukas Werth]

Some thoughts:
I yesterday made again a pt/pd print after 3 years abstinence from the process. I used a sensitizer of sodium palladium chloride an a little bit of potassium platinum chloride, ammonium ferric oxalate. Turned out just as expected, colour quite neutral, because I kept the paper quite humid.
I used to print a lot in this way (sodium pl ch with AFO), with or without pt, with or without other ingredients. Keep the humidity a bit less, and you get a printout in beautiful chocolate brown, exposure time goes up.
Anyone tried this? Why using lithium palladium chloride at all?

I also have a question for users of Arches Platine paper: is it currently working properly, or are there bad batches around? I ask because I am thinking of getting some, and as this is, due to my current residence, a major effort for me, I better make sure that it is likely to work.

 

[michael9793]

Well I just got in last month 50 sheets of 22x30 and did a 16x20 Palladium print and it turned out great. had no problems everything was as normal. IF you are questioning the paper, call B&S and talk to them about it. see if they are hearing anything. I'm sure they watch what they sell.

 

[Lukas Werth]

Thank you for your answer. I don't live in the USA, so it doesn't make sense for me to order from a US retailer. The reason I asked this was that in previous years, there used to be intermittent problems with this paper, to the extent that I had given up printing on it (considering also its price!), even though when it works, it works very well, and it is a beautiful paper.
Regarding my other question, and just out of interest, which palladium salt did you use?

 

[doughowk]

I get most of my pt/pd chemicals from B&S (occasionally Photo Formulary too); and use their sodium palladium [chloride?] solution.
As to papers not had any problems with Arches Platine, just don't like how it looses detail in the wash ( I believe Mike Ware commented on this trait). The Revere Platinum paper is a good alternative, though it does seem to have imperfections (eg, dense clots). I inspect it on light table before cutting to neg size. Bergger COT320 is my primary paper, and can be ordered directly from them. I've also started using the lightweight Kozu paper, and really like the results.

 

[Lukas Werth]

Platine looses details? This is news to me. Did you ever note this personally?
I printed my last image on Platine, and I observed the highlights very carefully. Some dry-down effect, but no loss of detail I could detect - nor do I remember noticing this any time before with Pd/Pt. Cyanotype is another matter, of course.

Regarding the sodium palladium, I don't know whether I made myself clear, what I wanted to tell is that I use it for print-out, and I would like to hear others' experiences of that.

 

[doughowk]

A quote from Mike Ware from the DPUG side:

Many hot-pressed papers, like Arches Platine, lose some of their calender in the wet processing, especially on the felt side.
Processed Herschel paper does not look much different, compared with processed Arches Platine - just a hint warmer white, perhaps, and a little more 'tooth'.

My experience is that by the end of the dev/clear/wash cycle, Platine does lose some of its detail. Its only my view, though. If you're using POP method, maybe Platine doesn't experience the loss as with DOP.

 

[ursbernhard]

I will certainly give sodium palladium a try; up to now I used ammonium tetrachloropalladate (Ware process).