Salt for saltprinting

Falkenberg · Jun 24, 2008

I am aware that normal chemical salt is cheaper than everything on the market, but I am still wondering if anybody have tried to use any of the natural salts on the market. For cooking they give a very different flavour, depending on the type of salt. Are there too many minerals in these types of salts for them to be used in saltprinting ?

Jim Noel · Jun 24, 2008

I use either non-iodized salt, kosher salt or sea salt for salt prints. These are listed in my order of preference,

Ole · Jun 24, 2008

I use simple plain coarse ocean salt (havsalt). Not the fancy gourmet stuff, but the cheap stuff you use for de-icing your front step - or for salting food for preservation.

Soeren · Jun 24, 2008

How about salt for the dishwasher?
kind regards

rwyoung · Jun 24, 2008

I've gotten good results with Morten's Kosher Salt, a non-iodine salt. However you may find something just as inexpensive at your local grocery.

Justin Cormack · Jun 24, 2008

I am not sure dishwasher salt doesnt have additives, and here (UK) a lot of salt is "free-flowing" which has additives. But sea salt or pure rock salt will be fine. I use the same salt I use for making bacon, the cheapest coarse sea salt I can find.

Photo Engineer · Jun 24, 2008

The salt you want for salt printing is Sodium Chloride. Sea salt contains Bromides and Iodides as well, and the other part of the sea salt is calcium, magnesium, potassium and trace minerals besides sodium. There are also carbonates. Commercial salts are made free flowing by the addition of silicates.

As a result, the papers may work but may vary from batch to batch or stain. The same types of salts mentioned here cannot be used to make an Azo type emulsion as one example, due to their impurity. I have tried!

BTW, Azo is basically a higher speed example of a salt print, made with purer ingredients and better control.

PE

dwross · Jun 24, 2008

Photo Engineer said:
The salt you want for salt printing is Sodium Chloride. Sea salt contains Bromides and Iodides as well, and the other part of the sea salt is calcium, magnesium, potassium and trace minerals besides sodium. There are also carbonates. Commercial salts are made free flowing by the addition of silicates.

As a result, the papers may work but may vary from batch to batch or stain. The same types of salts mentioned here cannot be used to make an Azo type emulsion as one example, due to their impurity. I have tried!

BTW, Azo is basically a higher speed example of a salt print, made with purer ingredients and better control.

PE

Actually, I make a lovely warm tone b&w paper with evaporated sea water salt (MASU). Since it comes from the same spot of protected Japanese coral reef (they say, and I've decided to believe) it should be fairly consistent from batch to batch. I think the miniscule amounts of odd chlorides is an advantage (at least in emulsion making). Unfortunately, lab grade NaCl is a whole lot cheaper.

My philosophy is experiment broadly and see for yourself. You never know when magic will happen.

http://www.thelightfarm.com/Map/ContactPaperDev/MapTopic.htm#WarmHeartRecipe1

Photo Engineer · Jun 24, 2008

Denise;

You are right, but I said Azo type paper.

Also, even in your own work, you may have variations over the long term. OTOH, you may not. In my work, I had problems with sea salt, table salt and Kosher salt.

PE

Kimberly Anderson · Jun 24, 2008

I have a 5-gallon bucket of salt taken from the Great Salt Lake at the site of Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty. I haven't made any salt prints with it yet...but it's on the list. Sounds like it may not work the 'best', but it might have an aesthetic quality that could be good. We'll see.

Justin Cormack · Jun 24, 2008

Photo Engineer said:
BTW, Azo is basically a higher speed example of a salt print, made with purer ingredients and better control.

PE

Does AZO print out then if you expose it for that? (I have never used it, though I am planning on trying your recipe).

Photo Engineer · Jun 24, 2008

Yes, Azo and all papers will print out. The formula controls the extent and color of the printout image.

PE

juan · Jun 25, 2008

I use Ammonium chloride for a redder tone. I've also used plain old KBr as the salt. It seems faster and is much more black than either sodium or ammonium chloride.
juan

Photo Engineer · Jun 25, 2008

Yes, the chloride is mainly UV sensitive, but the bromide has a lot of visible (blue) sensitivity. You would therefore probably get more speed from bromides. But, this is what I meant by using sea salt. The bromide and iodide content would vary and contribute to speed and tone changes.

PE

removed account4 · Jun 25, 2008

wynn white on alternativephotography.com
uses the tokyo bay water and gets beautiful results.

john

Photo Engineer · Jun 25, 2008

John;

I have seen Tokyo bay water. It looks like it can stand up and walk on its own. A lot of effluent used to run into that bay!

In any event, my comments on any sea water are based on variability not on utiliity. If Tokyo bay water has a lot of mercury, then perhaps people using San Francisco bay water might not be able to duplicate the speed or tone and vice versa.

PE

removed account4 · Jun 25, 2008

Photo Engineer said:
John;

I have seen Tokyo bay water. It looks like it can stand up and walk on its own. A lot of effluent used to run into that bay!

In any event, my comments on any sea water are based on variability not on utiliity. If Tokyo bay water has a lot of mercury, then perhaps people using San Francisco bay water might not be able to duplicate the speed or tone and vice versa.

PE

hi ron

hey says if anyone wants to use water from the tokyo bay,
he will be happy to ship it to them

i have a brackish stream, salt flats and a cove behind where i live
i have wanted to use them for salt prints for the longest time ...
maybe this fall, when the planets align and the moon is in aquarius
(and a phone call to b+s ) i will start all the projects i have wanted to start ..

...

john

Salt for saltprinting

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