Salt Printing Formula(es)

buze · Dec 6, 2006

I've been willing to give salt printing a go, but there seems to be various formulaes floating around, most especialy when it comes down to preventing fogging..
One (from http://www.alternativephotography.com/ article) proposes using citric acid directly with the silver nitrate solution for coating; some others, from other message on the net propose getting rid of the "extra" silver from the exposed print by first bathing it in sodium chloride solution, washing it, then fixing it...

Anyone have opinion/experience on the subject ?

gwatson · Dec 6, 2006

Hi Michel

Good meeting you today. In my experience, silver nitrate alone will fog salted paper. I have two stock soluions: 24% silver nitrate and 6% citric acid. Before coating mix together equal quantities of each: the combined soltion does not keep well. This works for me.

Geoff

Loris Medici · Dec 7, 2006

buze said:
I've been willing to give salt printing a go, but there seems to be various formulaes floating around, most especialy when it comes down to preventing fogging..
One (from http://www.alternativephotography.com/ article) proposes using citric acid directly with the silver nitrate solution for coating; some others, from other message on the net propose getting rid of the "extra" silver from the exposed print by first bathing it in sodium chloride solution, washing it, then fixing it...

Anyone have opinion/experience on the subject ?

FWIW,

A nice resource is "The Albumen & Salted Paper Book" by James M. Reilly @ URL http://albumen.stanford.edu/library/monographs/reilly/

Also there are many formulas @ URL http://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/Salt/salt.html

My recommendation would be to start with the least complicated formula / method...

Regards,
Loris.

gwatson · Dec 7, 2006

A quick correction: My stock solution of citric is 12% not 6 %.

Geoff

Jim Noel · Dec 7, 2006

I do not use Citric Acid with the silver nitrate. I maintain a careful balance between the %age solutions of salt and silver nitrate. I then re-salt after exposure which apparently converts the rest of the silver nitrate to silver cloride and I have never had a problem with fog.

Also I should note that I size my paper with gelatin regardless of which paper I am using at the time.

Justin Cormack · Dec 7, 2006

I have had success with using citric acid with the silver nitrate, and there was a fairly recent post about problems in not using it. But I think I was lucky with the first paper I used - almost all papers need sizing, even if they are properly sized it seems. That looks a bit like fogging - maybe its the chemicals in the paper too.

Salt Printing Formula(es)

buze

gwatson

Loris Medici

gwatson

Jim Noel

Justin Cormack

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency