Salt Prints on Fixed Out Silver Gelatin Paper

I am in the process of salting and sensitizing some expired glossy gelatin silver paper that I fixed and washed.

My first try with dry paper curled worse than an autumn leaf and I had so much salt solution on the back I just completely immersed it. Then I had the bright idea of soaking the paper for a few minutes in water and squeegeed the back and floated the paper. That worked quite well, but I am worried about having to sensitize dry paper. I am going to try to damped the back with a clean sponge or washrag to get some humidity back into the paper fibers. (RH in the darkroom is right around 50% and the temp is 68*)

Has anyone had success with any of this?

My respect for 19th century photographers is growing by the minute.

??

You probably won't get enough salt into the gelatin layer, so it's unlikely to work well at all.

Ian

What about the albumen trick of sticking the sheets together back to back by gluing the perimeter, fully immersing, then cutting the perimeter away afterwards?

some folks dip their paper in a bath of gelatin before they
put the layer of salt ( 10-12 % ) on the paper.
i don't believe the salt needs to be wet to put
the silver nitrate on it. sounds like fun though richard.

have you bathed your paper in saltpeter and turned it into POP paper yet ?
you can get your potassium nitrate at your local apothecary

report back ( please! )
john

I once tried Kallitypes on fixed silver gelatin paper, and worked OK except for solarization. I put a heating pad on table, then glass sheet, then taped paper onto glass. Let it warm up, then brush in sensitizer. Don't know how comparable this is to what you're trying to do.

I take it you are using the paper on the back side?. I have found with salted paper, I place the sheets on a line to dry. I do about thirty to fifty at a time. They do curl. I then once dry, place the in an old plastic "paper" bag. I place salted to salted surfaces together. Then back to back. I then place then under a book and then weights. The problem will reappear when you wet the paper again. However when coating with 13% solution you have the paper taped until dry. Then you expose and wet it all again. If you need anymore help just PM
Pat

I have one in the exposure unit right now from the set that I floated. The good news is the edges went dark after a minute and there is image 12 min. into the exposure (using a UV box), so it is working at least a little. The bad news is the coating is splotchy as all get out, and the edges are not as black as I remember POP being with no film base to blast through. It has the nice eggplant color though.

I am coating on the gelatin side, not the back, because I wanted a glossy print like POP was. There was a salt print on old fixed out silver gelatin paper (or two) by Emmet Gowin at the Princeton Museum that ended last week, and that is what got me going on this little kick. So I know it can be done. How long it will take me to do it well is another issue altogether.

I just finished salting by immersion six sheets I rubber cemented back to back. Those are drying now, and I will sensitize as soon as they are done to see if they end up being better.

Ian, that is a good point about the salt not getting very deep into the gelatin layer. I will try to mix some gelatin into the next mix of salt to see if that helps.

jnanian said:

have you bathed your paper in saltpeter and turned it into POP paper yet ?
you can get your potassium nitrate at your local apothecary

Click to expand...

John,
very interesting - can you elaborate on this?

I have made my POP by brushing silver nitrate solution onto outdated enlarging papers... used them with inkjet negs & in lumen printing.

Some examples here:
http://vedos.samk.fi/?cat=7

- Jalo