Showcase for Your HCWP's

[FotoD]

Much obliged, FotoD—I had not really read too much about “high temperature“ salting, but it certainly seems worth trying.

Yes, the high temperature is mostly important for melting the gelatin. It'll stay liquid even if the temperature drops a bit during coating.

The gelatin can give a little extra depth to the print as the silver sits more on top of the paper.

The drawback is that if you salt both sides of the paper with gelatin it tends to fog more easily. Probably because it won't clear as well.

 

[CreationBear]

Very interesting, somewhat akin to “humidity control” in pt/pd I guess—definitely food for thought!

 

[KYsailor]

I was able to make a few new prints. It is funny how much we forget when we aren't exercising the knowledge. Getting back on track though. I still need to calibrate the negatives for each paper but that is so dull and I just have fun printing by best guess, though that results in a lot of waste. I did do a deep dive with the thousand or so prints I've made. Decided to limit the number of papers I use to make life simpler. My selections ended up being Kozo, Hosho, Somerset and Revere Platinum for cyanotype. Fabriano Studio for salt prints. Stonehenge for Gum and Gum overs. Fabriano Unica for Cuprotype. I like Bergger COT but I was buying the 16x20 and cutting it down. There were a lot of seams in the paper that were annoying. They showed up as a ripple and I couldn't get them flat. Otherwise it is a good paper. Maybe I'l try it in smaller sizes.

The first one is on Kozo. The second is on Bergger COT.
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Very nice, I especially like the second - the mathematics of the image: 2 chairs-3 palms-4 windows is fascinating. I will have to try Stonehenge for gum. I have only used HPR and and some pre shrunk CansonBristolXL I had laying around. with so-so results ( primarily due to my color choices). Again very nice

 

[fgorga]

I haven't made a salted-paper print since back in November, roughly seven months ago. The last time I made any alt process prints (some sumac toned cyanotypes) was over a month ago. Where does the time go?

Any way... here are two new salted-paper prints made this afternoon.

Both are 4x5 inch images from digital negatives on Hahn. Pt Rag paper. I am aiming/hoping to eventually make 11x14ish images. (If I get there, they will be the largest salt prints I have ever made)

Portland Head (Maine) Light - from an exposure made several weeks ago.

Meetinghouse Interior (Rockingham, Vermont) - from an exposure made about ten days ago.

 

[NedL]

I haven't made a salted-paper print since...

Looks like a nice range of tones in both! Meeting house is a nice composition.

 

[KYsailor]

Excellent prints, both of them, great subject matter and comp. I like the tone, I have seen some salt prints that are more "ruddy" sort of a bit of reddish color to them - while these are a what I would call a warm black ... I am assuming no secondary toning. Be interested in seeing how they come out at 11 X 14, I have never tried to make any larger than 8X10.

Coincidentally, I just made some cyanotypes for the first time in several months - I purchased a bottle of the " new cyanotype" with some other supplies I was ordering and printed this print on Arches watercolor ..... I will say I like the really deep blues it produces.

Dave

 

[Patrick Robert James]

I haven't made a salted-paper print since back in November, roughly seven months ago. The last time I made any alt process prints (some sumac toned cyanotypes) was over a month ago. Where does the time go?

Any way... here are two new salted-paper prints made this afternoon.

Both are 4x5 inch images from digital negatives on Hahn. Pt Rag paper. I am aiming/hoping to eventually make 11x14ish images. (If I get there, they will be the largest salt prints I have ever made)

Portland Head (Maine) Light - from an exposure made several weeks ago.

View attachment 400178


Meetinghouse Interior (Rockingham, Vermont) - from an exposure made about ten days ago.
View attachment 400179

Looking good Frank! Larger prints just mean you need a bigger brush....

 

[Patrick Robert James]

Excellent prints, both of them, great subject matter and comp. I like the tone, I have seen some salt prints that are more "ruddy" sort of a bit of reddish color to them - while these are a what I would call a warm black ... I am assuming no secondary toning. Be interested in seeing how they come out at 11 X 14, I have never tried to make any larger than 8X10.

Coincidentally, I just made some cyanotypes for the first time in several months - I purchased a bottle of the " new cyanotype" with some other supplies I was ordering and printed this print on Arches watercolor ..... I will say I like the really deep blues it produces.

Dave

View attachment 400210

Nice Dave. I've never tried the new Cyanotype method. Quite striking. Almost looks unreal! Curious how you would compare it to the traditional method.

I bought some Arches watercolor paper in my last stack of paper purchase. I'm going to blame you if it doesn't work out! Lol.

I spent the last week or so chipping away at finding some type of calibration to make printing more predictable. I think I finally have some things set, so like Frank, I am going to print bigger. Got a stack of paper, a stack of Fixxons, and a printer that now works with a new head. Hopefully I'll make something worth making. That is the hardest part.

 

[KYsailor]

Nice Dave. I've never tried the new Cyanotype method. Quite striking. Almost looks unreal! Curious how you would compare it to the traditional method.

I bought some Arches watercolor paper in my last stack of paper purchase. I'm going to blame you if it doesn't work out! Lol.

I spent the last week or so chipping away at finding some type of calibration to make printing more predictable. I think I finally have some things set, so like Frank, I am going to print bigger. Got a stack of paper, a stack of Fixxons, and a printer that now works with a new head. Hopefully I'll make something worth making. That is the hardest part.

Patrick,

The "new cyanotype" is somewhat ( maybe a full stop) faster than the traditional, is a single solution and is developed ( according to CZ Anderson) in either a dilute sulfamic( 1/2 tbs/liter) or citric acid. Also it doesn't develop mold like the traditional - if you mix your own.

I purchased a 100 ml bottle from Mountain Intaglio ( Clay harmon's studio) for about $20. A cheap way to get started. Clay has told me that if you mix it 1:1 with water the resulting color is more like traditional cyanotype. HoweverI really like the deep blue/black.

Arches Watercolor is a great paper for cyanotype however it is buffered and it works best with cyanotype ( trad or new) if you add a drop of 40% citric acid for every ml of solution... this gives the best results for me.

 

[koraks]

The "new cyanotype" is somewhat ( maybe a full stop) faster than the traditional, is a single solution and is developed ( according to CZ Anderson) in either a dilute sulfamic( 1/2 tbs/liter) or citric acid.

@Patrick Robert James
Also relevant to mention in addition to the above is that the NEw Cyanotype response curve is totally different from classic cyanotype; the latter works well with negatives with a tonal range of around 1.5-1.8logD whereas New Cyanotype requires around 2.1logD. In my experience, New Cyanotype requires a strong acid (albeit dilute) to properly develop without staining; e.g. it may not work well with dilute acetic or citric acid (dilute hydrochloric acid e.g. 0.1% works well). New Cyanotype is much more finicky w.r.t. paper chemistry; papers that work great for classic cyanotype may not work well (lots of staining and low dmax) for New Cyanotype.

Properly made, the color and intensity of the blue on New Cyanotype is the same as for classic cyanotype, but there is lots of variance in cyanotype dmax among practitioners due to process and material variations. The difference are not inherent to the chemistry, however.

 

[fgorga]

Looks like a nice range of tones in both! Meeting house is a nice composition.

Thanks!

 

[fgorga]

Looking good Frank! Larger prints just mean you need a bigger brush....

and larger trays, table, etc., etc.

 

[fgorga]

Excellent prints, both of them, great subject matter and comp. I like the tone, I have seen some salt prints that are more "ruddy" sort of a bit of reddish color to them - while these are a what I would call a warm black ... I am assuming no secondary toning. Be interested in seeing how they come out at 11 X 14, I have never tried to make any larger than 8X10.

Thanks for the kind words.

No secondary toning. Not sure how I get the tone I do, but I like it!

My usual 'large' print is a 6x7.5 inch image on an 8x10 inch sheet.

I'll probably use one quarter of a 22x30 inch sheet of HPR for a larger print... in other words an 11x15 inch sheet. I guess that would mean an image of 9x11.25 inches.

Coincidentally, I just made some cyanotypes for the first time in several months - I purchased a bottle of the " new cyanotype" with some other supplies I was ordering and printed this print on Arches watercolor ..... I will say I like the really deep blues it produces.

Dave

View attachment 400210

This is a spectacular cyanotype. Really great dynamic range.

I've been using the classic cyanotype formula but your print has me thinking that I should investigate the newer options.

 

[fgorga]

Patrick,

The "new cyanotype" is somewhat ( maybe a full stop) faster than the traditional, is a single solution and is developed ( according to CZ Anderson) in either a dilute sulfamic( 1/2 tbs/liter) or citric acid. Also it doesn't develop mold like the traditional - if you mix your own.

I purchased a 100 ml bottle from Mountain Intaglio ( Clay harmon's studio) for about $20. A cheap way to get started. Clay has told me that if you mix it 1:1 with water the resulting color is more like traditional cyanotype. HoweverI really like the deep blue/black.

Arches Watercolor is a great paper for cyanotype however it is buffered and it works best with cyanotype ( trad or new) if you add a drop of 40% citric acid for every ml of solution... this gives the best results for me.

I have had good luck with cyanotype on many papers, including carbonate buffered ones, by using a solution of 10% vinegar as a 'developer'.

Prussian Blue is hydrolyzed under alkaline conditions. My guess is that the citric acid you use or the vinegar I use neutralize the carbonate buffer in the paper quickly enough that little if any hydrolysis occurs.

 

[Patrick Robert James]

Thanks for the above info Dave, Frank and Koraks.

I might pick up some New Cyanotype next time I order any chems. Might as well... I'm pretty happy with the classic formula. Been using it for years of course. Never tried anything else.

I just made a 12" print which is large for me. Got a 14" neg in the printer right now. Forgot how long the stinkjet takes to print! It is like Chinese water torture for cryin' out loud!

 

[fgorga]

I had some free time on the weekend and used it to make the large salted-paper print I mentioned above (post #804).

The image is 9x11.5 inches on a quarter sheet (11x15 inches) of HPR. I used a 3" brush for coating and a single tray for processing. I usually use multiple trays which allows me to be more efficient when making multiple prints in a single session.

However, I only have a few trays large enough for an 11x15 inch sheet of paper nor do I have the counter space for enough trays that large. Furthermore, since I was only planning on making two prints efficiency was not critical.

Anyway, here is a cell phone photo of one of the prints laid out on the floor. I don't have a scanner large enough for an 11x15 inch sheet either!

I've asked my friendly neighborhood framer to cut me a 16x20 inch mat with an appropriate window to finish this print appropriately.

Me thinks that I'll try a similarly sized print of the Portland Head exposure... stay tuned!

 

[Patrick Robert James]

Nice Frank. Well done.

 

[KYsailor]

very nice image, definitely worth framing - I was thinking of getting some larger fixxons to try some larger prints.