How many watts are the UV units? I ask because with my 1000W unit it takes about 30 minutes to expose to full dmax.
Indeed, there are a lot of variables that affect the end result. The trick is to change them one by one, until you find an optimum value for each, then keep everything as constant as possible.
The only thing that will always vary from a negative to the next is the exposure time. But that's easy to nail down. Make a few test prints with different exposure times, process them exactly as you would process the final prints (including toning, if you plan to do that with the final prints), then let them dry over night. Assess them the next day. That's all.
It's really easy once you get the hang of it.
Anyway, the second print doesn't look bad at all. You're getting very close. I think it needs just a bit more contrast, but that depends entirely on the negative you're using - it's not a vandyke processing error.
That's the only thing that might persuade me to take up kallitypes. But that will have to wait because in the meantime I've discovered the carbon transfer.
I'm sorry, I think I missed that. What's the borax solution for, and at what stage of the process do you use it?
Best method of imbedding iron in the paper. Detrimental to both the paper and image in the long term... See Marco B.'s article about iron in paper.
I beg to differ and speak as someone who does not follow formulas from books or articles, but use these merely as a guide and derives at image results through continuous practical experimentation. My van Dyke browns show no detrimental effects over time. You may also refer to the reply by Mike Ware about this question, who mentioned when silver nitrate is employed use Borax.
I don't mean a short timespan here.
Can you provide the link to Mike Ware's reply about borax usage?
See (there was a url link here which no longer exists) meanwhile. (Messages by Russ Young and Sandy King.)
And I agree with the former post, let's keep it simple. VDB is a simple and effective process. No need for special developers.
Regards,
Loris.
I think that folks are needlessly complicating what should be a very simple process. The biggest issue I'm seeing in this thread is paper choice. Choose the right paper and most of the complications go away. Papers that work well for me; Arches Platine, Canson Edition, Arches Vellin, and Borden & Riley Cotton Rag Drawing paper. There are other papers that work as well but personal testing is usually the recommended way to go (I'm going to test Revere Platinum this weekend). Once you have the right paper (and the right negative) vandykes can be done with reasonable consistency.
My processing method (single tray):
1. Wash - I use distilled water with a bit of lemon juice (my tap water is very chlorinated). I do seven, one minute soaks (constant agitation), dumping and refilling the tray each time.
2. Tone - I use a gold chloride toner (for at least three minutes). This toning bath is mostly for permanence, but also cools the image slightly and helps eliminate bleaching during fix.
3. Rise - Running water is fine at this point, but I usually just use the distilled water that's already sitting on the counter.
4. Fix - 1 minute in a plain hypo solution (1 tbsp crystals to 1 liter distilled water).
5. Wash - 15 to 20 minutes in running water
Prints are dried with my chromega set to "warm" and then waxed after drying.
Vandykes should never be more complicated than that. If you're adding that much complication, you may as well be doing kallitypes instead.
What I have found with Vandyke and Kallitype is that the paper is the most important factor, absolutely! But even using the best paper (ie. Platine or Bergger Cot) totally clearing the whites can be really difficult.
The detrimental effects of an incomplete clearing, if any, will be seen after many years, perhaps decades. So reporting back is not an option, at least not in the near future.Would someone on APUG please try my method and report back?
My variation about Van Dyke brown processing has surfaced on several occasions now, which seems to be a difference of opinion. Would someone on APUG please try my method and report back?
Thanks. Chemistry was never my forte, so I've gotta ask those silly questions or risk getting frustrated with bad prints or melting my fingers offThere's no standard, fixed molecular formula for the ferric ammonium citrate. There are several variations, depending on the way they're obtained.
As I understand, the green one is preferrable for iron-based printing processes, because it's said to be more consistent, but the brown one is also perfectly usable.
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