Roger Hicks said:
Dear Jera,
I'm with Kerik. What gives you the results you like most? Before I started alternative processes, I'd seen a lot of Van Dyke/Argyrotype/silver-iron prints I liked; some salt print and platinum; and comparatively few cyanotypes or gum bichromates. So I put more effort into the processes I liked most.
Then there's POP, which I regard as barely alternative at all, and love.
Cheers,
Roger
You could get the identical look of pallaidum with palladium toned kallitype. Whenever I travel with images I take a couple of comparative prints made with both processes, using the same negative, and there is no one to tell them apart.
Pros and Cons?
Stability -- About same both way. When you tone a kallitype with palladium you replace a very high percentage of the silver metal in the image with palladium metal, so the end result is virtually identical in composition, regardless of how you begin the process. If you have any doubt about this, just bleach a kallitype toned with pallaidum and see what happens.
Ease of Operation -- Slight advantage to palladium because of fewer steps, but since kallitype prints faster there will be an advantage of total time of processing with some negatives.
Cost -- Can vary at lot, depending on choice of paper and quanity of purchase of pallaidum metal. However, by in my experience, giving every advantage to palladium, a palladium toned kallitype on most paper surfaces will cost only 1/4 to 1/2 of a straight pallaidum. And I am basing this cost on purchase of palladium metal in quantity, which I do, so that metal prices are rock bottom.
But this is not an either/or situation. Basiclally, since straight pallaidium and pallaidum toned kallitypes are virtually identical, and the materials and methods also virtually identical, beginning with kallitype is a very valid way to learn to make pallaidum prints at a much lower entry rate than if you start with straight pallaidum. The papers you use are the same, method of coating is the same, effects of temperature and humidity the same, etc. etc. etc.
And eventually, even if choose to make only straight palladium prints for sell or exhibition, you can use palladium toned kallitype to proof at much lower cost. This really makes a lot of sense with large prints.
Sandy
