Wet Plate Emporium. The Photographic Method of Van Dyke Brown Printing on Glass. myapphoto.

Transcription

1 Wet Plate Emporium The Photographic Method of Van Dyke Brown Printing on Glass Joseph J. McAllister myapphoto.com Author Notes: Original process by Joseph J. McAllister If you want to post my process to a website, please contact me, list my name and links. You can post it in forums or groups or share it at will. Thanks.

2 THIS COPY IS VERSION 3.4 Check a Newer Update Online

3 HOW TO TUTORIALS HOW TO MAKE GLASS CYANOTYPES [PDF] HOW TO MAKE GLASS VAN DYKE BROWN PRINTS [PDF] HOW TO MAKE GROUND GLASS VIEW PLATES [PDF] BELLOWS REPLACEMENT [PDF] VIDEOS GLASS CYANOTYPE PROCESS [YOUTUBE] GLASS CYANOTYPE TEST 1: FERRIC FERROCYANIDE (PRUSSIAN BLUE) + POTASSIUM CYANIDE [YOUTUBE] VAN DYKE BROWN MICROFORMS (MICROPHOTOGRAPHS) WET PLATE EMPORIUM PORTFOLIO BOOK [YOUTUBE]

4 HAZARDS OF WORKING WITH CHEMICALS Before working with photographic chemicals always look up the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for each chemical, and be aware that dangerous chemical reactions that are not listed can occur when mixing chemicals together. Chemicals used in photography can cause blindness, be carcinogenic, release poisonous gases, cause acid burns, and absorption heavy metals through the skin. Keep these chemicals out of reach of children and animals. Make sure emulsions are not mistaken for JELL-O Gelatin. Most of the chemicals used for photography are dangerous if handled improperly. MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEETS (MSDS) GREEN FERRIC AMMONIUM CITRATE TARTARIC ACID SILVER NITRATE

5 VAN DYKE BROWN ON PAPER PROCESS 1) Coating [Fluorescent light] 2) Drying 3) Exposure 4) Developing Use dim fluorescent light so you can see that you re getting an even coating Be as fast as possible, and turn back on safe light as soon as you re done Place paper on Plexiglas matte Use a syringe to make a line of solution across the top of the paper Use a sponge brush to coat the paper from top to bottom moving from one side to the other Brush edges (The edges often get an uneven coating) Brush from top to bottom moving from one side to the other again to pull any puddles off the paper, onto the Plexiglas matte [Safe light] Move paper to dry surface Fan dry in dark room When dry, use hand to sand the crystals off the paper for a sharper image Crystals cause unfocused refraction of light Check for damp spots Damp spots will leave orange blotches on the final print Yellow Orange (Finished) Water: Remove a bit of yellow from highlights 5-10 sec Hypo: Turn shadows brown 5-10 sec Water: 5-10 sec 5) Drying 6) Dark Box 7) Framing Place on towel Blot the front lightly paper towels Do not press the paper towel down, it will emboss & blur the image Fold the paper towel into a square, and flop it onto the damp stops repeatedly to absorb the moisture The paper towel works better as it collects moisture Move to dry surface Fan dry When dry, hand sand again to sharpen the image Keep the prints in a large cardboard box, with a black cloth over it, using a weight & strip of cardboard to hold the lid down Keep the prints in the dark box for 24 hrs after drying or the image will lose its brown color and turn black when exposed to light [White light]

6 The image is not truly stable until it is framed Out of frame it will loose its brown color in 2-3 months due to humidity The white areas may also darken and become blotchy

7 22.5 x 28.5 Van Dyke Brown print of Nicole Loretta by Joseph J. McAllister 2012.

8 Standard Modern Van Dyke Formula Green ferric ammonium citrate 9 g 36g 40.5 g Tartaric acid 1.5 g 6 g 6.75 g Silver nitrate 3.8 g 15.2 g 17.1 g Distilled Water 100 ml 400 ml 450 ml Sodium Thiosulfate Fixer (Hypo) 500 ml 1 liter 1 gallon Sodium Thiosulfate 5g 10g 37.85g Distilled water 500 ml 1000 ml 3785 ml Shake to dissolve Notes Van dyke brown formulas work better after they have had a few days to ripen Filter solution after mixing to remove crystals The longer the print is wet or soaks in baths, the image will loose focus due to expanding of the layers. The loss of focus doesn t come back after drying. Clean coating matte after each application or dry solution will track black streaks onto paper Print the paper as soon as it is dry. The longer you wait to print them, the longer the exposure needs to be. If the paper still has moist spots when exposing you will get bright orange patches Hand sand paper to remove excess crystals from surface before exposing and after final drying Develop in safe light or the image will have developing streaks The longer the paper is wet, the lighter and less focused the image will be Don t expose the image to light for 24 hrs or the brown tone will turn to black

9 LIGHT TONING ON PAPER The challenge with Van Dyke Brown prints on paper is trying to retain the brown or orange colors. The tendency is for the silver nitrate in the emulsion to turn the image to black and white. To retain the color, use a short hypo bath (Hypo turns the image dark brown), then dry the prints in safe light, and store them in a dark box for the first 24 hours. The print is now stable enough to be in white light, but it is not truly stable until it is framed. An unframed Van Dyke Brown print can loose detail, become blotchy, develop odd stains and turn black and off white in a few months. Using quality print paper will also help. To tone the print to black and white, dry the print in bright fluorescent light after it is fully exposed and processed. Then frame. This will create dark brown black, blue black and sometimes red black tones. Large light toned prints, McAllister 2012.

10 Various toned 8x10 prints, McAllister 2012.

11 ALL RAG PAPER All-rag paper is very desirable and archival paper for alternative process printing. Pure cellulose paper is made from cotton or linen rags. Papers made from wood pulp, straw or hemp can contain impurities that react with photographic chemicals that can destroy the image. All-rag paper is also stronger then other papers when wet and can better withstand processing. Use papers that are acid free and designed to be archival for photographic processes. Smooth paper produces high resolution images, although some printers prefer it to create a water color image look. Using hot press paper with a heavy press will help keep the papers layers from expanding during processing, which can cause blurring and weak contrast. Do not use printer paper. You need at least a thick smooth art paper. Avoid paper that is so smooth that it is a bit glossed in appearance. The emulsion will run off and not soak in. 100% cotton rag Unbuffered Minimum weight of 32 lb Hot pressed papers with a minimum 47 lb rating DISTILLED WATER It s very important to always use distilled water to make the emulsions & solutions for any photographic processes. During distillation, water is boiled, then the water vapor is captured and condensed into a clean container. Water distillation removes impurities such as sodium, calcium, iron, copper, chloride and sulfate. Impurities can react with photographic chemicals when mixing solutions and cause a grainy sludge that has to be filtered out. Distilled water has much less impurities, but the solutions may still need some filtering after mixing anyways.

12 MCALLISTER S GLASS VAN DYKE BROWN PROCESS Glass Van Dyke Brown Formula Green ferric ammonium citrate 18 g 36g 54 g Tartaric acid 3 g 6 g 9g Silver nitrate 7.6 g 15.2 g 22.8 g Gelatin g 52.5 g g Distilled Water 200 ml 400 ml 600 ml PROCESS 1) Mixing [Safe light] Pour the water into a stainless steel sauce pan Add Van Dyke chemicals one at a time, stirring to dissolve (Filter emulsion to get any un-dissolved crystals out) (Tilt the pan to check that the emulsion is free of un-dissolved crystals) Slowly stir in gelatin (Dissolve cold: Cakes in hot water) Slowly heat to F (48 0 C) stirring constantly (Remove from heat as soon as it reaches F or crystal formation will start & gel will burn on the sides of the pan) (Continue stirring the emulsion and tilting the pan until the gel coating the bottom of the pan is free of small gelatin specs) Let cool in fridge in light tight container 2) Coating [Safe light] Heat slowly in electric mini crock pot (If the gel boils it s ruined. Turn off after coating plates) (Do not use a fast heating device. It will ruin the emulsion) Fill ladle with emulsion (Use a stainless steel spoon to skim bubbles off surface before pouring) Ladle emulsion onto center of plate (Hold the plate waiter style with one hand & pour with the other) (Try to cover 80% of the plate with emulsion in the center) Tip plate to each corner allowing the gel to move slowly and not drip over the sides (Use two fingers to smear gel if spots are missed as you tip to each corner) Pour excess back into emulsion until stream turns to drips (Keep plate vertical: Do not allow gel to run back onto the plate The coating is only as thick as what is left on the plate after pouring off & what drains off as it dries vertically. Do not level until the plate is ready to expose!

13 The coating will seem so thin that it will look as if the plate is clean with no gel at all. That is actually the correct amount. Thick gel will expose slowly, and blister off the plate when drying.) Place drip edge on paper towel and allow it to soak up the brim (Keep moving it to a new spot on the paper towel. When it starts to slow down it is ready for drying) Use a paper towel to wipe off any emulsion that may have spilled onto the back 3) Drying I Fan dry until dry to the touch (25 min) Flip the plate & fan dry (10 min) (This step is to allow the gel berm at the button to dry) (The plate is done drying when the berm on the edge is dry enough that it won t stick to the paper during printing). (Do not over dry. The plate should have a clear dry film, not chalky or crystallized) Inspect gel for crystals, bubbles and uneven coating (If the coating is bad, the plate is not worth printing) (Use a razor blade to scrape off any over spill on the back, especially around the berm. Then use half of a damp paper towel to clean the over spill & the dry half of the towel to dry it) 4) Exposure Print until solarized or the emulsion is non-reactive Clear Yellow Orange (Finished) (If the plate turns red, the mid tones will be yellow instead of clear. Don t let one area expose more then another area. Consider doge & burn techniques). 5) Developing (The gel should be very strong and stay on the plate during agitation. If you notice the gel layer coming off the plate at the edges, discontinue agitation & allow the plate to just soak in the bath. The image will appear to fade during processing, because it is the same color as the safe light). PROCESSING BATHS Water To remove the unexposed emulsion 5-10 sec Hypo Water Turn emulsion brown 60 sec. No hypo for and orange image Remove hypo 5-10 sec Distilled water Remove hard water spots 5-10 sec 6) Drying II Fan dry vertically in developing tray 7) Cleaning

14 When the plate is dry, place the emulsion side down on a dry towel and clean the glass side with a small towel soaked with Windex glass cleaner. 8) Framing Frame glass side out, backed with white paper. Pack the frame so the paper is pressed tightly against the glass or the image will appear blurred.

15 8x10 Glass Van Dyke Brown Print, Joseph J. McAllister 2012.

16 8x10 Glass Van Dyke Brown Print, Joseph J. McAllister 2012.

17 GELATIN Knox original gelatine unflavored (32 oz). Food Grade. Wal-Mart $8.99. GELATIN HARDENERS ADDING MORE GELATIN One way to increase the gel strength is to put some powdered gel into a cup and add a little cold water to turn it into a thick lumpy gel. Heat up the emulsion in a crock pot and put the new gel on top. The new gel will liquefy along with the emulsion. GELATIN RATIO Getting the right gelatin ratio is not as simple as it sounds. The difference between a gel that is too strong or too weak is very slim. If the gel is too strong, it goes on too thick and blisters off the plate during exposure or after drying. If the gel is too weak, you end up with gel spots and the image washes off the plate in the first bath.

18 EXPOSURE (Layers from front to back in contact printing frame) 1 - Glass front 2 - Black paper vignette 3-8x10 Sheet Film (Emulsion side up or it may be ruined by gel over pour) 4 - Dry plate cyanotype (Emulsion face down towards white paper) 5 - White paper (Reflectivity decreases exposure time) 6 - Black paper (blocks light from entering back) 7 - Glass back Notes: Use dodge and burn techniques to insure even exposure Check the glass to make sure it s not heating up. If it is, back the light up. If the glass heats up the gel will start cracking and blistering off the plate Expose plate using a 500 watt tungsten fennel at 3.5 ft with medium focus Make sure the plate is facing the light directly and not at an angle If using the sun to expose, do not allow the plate to heat up The exposure needs to be sandwiched to the glass or it will just wash off. This is why we expose with the emulsion side down. During exposure, the gel will turn from blue to light blue repeatedly allowing a deeper layer to be sensitized by the light. Print until the contrast of the blue emulsion and the black negative are equal in contrast (solarized). This shows that the emulsion layers are thick enough to make a good print.

19 Contact printing in 11x14 frame using paper vignette.

20 Alternate vignette technique.

21 Mini crock pot and stainless steel ladle.

22 GLASS VAN DYKE BROWN TONING It is pretty hard to get the image to turn brown. Its tendency is to be bright red and orange. To get a true brown color you will have to soak the plate in hypo for prolonged periods of time. If the gel gets weak and starts to frill at the corners, dry the plate, then repeat. The plate will eventually stabilize, but it takes several long hypo baths to retain the color. Dry the plate in safe light. View it for a minute or two in white light to check the color then store it in a dark box for 24 hours until it has completely stabilized or it will start turning back to red. It is possible. I do have an unframed brown plate and clear plate, but more experimentation will be needed to find a better method of darkening the print.

23 Toned Glass Van Dyke Brown Print, Joseph J. McAllister 2012.

24 PRINTING DEFECTS AIR BELLS Air bells are a common flaw in dry plates. They are little bubbles of air trapped in the emulsion.

25 AIR BELL TRAILS Air bells often leave dark or light trails on the plate when the emulsion is being poured off after coating.

26 SNOW FLAKES (CRYSTALLIZATION) Small snow flake like crystal formations on dry plates formed when the emulsion is over heated. FRILLING Wrinkling of a gelatin layer at the edges during processing caused by the gel expanding and lifting from the plate.

27 BLISTERING Cracking and peeling of the gel layer from the plate during drying. This is caused from the gel layer being too thick. This can also happen during exposure when the glass heats up and the emulsion starts to dry and detach form the plate. GELATIN SPOTS Black chips in the final image. This happens when the gel is overheated and forms a hard burnt layer against the walls of the crock pot which may have been scrapped into the gel using a spoon. Never scrape the sides of the crock pot when pouring the gel back into the storage container.

28 GELATIN SPOTS Gelatin spots appear when the gel is too weak. In weak gels the image usually washes off the plate in the first bath as well.

29 DRIPS Drips happen during coating of the plate when the emulsion starts to cool before pour off. To avoid drips, make sure the emulsion is hot enough, and cover at least 80% of the plate when applying the emulsion.

30 EDGE BERM Edge berm is the build up of gel at the pour off edge. It forms when the plate is fan drying vertically. This can be avoided almost completely by taking time to absorb the emulsion at the drip corner after coating. Continue until the rate of emulsion being absorbed by the paper towel slows down.

31 HIGH LIGHT DETAIL WASHOUT In the print below you can see white patches where the high light detail has been washed out. This happens when the emulsion is dissolved during the initial wash. The highlights are the weakest part of the image. High light detail wash out indicates a weak gel.

32 DOUBLE EXPOSURE Double exposures can happen during exposure when the glass in the contact printing frame heats up. As the glass expands, gravity takes hold and the print slides down. Try to avoid printing with the frame vertical. Be aware of this if you are using a cheap or oversized printing frame that was not really designed for printing.

33 PURPLE & GREEN Using a strong gelatin mixture, helps to keep the gel from washing off the plate during the initial wash, especially the high light detail which is the weakest part of the image. The draw back, is as you increase the strength of the gel, it becomes harder to wash the unexposed emulsion form the plate. The green color below is unexposed emulsion, while the purple is the green emulsion after it has been exposed to white light. If you have already washed and dried the plate once, the emulsion is now very hard. At this point you can use cold tap water to work the unexposed emulsion out. Let the tap pour directly onto the areas you are trying wash out. Only do this for around a minute. Some of the green and purple usually won t wash out. While the plate is still wet, place it in a while developing tray and hold it in the sunlight. After 60 seconds these colors will turn clear and the blue will become a little more vivid. Place the plate in a tray of distilled water for another 30 seconds. The blue will become a little more vivid, and then start to lighten. Watch for this reaction on the plate. When it starts to lighten, remove it from the distilled water quickly, then fan dry vertically.

34 LINKS UNBLINKING EYE: CYANOTYPE FORMULAS BOSTICK & SULLIVAN PHOTO FORMULARY FREE STYLE PHOTO: ARISTA 8X10 FILM SUPPLIES