Loved this video Koraks, including the music, all done to a very high standard. I'm about to try salt printing myself. Thanks for taking the time to produce this helpful tutorial.
Beautiful demonstration -- and a very nice final print, too. I've done salted paper, about fifteen years ago, for a total of about five prints, and I can verify the difficulty of getting a good print from a "normal" negative. I might have to order in some silver nitrate and try it again -- with some additional development to the negatives.
Yes, it really works best with 'real' negatives, I find. Or at least that is in my experience the easiest way to get negatives that print well with this process. Just develop twice as long or so as you'd do for silver gelatin prints.
@@SilntObsvr Certainly! I have on occasion tried to make a duplicate, enlarged negative from 35mm onto large format xray film. It takes some experimentation to get the right contrast, but it works. Ortho litho film is quite comparable (but slower than xray film).
Excellent! I`m very interested in learning the processing of x-ray film. Can anyone recommend where I might get more info please? I looked up Mytol etc and already hit a wall. Pee
Thanks Andrew! No, I didn't do any calibrations other than that I know from experience how much exposure I need to get good dmax on the print. I just make sure to develop sufficiently to get enough contrast in the negative. I do this based on experience rather than measurement. It worked in the 1880s, it still works today :)
I very much enjoyed watching the process unfold. Nice job with the steps & documenting the process. I would like to try it now:) Where can I get the chemistry needed for salt prints? Thanks again:)
Thanks! Go ahead and give it a try. It's a rocky road trying to get to grips with it, but once you manage to make nice prints, it's very rewarding. Don't expect success on the first tries and it's going to take some commitment and experimentation, but it's very nice when you succeed in the end. The chemicals are fairly easy to get; I'd just look on eBay for the silver nitrate. Photographic fixer (neutral pH would be the best, but acetic fixer works as well) can also be found on eBay as well as at any online retailer for darkroom chemistry. The silver nitrate can also be bought from any vendor that sells stuff for wet plate collodion work (they also carry sodium thiosulfate which can be used as a fixer, but you need to fix for ~10 minutes if you use that instead of rapid fixer) and a few more specialist photographic materials retailers. The salt is just plain table salt, but make sure it is not iodised; in the US, kosher salt is generally a good choice I hear as it has no iodide in it.
@@koraks9939 Thank you taking the time to reply. It's definitely more involved than making a strait print, but the results look so beautiful! Thanks again! Will give it a shot!
Great video - I've got supplies on the way and I'm keen to try this out - initially directly from 120 film (small I know) and eventually larger format when I get the equipment/experience. Quick question - at about 12:30 you're applying what looks like masking tape and wetting it with a sponge - what is happening there and is that normal tape? Many thanks, Simon
Simon, that sounds good! Actually you can make very nice little prints from 120 film negatives. I've done so multiple times myself. Matted and framed they're really nice. As to the tape: it's gummed paper tape, which is used by watercolorists to tape their paper to the easel/board. It works very well to dry prints (also fiber based gelatin prints) perfectly flat.
hi nice demonstration. I have one question. I had good results making albumen and salt prints, but they were fading away during fixing. I was using Ilford rapid fixer. Any idea why? tnx
Thank you; the problem of fading is usually either because of insufficient exposure of the print, or too strong fixer. Since you're using a rapid fixer, try diluting it 1+20 or so instead of the normal, stronger paper or film dilutions.
@@koraks9939 thanks, i tried diluted fixer, but 1:10... still in search of sodium thiosulfate, which is hard to find here, in Macedonia, or i need ton of paperwork to import it :) tnx keep up the good work
Hello. I am a Korean subscriber. Nothing else, I'm using a Bristol watercolor and 240g of paper, but when exposed to UV rays, the image is partially invisible. I think it's a problem when brushing the paper. What paper do you print on?
Thank you for your message! I'm sorry to hear about your troubles getting an even coating. I personally print mostly on etching papers because they have only modest sizing and therefore just the right degree of absorbance to liquids for good coating. Also, I found it impossible to get a perfectly even coating with brushes, at least for the step where the silver nitrate is applied on top of the already present salt coat. As soon as the silver nitrate solution comes into contact with the salt, insoluble silver chloride is created, and when brushes are used, this silver chloride is effectively brushed around the paper, making it end up in an uneven pattern across the paper. I know that some get good results when e.g. brushing with balls of cotton wool (e.g. Borut Peterlin seems to be doing this), but I prefer a puddle pusher/coating rod. This gives me the best/most even coating with good density. For best results, I pick a paper with a fine surface texture, but not too shiny. The paper needs to have a bit of 'tooth' to it, without being coarse in texture.
In a well-made andespecially properly washed and fixed print, there is no disadvantage to not toning. If washing or fixing are incomplete, the image will fade over time, which doesn't happen as easily if gold (or platinum or palladium) toning is applied. Personally I use a toner because I prefer the deeper blacks and more neutral tone that gold toner gives over the tones of a natural/untoned salt print.
Many thanks! Yes, I do this with regular B&W film as well, but I did it with xray this time so I could also briefly show film development. Of course, regular (panchromatic) B&W film needs to be developed in complete darkness. But it works just as well as xray film - or actually a bit better due to the broader spectral sensitivity of normal film and overall higher image quality. But for the printing process, this doesn't make a difference.
Loved this video Koraks, including the music, all done to a very high standard. I'm about to try salt printing myself. Thanks for taking the time to produce this helpful tutorial.
Beautiful demonstration -- and a very nice final print, too. I've done salted paper, about fifteen years ago, for a total of about five prints, and I can verify the difficulty of getting a good print from a "normal" negative. I might have to order in some silver nitrate and try it again -- with some additional development to the negatives.
Yes, it really works best with 'real' negatives, I find. Or at least that is in my experience the easiest way to get negatives that print well with this process. Just develop twice as long or so as you'd do for silver gelatin prints.
@@koraks9939 of course, one option for an existing negative is to make a copy negative. Ortho lith film is cheap!
@@SilntObsvr Certainly! I have on occasion tried to make a duplicate, enlarged negative from 35mm onto large format xray film. It takes some experimentation to get the right contrast, but it works. Ortho litho film is quite comparable (but slower than xray film).
Excellent high speed demo!
Thank you Randy! I made sure to slow down the video in those moments that I deemed critical
Fantastic demonstration, really enjoyed your video.
Many thanks!
Beautiful
Thank you Marco!
Excellent! I`m very interested in learning the processing of x-ray film. Can anyone recommend where I might get more info please? I looked up Mytol etc and already hit a wall. Pee
nice
Thanks!
Does the citric acid used in preparation rinse out of the paper particularly easy? Do you have any way of reintroducing base buffers into the paper?
Really nice video and great print. Did you take the time to calibrate your exposure, negative density, etc?
Thanks Andrew! No, I didn't do any calibrations other than that I know from experience how much exposure I need to get good dmax on the print. I just make sure to develop sufficiently to get enough contrast in the negative. I do this based on experience rather than measurement. It worked in the 1880s, it still works today :)
I very much enjoyed watching the process unfold. Nice job with the steps & documenting the process. I would like to try it now:) Where can I get the chemistry needed for salt prints?
Thanks again:)
Thanks! Go ahead and give it a try. It's a rocky road trying to get to grips with it, but once you manage to make nice prints, it's very rewarding. Don't expect success on the first tries and it's going to take some commitment and experimentation, but it's very nice when you succeed in the end. The chemicals are fairly easy to get; I'd just look on eBay for the silver nitrate. Photographic fixer (neutral pH would be the best, but acetic fixer works as well) can also be found on eBay as well as at any online retailer for darkroom chemistry. The silver nitrate can also be bought from any vendor that sells stuff for wet plate collodion work (they also carry sodium thiosulfate which can be used as a fixer, but you need to fix for ~10 minutes if you use that instead of rapid fixer) and a few more specialist photographic materials retailers. The salt is just plain table salt, but make sure it is not iodised; in the US, kosher salt is generally a good choice I hear as it has no iodide in it.
@@koraks9939 Thank you taking the time to reply. It's definitely more involved than making a strait print, but the results look so beautiful!
Thanks again!
Will give it a shot!
Great video - I've got supplies on the way and I'm keen to try this out - initially directly from 120 film (small I know) and eventually larger format when I get the equipment/experience. Quick question - at about 12:30 you're applying what looks like masking tape and wetting it with a sponge - what is happening there and is that normal tape? Many thanks, Simon
Simon, that sounds good! Actually you can make very nice little prints from 120 film negatives. I've done so multiple times myself. Matted and framed they're really nice. As to the tape: it's gummed paper tape, which is used by watercolorists to tape their paper to the easel/board. It works very well to dry prints (also fiber based gelatin prints) perfectly flat.
@@koraks9939 thanks! Appreciate the response 👍
hi
nice demonstration. I have one question. I had good results making albumen and salt prints, but they were fading away during fixing. I was using Ilford rapid fixer. Any idea why?
tnx
Thank you; the problem of fading is usually either because of insufficient exposure of the print, or too strong fixer. Since you're using a rapid fixer, try diluting it 1+20 or so instead of the normal, stronger paper or film dilutions.
@@koraks9939 thanks, i tried diluted fixer, but 1:10... still in search of sodium thiosulfate, which is hard to find here, in Macedonia, or i need ton of paperwork to import it :)
tnx
keep up the good work
Hello.
I am a Korean subscriber.
Nothing else, I'm using a Bristol watercolor and 240g of paper, but when exposed to UV rays, the image is partially invisible.
I think it's a problem when brushing the paper. What paper do you print on?
Thank you for your message! I'm sorry to hear about your troubles getting an even coating. I personally print mostly on etching papers because they have only modest sizing and therefore just the right degree of absorbance to liquids for good coating. Also, I found it impossible to get a perfectly even coating with brushes, at least for the step where the silver nitrate is applied on top of the already present salt coat. As soon as the silver nitrate solution comes into contact with the salt, insoluble silver chloride is created, and when brushes are used, this silver chloride is effectively brushed around the paper, making it end up in an uneven pattern across the paper. I know that some get good results when e.g. brushing with balls of cotton wool (e.g. Borut Peterlin seems to be doing this), but I prefer a puddle pusher/coating rod. This gives me the best/most even coating with good density. For best results, I pick a paper with a fine surface texture, but not too shiny. The paper needs to have a bit of 'tooth' to it, without being coarse in texture.
Hello. I am a South Korean subscriber. What are the disadvantages of not using toner?
In a well-made andespecially properly washed and fixed print, there is no disadvantage to not toning. If washing or fixing are incomplete, the image will fade over time, which doesn't happen as easily if gold (or platinum or palladium) toning is applied. Personally I use a toner because I prefer the deeper blacks and more neutral tone that gold toner gives over the tones of a natural/untoned salt print.
DO YOU EVER USE REG B&W FILM? THIS WAS A VERY HELPFUL VIDEO FAST WHERE IT NEED TO BE?
Many thanks! Yes, I do this with regular B&W film as well, but I did it with xray this time so I could also briefly show film development. Of course, regular (panchromatic) B&W film needs to be developed in complete darkness. But it works just as well as xray film - or actually a bit better due to the broader spectral sensitivity of normal film and overall higher image quality. But for the printing process, this doesn't make a difference.
pleased subscriber