36 EMULSION WORK - Silverprint

EMULSION WORK 

Emulsions - Introduction 

Commercial photographic printing papers, although still 

available in quite a variety of types and finishes, impose 

several limitations. The paper type is pre-ordained by the 

manufacturer and must be a highly machined product 

that will pass through the elaborate manufacturing 

process. Probably the greatest constraint is that the 

printer is limited to working upon a two dimensional 

plane. 

Self-coated emulsion offers the simplest way to unshackle 

oneself from the manufacturer, as an image can be 

placed on a wide variety of surfaces, many unusable with 

other alternative photographic processes. 

Now that high quality emulsions have become available 

in a packaged form, serious experimentation is taking 

place for what appears to be the first time in the history 

of the medium. Shape, dimension, surface quality and 

type of base material are all much more in the hands of 

the print-maker. 

Yet though a great range of innovative possibilities have 

opened up, at the same time emulsion can be used as a 

fine printing tool, enabling individually crafted photographic 

papers to be produced - which are otherwise 

unavailable from any manufacturer. 

However, simply mimicking manufactured materials need 

not be the goal - one could use them in the first place. 

Furthermore the most successful works with emulsion 

are often technically imperfect. A certain expressive 

spontaneity and randomness is one of the reasons for 

working with the medium. This involves stepping away 

from the machine consistency - and hence somewhat 

clinical character - of regular photographic products. 

A few practical points 

Storage 

Emulsions do not keep well when stored at relatively 

high temperatures, and should always be cold stored 

(down to 4° C. preferably) prior to use. Don’t worry about 

this if you are going to use it in a day or two, but for any 

length of time, return it to the fridge. Especially, do not 

buy emulsion from any outlet that is obviously not cold 

storing it. Ours is always fresh, and is cold stored from 

manufacture (in the UK) until it goes over the counter. 

Any emulsion that has been left un-fridged for say, a 

year probably is not worth bothering with. Do not waste 

your time, get some fresh product. 

Expectations 

It is possible to get a ‘result’ with emulsion quite easily, 

to get consistency and smooth coating very much more 

difficult - even photographic coating companies can have 

technical difficulties, even failures of whole batches, and 

they are in the manufacturing business! Regard it as 

another craft process, requiring the development of 

experience and techniques to be able to work 

confidently with it. 

Fog 

This is the constant enemy, fogging will build up by 

exposure to safelights during coating, drying, and after 

exposure during development. This is a main reason for 

always using fresh emulsion, it gives a head start in 

minimising the fog level. 

SE1 Emulsion 

Further Reading 

The great range of artistic possibilities and variety of 

techniques offered by liquid emulsion is explored further 

in Silver Gelatin: A User’s Guide to Liquid Photographic 

Emulsion, published by Aurum Press. This was 

written in-house here in 1995, and has remained in print 

ever since, being the only book dealing exclusively with 

emulsion techniques. 

36 

SE1 Emulsion is made for us by one of the main photographic 

manufacturers in this country, this is a normal 

contrast bromide emulsion which is versatile and easy to 

use. Contrast: reasonably hard grade 2. The high silver 

content allows a certain degree of dilution with water in 

many cases. If applying to a transparent medium use full 

strength, but on opaque surfaces such as paper do tests 

using 1 + 1 and 1 + 2 dilutions with water. SE1’s substantial 

concentration of high bloom gelatin yields good 

adhesion to many surfaces, often without subbing 

beforehand. Processing is as for normal paper- the emulsion 

is quite robust, and does not usually need hardening, 

or the use of slow fixing agents. The image colour is 

neutral to slightly warm-black, and it reacts well to toners 

of all types including selenium, even lith. development. A 

separate subbing solution is available for optional use 

when coating smooth surfaces such as glass. Please 

note we always cold store emulsion- avoid buying it from 

any outlet that does not fridge it. 

Download the PDF of the emulsion instructions from our 

website - it contains the most essential details to start 

working with emulsions. 

67 607 240ml SE1 15.32 18.00 

50 890 1 litre SE1 45.00 52.88 

61 630 5 litre SE1 160.00 188.00 

15 560 Subbing / Hardening Solution, powders for 1l. 2.00 2.35 

MACO Emulsions 

The Hamburg-based photo. distributor MACO launched a 

range of emulsions several years ago, which are an 

alternative to the ‘SE’ variety. 

Available as a single graded hard-contrast emulsion, or a 

variable contrast emulsion that can be used in conjunction 

with filters, as well as several accessory products 

including hardener and gelatin substrate. 

26 268 MACO Normal/Hard Emulsion 500ml 25.49 29.95 

25 302 MACO VC Emulsion 500ml 25.49 29.95 

42 334 Hardening Additive 6.40 7.52 

51 752 Photo Gelatin 6.99 8.21 

Silver Gelatin is split into two clearly defined sections: 

the first section features the work of photographers and 

artists including David Scheinmann, Chris Nash, Lana 

Wong, Melanie Manchot, Jennifer Bates, Gary Kirkham 

and Jane Quinn, including many colour illustrations and 

several interviews. The second section is a clear and 

concise technical guide, taking the reader comprehensively 

through all the necessary information needed to 

produce exciting images on hand-made paper, plaster, 

fabric, glass, glazed ceramics, rubber, slate, metal, painted 

surfaces, wood, plastics, stone, and canvas. 

Technical sub-sections detail, step-by-step, the ins and 

outs of Base Selection; Emulsion Coating; Printing and 

Processing; Finishing and Storage; Troubleshooting; 

Camera Plates; and application of further techniques 

including toning. Formularies of print developers, stopbaths, 

bleaches, toners and the emulsions themselves 

complete this exhaustive publication. Accompanying the 

text are many full-colour examples.

ALTERNATIVE PROCESSES 

INTRODUCTION 

SALTED PAPER 

Alternative photographic processes are myriad, although 

those commonly practised are the ones detailed on these 

pages. Most originate from the earliest days of photography, 

and are evolutionary steps towards the sophisticated 

films and papers used today. These notes were originally 

supplied by Hope Kingsley, and contain enough 

information to start experimenting with the processes. 

The series of kits manufactured by Fotospeed are a 

possible way of easing oneself into the processes, 

perhaps before buying the raw chemicals oneself and 

making prints from the absolute basics. A particularly 

good workshop book is ‘Spirits of Salts’, details opposite. 

William Henry Fox Talbot’s original salted silver nitrate 

paper evolved between 1834 and 1839. Talbot used 

smooth writing paper washed in a weak solution of common 

salt, dried, then coated with a solution of silver 

nitrate, resulting in light-sensitive silver chloride. Once 

dry, the paper could be printed out in strong sunlight. The 

resulting image of metallic silver was fixed in a strong 

solution of salt. 

Talbot refined the process, and Sir John Herschel suggested 

sodium thiosulphate (hypo) as a fixing agent. 

Salted paper was the basis for Talbot’s Calotype process, 

which used silver nitrate and gallic acid to develop up a 

latent image in the exposed paper, and is the foundation 

of modern silver-based photography. 

The Process 

Paper: good quality art paper. 

Note: rinse utensils, etc. with distilled water before use. 

Salting solution 

1.8% solution Sodium Chloride 

(1.8g to 100 ml purified water) 

Salt the paper by soaking in the salting solution for about 

2 minutes. Be sure to disperse any air bubbles that may 

form on the surface. Blot with photographic blotting paper, 

and allow to dry. 

Sensitising solution 

3g silver nitrate to 20ml. distilled water 

20% solution Citric Acid (saturated solution, 2g to 10ml 

distilled water) 

Mix 3 ml Silver Nitrate to 0.3 ml Citric Acid - just before 

coating. 

Sensitise the paper in subdued tungsten light 

Dry paper in the dark, then re-humidify over bath of 

washing soda or plain water. 

Printing 

Contact print by inspection in sunlight or under an ultraviolet 

lamp, until the image is 1/2 stop over-exposed. 

Wash the print in running water until the milky silver compound 

has completely dispersed (2-20 minutes, depending 

on paper weight. 

Fixing 

Fix the print in a plain sodium thiosulphate fixer for 5-30 

minutes (depending on the paper, as above). 

Wash in running water for 15 to 30 minutes, depending 

on the paper weight. 

Salt Printing Kit 

Fotospeed produce a Salt Printing Kit. If you have experience 

of this the best route is buying the raw chemicals, 

but if you need an introduction this is a good way of getting 

going. 

49 006 Salt Printing Kit 38.30 45.00 

Recommended Reading 

KALLITYPE PROCESS 

37 

“Spirits of Salts’ is a packed 140 page book, dealing 

practically and comprehensively with all the alternativephoto. 

processes, from silver through Cyanotype to 

Platinum, even featuring chapters on getting started with 

Photogravure. Written by Randall Webb and put 

together here at Silverprint, this is aimed to be 

an essential text for anyone venturing into alternative 

processes for the first time. 

Chapters include; Salt Printing, Printing-Out- 

Paper, Kallitype, Platinum & Palladium, 

Cyanotype, Gum Printing, Bromoil, Oil Printing. 

Separate sections cover general information, 

including exposure, making large format negatives, 

selection of paper etc. A resource section 

lists virtually all other reference books, and 

related websites and e-mail bulletin boards. 

Unique in providing a simple darkroom manual, 

giving a comprehensive survey of the history, 

theory and practice of all the ways of putting 

photographic images on paper, as well as on other surfaces 

such as fabric, ceramics, wood, metal and glass. It 

contains reference only to those processes that are 

capable of being worked by the average competent photographer 

or printmaker. It also avoids those processes 

that are either unsafe, 

impractical or for which materials are no longer available 

and which are of academic interest only. 

This is an iron-silver process. In 1842 Sir John Herschel 

invented the chryso-type process, using a strong solution 

of ferric ammonium citrate as a light-sensitive coating on 

paper. Once exposed, the paper was developed up with 

silver nitrate (Herschel first used gold chloride), washed, 

and fixed in hypo (another of Herschel's many 

innovations). 

The latterly termed Argerotype process was not much 

used, but in 1889, W. J. Nicol based his Kallitype 

process on Herschel’s work. Known as the ‘poor mans 

platinum’, the Kallitype had many complex and sometimes 

highly toxic variations. In its most basic (and least 

toxic) form, a light sensitive coating of ferric ammonium 

citrate and silver nitrate produces a sepia image of great 

richness. 

The Process 

Sensitiser 

Note: Rinse all utensils in distilled water before use. 

Make 3 separate solutions; 

6g Ammonium ferric citrate in 22 ml distilled water 

1g Tartaric acid in 22 ml distilled water 

2.50g Silver nitrate in 22 ml distilled water 

The tartaric acid should be freshly mixed just before 

combining the solutions to sensitise. The other solutions 

will keep in brown bottles, away from light. The 

ammonium ferric citrate solution may need to be filtered 

before use. 

Mix the first two solutions. Add the silver nitrate slowly, a 

few drops at a time, stirring well to be sure that there is 

no milky precipitate. 

Paper 

Use a good quality art paper. 

Sensitise the paper by coating (see ‘Cyanotype’ 

for suggestions) in subdued tungsten light. 

Dry in the dark. 

Printing 

Expose in sunlight or by ultra-violet lamp in contact 

under a negative until the image prints out. Do not overprint: 

the image will intensify during fixing. Wash in running 

water until all milky silver nitrate residue disappears. 

Fixing 

12g Sodium thiosulphate in 1 litre water 

Fix until image reaches maximum density: beware of 

over-fixing, which will erode the image. Wash thoroughly 

in running water (up to 30 minutes if thick paper is used). 

Note: Iron-silver prints may be toned with gold toner as 

per (Talbot’s) salted paper.


ARGYROTYPE 

Some Alternatives in the 

Chemistry 

If Silver(I) Oxide is difficult to 

obtain, 8.4 g Silver Carbonate 

may be used instead; but it 

should be dissolved at room 

temperature in a tall vessel - 

a 250 or 500 cc measuring 

cylinder to contain the spray; 

adding the Silver Carbonate 

in small portions, and allowing 

the effervescence to die down 

each time. 

Silver nitrate, more commonly 

available and cheaper may 

also be used. Precipitate 7 g 

Silver(I) Oxide from a solution 

of 10.3 g Silver Nitrate by 

adding a solution of 2.5 g 

Sodium Hydroxide; after filtration 

and washing, the moist 

precipitate may be dissolved 

in the Sulphamic Acid. 

The inherent problem of the iron-based silver processes 

lies in the danger of leaving residual ferric iron in the 

print, to its eventual undoing as the image is attacked. 

The Argyrotype process, developed by Mike Ware, has 

been designed to avert this problem, and ingeniously 

uses a little known silver salt, silver sulphamate, 

manufactured ‘in-situ’. The resulting acidic sensitiser can 

be washed out of the paper cleanly. Brief working details 

are included here, and we can supply the Fotospeed kit, 

as well as the sensitiser on its own. 

For more information go to Mike Ware’s website; 

www.mikeware.demon.uk 

Argyrotype Sensitiser 

Chemicals needed (GPR grade ca 98%) 

Sulphamic acid 7.6g. Silver (1) Oxide 7.6 g. Ammonium 

Ferric Citrate (green) 23g. Tween 20 0.8ml (surfactant, 

assists spreading, poly-oxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate) 

Distilled water to make 100 ml. 

Procedure for making up 

Use subdued tungsten light. 

Dissolve the sulphamic acid in about 700ml of distilled 

water at room temperature. 

Add the powdered silver(1) oxide in small portions with 

vigorous stirring so that it dissolves over a period of 

about 20 minutes or so. (Ignore any grey crystals that 

separate out at this stage.) 

Add the ammonium ferric citrate in portions with continuous 

stirring until it is dissolved. The solution will appear 

murky green at this stage. 

Add the Tween 20, mixing well, and make it up to 100ml. 

with distilled water. Filter the solution, and store it in a 

brown bottle, kept in the dark at room temperature. 

Notes: On storage, the sensitiser may slowly deposit 

a small amount of black solid. This does not 

significantly impair its strength, but if troublesome it 

should be filtered off. To make a more contrasty sensitiser, 

an additional 10g of sulphamic acid may be added 

per litre of solution. 

Coating and Exposure 

Coating is most easily done using a glass rod as spreader 

as under ‘Coating Methods’. Dry thoroughly, as wet 

sensitiser will ruin a negative. Pre-humidifying the paper 

will give a cooler purple/brown. Not all papers are suitable, 

do some tests. Printing is by contact, using Ultra- 

Violet or sunlight. Exposure time is likely to be 1 or 2 

minutes in sunlight, and can be gauged to some extent 

by the degree of printing-out visible from the front of the 

contact frame, although a ‘split’ frame is a great help. 

Argyrotype Processing 

Immerse in running water (or 3 or 4 changes 

of static water) until the yellow background has disappeared, 

which will take about 5 mins. 

Immerse in a 2% sodium thiosulphate fixing bath for 

about 3 mins. The image will cool. 

Wash in running water (or static changes) for about 20 

mins. 

Drain and air dry. The image tones “dry-down’’ somewhat. 

Notes: The dilute fixing bath will need replacement frequently. 

This should be carried out when the colour shift 

from orange to brown becomes sluggish. 

Over-exposed prints may be “reduced” by prolonging the 

fixing time Very delicate gradation in the high values 

may be obtained by leaving the exposed print in a humid 

atmosphere (100% R.H.) for about 10 minutes before 

wet processing. 

The Argyrotype Kit 

Contains: Sensitiser 50ml (sufficient for 40 - 8x10in 

applications), Syringe 2ml, Fabriano paper 5 sheets 

8x10in, Kodak direct duplicating film 5 sheets 5x4in, 

Two glass coating rods 4in and 8in, Hypo crystals, 

Protective gloves and full detailed instructions for use. 

Sensitiser, Glass coating rods and Hypo are available 

separately along with traditional contact frames with 

hinged backs in 8x10in and 12x16in. 

9 430 Argyrotype Kit 35.19 41.35 

16 532 Argyrotype Sensitiser [included in kit] 19.33 22.72 

PRINTING-OUT PAPER 

A traditional POP (printing out paper) produces a strong 

image purely by the action of light. Very slow, UV or 

sunlight must be used, which requires contact printing to 

a same size negative. The colour on first exposure is 

aubergine purple, which turns to amber when fixed in 

sodium thiosulphate. If the original colour and tonal 

range is required, the print can be gold toned before 

fixing, (see examples in the news pages at the back). 

38 

The Chicago Albumen Works / Kentmere Photographic 

Limited CENTENNIAL Printing-Out Paper (P.O.P.) is a 

silver chloride, gelatine emulsion coated onto double 

weight fibre-base paper stock. The emulsion surface is 

glossy, with a very fine lustre. The emulsion contains a 

slight excess of silver nitrate, and thus will print-out with 

great intensity. No developer is required; the image is 

formed directly by the action of the light during exposure. 

The color of the printed-out image may be variously 

described as blood-red, rust-red, brick-red or plum-red. 

The color of the processed image will range from 

orange-brown for prints which are merely fixed, through a 

rich chocolate brown for prints which receive a moderate 

toning, to purple-brown for prints receiving maximum 

toning. 

The paper can be handled in dim incandescent illumination 

for short periods of time. It is sensitive to blue and 

ultraviolet light only, and its printing speed is extremely 

slow. Due to the reactivity of the silver nitrate and the 

absence of super-coatings this paper fingerprints easily. 

Handle with clean and absolutely dry fingers, by the 

edges only. 

Storage 

The shelf life of this paper will be determined by the temperature 

and humidity of its storage conditions. It is 

imperative that unprocessed paper, exposed and 

unexposed, be stored in its original plastic envelope at a 

temperature of 21°C (70° F) or lower, and at a relative 

humidity of 50% or lower. Shelf life under these 

conditions should be at least one year. Some yellowing 

of the emulsion is normal, and a large percentage of any 

visible yellowing will be removed during processing. For 

longer storage, it is highly recommended to seal the 

plastic envelope and refrigerate or freeze the paper. 

Exposure 

The printing speed of this paper requires exposures be 

made by contact under illumination by a strong ultraviolet 

light source, such as direct sunlight, open sky, mercury 

vapor lamp, or black light printer. Exposure times with 

such sources will be measured in minutes. Increased 

contrast, of more than one printing grade, may be 

achieved by exposing for extremely long durations (24 

hours or more) under fluorescent illumination. A splitback 

printing frame is customarily used, as the degree of 

print-out may be inspected without losing registration 

between the negative and the printing paper. (Be sure to 

inspect in dim light so as not to fog the image.) Print until 

the image is somewhat darker than desired in the finished 

print, for processing lightens the printed-out image. 

Printing times using daylight will be varied, with the exact 

time depending on the density of the negative being 

printed and the quality of the light, ie the sky conditions, 

the time of day, and the time of year. 

While the colour of the printed-out image will be a rich 

red-brown color, its exact shade will vary depending on 

the temperature during printing, the humidity, the nature 

of the light source, the characteristics of the negative, 

and the particular emulsion number in use. However, differences 

in the print-out color have little bearing on the 

color of the finished print, for toning and fixing are what 

principally determine the final hue. 

For full instructions and more background material download 

a copy of Chicago Albumen Company leaflet from 

this address; 

Web address: /www.albumenworks.com/directions.html 

Code Net +VAT 

8x10 10 sh 43 896 8.60 10.11 

9.5x12 10sh 43 903 12.30 14.45 

12x16 10sh 43 928 20.50 24.09 

1 metre x 10 metres 44 026 164.00 192.70


BROMOIL 

The Bromoil Process 

In 1907, working from the research of Howard Farmer 

and E.J. Wall, C. Welbourne Piper publicised the working 

details of a process that produced an inked image from a 

silver bromide paper print. A non-supercoated paper 

print is treated in a dichromated bleach solution, converting 

the silver image back into silver bromide. The bleaching 

bath also hardens or tans the gelatine in proportion 

to the amount of silver present. The print is washed in 

water, swelling the gelatine into a relief matrix that will 

accept greasy ink in the shadow and mid-tone areas, but 

repel it in the highlights (where the water content is highest). 

Once the matrix has been drained and blotted, the 

original photographic image can be inked up with a large 

blunt-cut brush, or small rubber brayer. Bromoil transfer 

is a variant of the above wherein the inked matrix is 

printed onto a second sheet of paper. A mangle press or 

the back of a spoon can be used for the transfer, which 

is suitable for colour work as a series of selective matrices 

can be printed in register to produce a coloured 

image. 

Materials 

Paper- Kentmere Art Document bromide enlarging 

paper, contrast grades 2 or 3 Print the bromide print for 

both highlight and shadow detail, printing somewhat 

darker and flatter than usual. Develop, wash (do not use 

stop bath) and fix using the solutions below, and wash 

thoroughly. 

Developer - use a developer having a minimal hardening 

effect on the gelatine of the paper: Amidol and 

Sodium Sulphite, or: Kodak Dektol diluted 1 part developer 

to 10 parts water. 

Fixer - without hardeners. A basic fix normally contains 

acidifiers but no hardeners. If in doubt, try Tetenal 

Variofix, the new powder packing ‘Silverfix’, or a 100 

grams per litre solution of plain hypo (sodium thiosulphate) 

with 5 grams / litre of added sodium bisulphite or 

sodium metabisulphite. These fixers can also be used to 

fix the bleached print 

Bromoil Bleaching Bath 

Copper sulphate15 g 

Potassium bromide 15 g 

Potassium dichromate 1 g 

Mix in 375ml. distilled water, then top up with water to 

make 500ml. stock solution. Store in a dark brown bottle, 

away from heat and light. 

Dilute for use: 1 part stock to 3 parts water. Bleach in the 

bleaching bath until the image is a faint beige colour, and 

leave in the bath for half again as long. Wash thoroughly 

and fix as usual. A grey-ish image should be barely 

visible. 

Dry the print, and store away from light. 

Inking 

Adana letterpress inks or Charbonnel litho. inks. Add 

French chalk to increase tacky consistency, a solvent is 

extra-refined lighter fuel. 

Soak the print in water at 20°C for at least 10 minutes. 

Place the print face up on a paper towel to blot water off 

the back, then face up on a smooth waterproof surface. 

A tilted sheet of melamine or plexiglass is suitable as an 

easel. 

Blott the surface of the print (gently) with a damp 

chamois. Work over the print with brayer, covering entire 

surface quickly then more carefully redistributing and 

clearing highlights and mid-tones. Or, with a brush, start 

with a hard consistency of litho ink and hop this onto the 

entire surface of the print. Work over the print with shorter 

hopping strokes to redistribute the ink from the highlight 

to shadow areas. Once inked, the print will take 

about 24 hours to dry thoroughly. 

Bromoil Brushes 

These are British made to original specifications, and are 

produced in 2 qualities. Both are available in a range of 

5 sizes. These are basic quality, ie without copper wire 

tying, set in plain metal ferrule. 

12 816 No 2 Bromoil Brush 3.28 3.85 





Bromoil Video 

39 

The roots of the process can be traced back to the early 

1800’s, but it was not until the early 20’th century that the 

technique was perfected, reaching its zenith of popularity 

in the 1920’s and 1930’s. The late Norman Gryspeerdt 

made bromoil pictures for over 50 years, and was one of 

the most significant exponents of this technique world 

wide.In this video he describes and demonstrates the 

technique, so that by following the various steps the photographer 

will quickly obtain a working knowledge of the 

process and be ready to commence making pictures. 

Stocked in DVD format. 

21 883 Gryspeerdt Bromoil DVD 16.96 19.93 

Bromoil Kit 

The Fotospeed Bromoil Kit contains : Bleach Tanning 

Chemistry, Bromoil Paper 8x10in 10 sheets (a non 

supercoated, low contrast paper on a D/W fibre base - 

specifically made for the Bromoil process), one real 

Bromoil brush, 4 Inks (Black, Yellow, Magenta and 

Cyan), Inking tile, gloves and full detailed instructions. 

Bromoil Paper in 12x16(10) and 16x20(10), Inks (black, 

yellow, magenta, cyan), brushes (in varying sizes) and 

chemistry are available separately. 

23 842 Bromoil Kit 34.00 39.95 

27 694 Black Ink 30ml 4.32 5.08 

27 701 Yellow Ink 30ml 4.32 5.08 

27 726 Magenta Ink 30ml 4.32 5.08 

27 738 Cyan Ink 30ml 4.32 5.08 

27 740 Bromoil Chemical Pack 4 l. 9.18 10.79 

Paper for Bromoil 

The most suitable paper is one that we originally 

comissioned as a special making for the process, then 

retitled as the new Kentmere Document Art, and now 

about to be discontinued! Check with us or our website 

for remaining stock of this paper.See page 5. 

The Art of Bromoil & Transfer 

Written by the Canadian Bromoil expert David Lewis, this 

is a beautifully illustrated self-published book delving into 

all aspects of this resurging medium. As well as extensive 

details of working methods, contains many portfolio 

examples reproduced by full colour printing. 

1994 David W. Lewis, Hardback, 120 pages 

25 889 The Art of Bromoil & Transfer 25.00


CYANOTYPE 

New CYANOTYPE 

Invented by Sir John Herschel in 1841, this simple 

process gives a continuous-tone image of Prussian Blue 

using a sensitising solution of Ammonium Ferric Citrate 

and Potassium Ferricyanide. These iron salts, when 

exposed to natural or artificial ultraviolet light, are 

reduced to their ferrous state, producing a high contrast 

blue image when oxidised. Oxidation is hastened by 

immersion in running water, which also washes away the 

unused iron salts. 

The Process 

Solution A 65 g Ammonium ferric citrate (green) in 

distilled water to make 250ml total. 

Solution B 23 g Potassium ferricyanide in distilled water 

to make 250ml total. 

Note : distilled water is more commonly known as 

'purified water'. 

Store solutions separately in brown glass bottles, away 

from light. Filter before use, and mix in equal proportions 

A to B. 

Printing 

Paper: For all alternative processes high quality art 

paper such as those used in printmaking or watercolour 

work are most suitable. Somerset Satin and Waterford 

Satin are good papers to start with, however it is 

advisable to make tests to find a paper to suit your 

requirements. 

Coat in subdued tungsten light, and dry away from light 

and heat. Print by contact (in a printing frame with a full 

sized negative) in sunlight or by an ultra-violet light 

source until the shadows look bronzed. Allow at least 

one stop over-exposure to compensate for loss of 

density during processing. 

Development 

Immerse in running water, and wash until the chartreuse 

stain of the ferric ammonium citrate has completely 

disappeared. Take care to avoid excessive washing as 

this will tend to wash out the image. 

THE CYANOTYPE KIT - Contains: Sensitiser 50ml 

(sufficient for 40 - 8x10in applications), Syringe 2ml, 

Fabriano paper 5 sheets 8x10in, Two glass coating rods 

4in and 8in, Protective gloves and full detailed instructions 

for use. Sensitiser, Glass coating rods and Hypo 

are available separately along with traditional contact 

frames with hinged backs in 8x10in and 12x16in. Raw 

chemistry is available on request - please phone. 

Cyanotype is in a single solution, and is an updated 

version of the original process. Using Ammonium Ferric 

Oxalate to give a good blue that does not wash out, this 

solution is twice as sensitive to UV as the traditional 

version. Development in water and citric acid can be 

used to manipulate contrast. All images are made by the 

contact system, where the image depends on a negative 

of the appropriate size. 

15 670 New Cyanotype Kit 28.98 34.05 

75 872 New Cyanotype Sensitiser [included in kit] 11.41 13.40 

GUM BICHROMATE 

In 1839, Mungo Ponton published a paper on the light 

sensitive properties of chromates. These are strong alkaline 

compounds that are available today as potassium or 

ammonium dichromate (bichromate is the older and 

more common term). In 1852, Fox Talbot used animal 

gelatine in combination with dichromate. He observed 

that the dichromated colloid hardened in proportion to its 

exposure to sunlight, and applied the principle to an 

early photogravure process. This work formed the basis 

for many later photographic and photomechanical 

processes. In 1894, A. Rouille-Ladevez redefined the 

process, producing prints for an exhibition at the Photo- 

Club de Paris. His work inspired photographers whose 

pictorial work derived from Impressionism in fine art, and 

great use was made of the gum bichromate process as a 

method of producing the painterly images so characteristic 

of turn-of-the-century art photography. 

Materials 

Gum arabic; Available as prepared liquid gum arabic 

(avoid acid preservatives) or mix dry gum (acacia) at 1 

part to 3 parts water. Dissolve (overnight), strain, and 

add optional preservative (phenol based such as thymol, 

never formalin or formaldehyde) 

Pigment; Water colour for transparency, or designers 

gouache or casein for more opacity. Powdered pigment 

should be ground with a small quantity of liquid gum arabic. 

Potassium Dichromate (bichromate) Ammonium 

Dichromate (bichromate) is capable of a more saturated 

solution, decreasing exposure time, but giving some 

problems of exposure control. 

Paper; a good quality, sized, art paper is recommended. 

The Process 

Potassium dichromate: make a 10% saturated solution 

(10g to 100ml distilled water) The solution will keep in 

the dark. If crystals form during storage, redissolve by 

warming the bottle. Mix the gum solution and sensitiser 

in equal parts. Use as soon as possible. Add to prepared 

pigment. 

Coat paper with a soft, broad brush, and allow to dry 

away from light and heat. The prepared paper will keep 

for several days in the dark, but works best when used 

as soon as possible. 

Expose the paper to sunlight or a mercury vapour lamp 

by contact printing under a negative. Exposure time will 

depend on density of negative and type of light source, 

but always look for a brown print-out in the shadows and 

the start of the mid-tones. The colour of the pigment in 

the coating will also affect exposure time: blue and green 

requiring less time than red or yellow. 

'Develop' the print in a bath of tepid water. Slide the print 

into the water (face down). Soak (a few minutes to several 

hours, depending on exposure). Unexposed gum will 

dissolve, while gum hardened by the action of light and 

chromate will remain. Gum coating can then be removed 

locally by the application of a stream of water or gentle 

brushing. Flatten the wet print against a tilted, waterproof 

board to dry. The gum print can be overprinted by 

recoating (once dry), re-exposing and developing. 

Staining of pigment in the highlights can be minimised by 

the application of paper size, and the dichromate stain 

can be removed in a 5% potassium alum bath, or by 

re-soaking the finished, dried print in warm water. 

Gum Bichromate Kit 

More correctly ‘dichromate’, but the old name isn’t going 

to go away, the Fotospeed Gum Bichromate provides an 

‘out of the box’ introduction to this fascinating process, 

yielding the most ‘painterly’ effects of any of the alternative 

processes.The kit contains: sensitising & clearing 

solution: half-tone solution: shadow solution: watercolours 

in tubes, Lamp Black, Payners grey & Burnt 

Umber. Also included are a pair of surgical gloves, and 

10 sheets of HP watercolour paper. Concise instructions 

are included. 

48 837 Salt Printing Kit 34.04 40.00 

40


FILMS 

COATING 

Maco Genius Film 

If you're going to give a film a name, go for the top. What 

the name does not disclose though, is that this is a lith 

type sheet film, and a good replacement for Kodalith 

Ortho, which is now discontinued. It can be controlled in 

contrast by choice of developer, using lith developers 

such as the Champion Novolith, Fotospeed or Forte 

products to achieve 'lith' contrast with total elimination of 

half tones. Otherwise lower contrast can be produced 

using print developers, or lower still in negative developers. 

Genius is orthochromatic so can be developed by 

inspection using a red safelight. 

39 309 Macolith 5x4" 100sh 25.06 29.44 

20 457 Macolith 8x10" 10sh 10.50 12.34 

34 297 Macolith 9.5x12" 5sh 8.50 9.99 

96 595 Macolith 12x16" 5sh 13.45 15.80 

42 373 Macolith 16x20” 5sh 21.00 24.68 

Ilford Ortho Copy Plus Film 

Behaviour like FP4 without red-sensitisation. Relatively 

high sensitivity for camera use, (40 ISO in tungsten, 80 

ISO in daylight) and normal contrast. Available only in 

sheet sizes. Useful where response to red is not 

required, and development by inspection in red safelighting 

is needed. If photographing to reproduce a 'vintage' 

look it may be useful, as its response is closer to old blue 

sensitive films than modern panchromatic materials. 

84 083 Ilford Ortho Film 5x4" 25sh 16.54 19.43 



Digital Transfer Film 165 micron 

A Permajet product, clear inkjet film with an improved ink 

receiving layer that handles considerably more ink than 

other films. This yields high density large format negatives 

that can be used to contact print onto normal printing 

papers or be used in alternative processes. It is a 

fast drying water resistant film with high clarity. 

42 708 A4 10 14.43 16.95 

41 347 A3 10 28.89 33.95 

Coating Rods 

The preferable alternative when using some sensitisers, 

particularly platinum and palladium, where a substantial 

amount of very expensive sensitiser can be left unrecoverable 

in the brush. A syringe is used to lay a line of sensitiser 

onto the paper, and the rod is then touched down 

onto the paper at this point. It can then be drawn down 

the paper, pulling with it the reservoir of liquid. The 

amount of sensitiser should be calculated to be absorbed 

after about 5 passes, and the result will be a carefully 

metered application of sensitiser over the selected area. 

However, the only choice over coating width is the width 

of the rod, and for this reason several are offered..All are 

made from thick gauge glass tubing, turned at the end to 

provide handles. 

13 697 11” Coating Rod 9.19 10.80 

13 660 8” Coating Rod 7.94 9.33 

13 658 4” Coating Rod 7.16 8.41 

Jiaban Brushes 

These Chinese made goats hair brushes are ideal for 

use with most alternative processes because a) they 

contain no metal parts and b) are very inexpensive. 

Especially suitable for applying liquid emulsions. 

However in some cases, particularly platinum/palladium 

processes, the use of a coating rod may be preferable, 

as a brush retains a significant amount of the significantly 

expensive sensitiser 

34 575 Jiaban Brush 2” 2.63 3.09 

30 516 Jiaban Brush 2.5” 3.68 4.32 

45 233 Jiaban Brush 3” 4.20 4.94 

18 790 Jiaban Brush 4.5” 5.25 6.17 

CONTACT FRAMES 

WEIGHING 

BOOKS 

Lotus Contact Frames 

41 

Not cheap, in fact outrageous, but then so is a Rolls 

Royce. The Lotus frames are exceptionally well made, 

on a par with the best wooden camera making, which 

indeed is the other side of the Lotus business. We do not 

keep these in stock, they are shipped out by the UK 

importer, so if you are making it part of a larger order, the 

frame will arrive packed separately. 

The 20x24” model is made to special order, and takes 

about 3 weeks. 

--- Lotus 10x12” Contact Frame 275.00 323.13 



Electronic Balances 

For many years we supplied a traditional pan balance 

with weights, but the manufacturer called it a day in the 

end...less aesthetically pleasing, but easier to use and 

more accurate, a choice of two electronic balances. 

The Salter 3010 weighs from 1g to 2kg, and this is accurate 

across the platen - some other relatively cheap 

balances can vary quite widely depending on where the 

load is placed. 

A membrane covers the switches, and controls are 

ON/ZERO, OFF, and a switch between KG/LB 

The Salter1250 is designated an ‘Electronic Travel Diet 

Scales’, and provides ultra fine 0.1g increments as 

required by diabetics - this makes it equally useful as a 

highly accurate chemical scales. Compact enough to 

travel with, only 120 x 120 x 170mm, and the weighing 

tray inverts as a cover for the platen. Uses a CR2032 

lithium coin battery 

21 871 Salter 3010 Electronic Balance 25.00 29.38 

45 575 Salter 1250 Electronic Balance 30.00 35.25 

Making Digital Negatives 

PAPER for ALT. PROCESSES 

'Making Digital Negatives' was first self-published by Dan 

Burkholder in 1995, and was a very useful little 70 page 

booklet aimed at introducing the photographer with an 

interest in fine art into using digital techniques. The new 

second edition weighs in at a mighty 350 pages, covering 

a greatly extended range of topics. As we are importing 

the book from Dan himself, we are able to offer the 

book at the same price as the original edition, only £30. 

This also includes a CD containing calibration tools, test 

images, image layout templates, curves and colour table 

settings, which you use as you follow the steps in the 

book and run your own tests. 

15 412 Making Digital Negatives 30.00 

We do not profess to be paper merchants, but keep a 

few specialised papers (at present down to one) suitable 

for alternative processes. Arches Platine is natural white 

and is particularly suited to iron-based processes such 

as platinum. 

3 656 Arches Platine, 300 g 10sh 16.00 18.80

RAW CHEMICALS 

The listing on this page contains most of the raw 

chemicals used in commonly used formulae. 

Some chemicals not listed are possibly stocked 

or can be ordered. Some toxic chemicals, (such 

as mercury salts) we are unable to supply, or 

any chemical interpreted as being used for illegal 

activity (such as drug refining). We are not able to ship 

any raw chemicals outside the UK. 

ITEM QTY CODE NET +VAT 

Acacia (gum arabic) 100g 16 117 4.81 5.65 

Alum - see Potassium aluminium sulphate 

Amidol (diaminophenol dihydrochloride) 25g 85 249 14.50 17.04 

p-Aminophenol 25g 23 108 2.75 3.23 

Ammonium alum 100g 56 123 2.80 3.29 

Ammonium alum 500g 16 131 12.09 14.21 

Ammonium bromide 100g 65 663 3.39 3.98 

Ammonium carbonate 100g 2 605 4.41 5.18 

Ammonium carbonate 500g 54 871 19.09 22.43 

Ammonium chloride 100g 20 541 1.33 1.56 

Ammonium chloride 500g 16 300 5.76 6.77 

Ammonium citrate 100g 67 108 7.85 9.22 

Ammonium dichromate 25g 38 215 2.00 2.35 



Ammonium ferric citrate (green) 25g 71 888 2.23 2.62 



Ammonium oxalate monohydrate 100g 47 062 8.38 9.85 

Ammonium persulphate 100g 56 356 2.36 2.77 

Ammonium persulphate 500g 43 916 10.21 12.00 

Ammonium iron 111 oxalate trihydrate 25g 89 769 5.00 5.88 

Ammonium thiocyanate 25g 20 747 2.07 2.43 

Ammonium thiocyanate 100g 8 041 6.54 7.68 

Ammonium thiosulphate. 500g 27 655 5.05 5.93 

L-Ascorbic acid 25g 56 926 3.39 3.98 

Benzotriazole 25g 27 215 5.49 6.45 

Boric acid 100g 2 023 1.51 1.77 

Boric acid 500g 21 785 6.56 7.71 

Calgon 500g 53 578 5.07 5.96 

Catechol 25g 94 793 2.50 2.94 

CD3 (Colour developing agent no. 3) 25g 5 179 3.13 3.68 

CD4 (CIolour Developing Agent no. 4) 25g 46 296 4.86 5.71 

Chrome alum 100g 13 453 3.34 3.92 

Chrome alum 500g 82 490 11.41 13.41 

Citrazinic acid 10g 11 980 3.53 4.15 

Citric acid 100g 20 539 1.55 1.82 

Citric acid 500g 97 971 6.25 7.34 

Cupric bromide 50g 31 502 9.30 10.93 

Cupric chloride 100g 46 660 4.95 5.82 

Cupric sulphate 100g 33 175 4.46 5.24 

Cupric sulphate 500g 46 697 15.50 18.21 

EDTA acid 100g 76 039 4.37 5.13 

EDTA (tetra sodium) 100g 4 851 5.44 6.39 

EDTA (NaFe) 100g 7 251 1.95 2.29 

EDTA (di-potassium) 100g 6 503 11.76 13.82 

EDTA (di-sodium) 100g 55 109 8.54 10.03 

EDTA (di-sodium) 500g 87 805 36.42 42.79 

Ferric ammonium citrate - see Ammonium ferric citrate 

Ferric ammonium sulphate 100g 87 930 4.49 5.28 

Ferric chloride 100g 76 137 3.00 3.53 

Ferric nitrate nonahydrate 100g 7 578 7.85 9.22 

Ferrous sulphate 100g 54 306 5.59 6.57 

Formamidinesulphinic acid 100g 3 519 15.00 17.63 

Gallic acid 100g 87 592 9.30 10.93 

Gelatin 100g 58 671 2.50 2.94 

Gelatin 500g 11 187 11.25 13.25 

Hydroquinone 25g 74 677 1.34 1.57 



Iodine 25g 14 378 4.49 5.28 

Kodalk - see Sodium metaborate 

Metol 25g 94 389 2.49 2.93 

Metol 100g 98 593 8.25 9.69 

ITEM QTY CODE NET +VAT 

Oxalic acid 100g 84 434 6.31 7.41 

Phenidone 25g 24 185 3.70 4.35 

Phenidone 100g 23 219 12.35 14.51 

Potassium aluminium sulphate 500g 1 414 4.25 4.99 

Potassium bromide 100g 76 526 1.89 2.22 

Potassium bromide 500g 65 636 8.04 9.45 

Potassium carbonate 500g 4 603 3.21 3.77 

Potassium citrate 100g 76 027 4.14 4.86 

Potassium citrate 500g 2 779 17.24 20.26 

Potassium dichromate 100g 46 854 2.48 2.91 

Potassium dichromate 500g 56 783 10.29 12.09 

Potassium ferricyanide 100g 48 183 2.72 3.20 

Potassium ferricyanide 400g 23 480 9.68 11.37 

Potassium ferrocyanide 100g 59 656 7.40 8.70 

Potassium hydroxide 500g 22 993 10.50 12.34 

Potassium iodide 25g 57 401 2.18 2.56 

Potassium iodide 100g 75 361 7.37 8.66 

Potassium metabisulphite 500g 21 080 3.30 3.88 

Potassium nitrate 25g 36 023 2.00 2.35 

Potassium oxalate 100g 29 056 8.52 10.01 

Potassium permanganate 100g 2 632 2.84 3.34 

Potassium thiocyanate 100g 29 082 4.84 5.69 

Pyrocatechol - see Catechol 25g 94 793 2.50 2.94 

Pyrogallic acid - see Gallic acid 

Pyrogallol 50g 79 795 17.55 20.62 

Silver nitrate 25g 27 681 14.04 16.50 

Silver nitrate 100g 60 169 44.85 52.70 

Sodium bisulphite - see Sodium metabisulphite 

Sodium bromide 25g 23 000 1.89 2.22 

Sodium bromide 100g 36 295 5.86 6.89 

Sodium carbonate(anhydrous) 350g 51 167 2.91 3.42 

Sodium chloride 100g 20 405 2.61 3.07 

Sodium citrate 100g 12 575 4.14 4.86 

Sodium hydroxide 100g 37 326 1.34 1.57 

Sodium hydroxide 500g 65 321 5.04 5.92 

Sodium iso-ascorbate 25g 30 056 3.36 3.95 

Sodium metabisulphite 500g 5 641 3.32 3.90 

Sodium metaborate (Kodalk) 100g 97 017 1.95 2.29 

Sodium metaborate 500g 55 817 8.34 9.80 

di-basic Sodium phosphate 100g 33 332 5.68 6.67 

Sodium potassium tartrate 100g 3 521 8.43 9.91 

Sodium sulphate 500g 77 234 5.70 6.70 

Sodium sulphite (anhydrous) 500g 87 869 2.64 3.10 

Sodium tetraborate (Borax) 500g 82 702 3.40 4.00 

Sodium thiocyanate 100g 37 670 3.26 3.83 

Sodium thiocyanate 500g 10 137 13.58 15.96 

Sodium thiosulphate (anhydrous) 500g 32 299 3.17 3.72 

Succinic acid 100g 24 893 5.20 6.11 

Sulphamic acid 100g 26 849 3.05 3.58 

Tartaric acid 100g 91 757 4.01 4.71 

Thiourea (thiocarbamide) 100g 69 598 2.45 2.88 

Thiourea 500g 99 223 10.53 12.37 

TWEEN 20 25ml 22 190 1.50 1.76 

LIQUID CHEMICALS 

AMMONIA 10% 500ml 26 120 4.17 4.90 

HYDROCHLORIC ACID 10%. 500ml 92 535 4.17 4.90 

SULPHURIC ACID 10% 500ml 90 416 4.17 4.90 

ACETIC ACID 5 litres available, collection only, see Stopbaths 

WE AIM TO KEEP THE ABOVE PACKINGS IN STOCK, BUT IF YOU NEED SEVERAL ITEMS TO 

PREPARE A FORMULA, PARTICULARLY THE MORE OBSCURE ONES, IT MAY BE ADVISABLE 

TO RING TO CHECK STOCK. WE ONLY SELL CHEMICALS FOR USE IN PHOTOGRAPHIC APPLICA- 

TIONS. TO PURCHASE RAW CHEMICALS OVER THE COUNTER YOU MAY BE ASKED TO COMPLETE A 

WRITTEN ORDER, WITH SIGNATURE AND ADDRESS. 

42

36 EMULSION WORK - Silverprint

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