Kallitype Print Tests

I have begun printing a gum, finally, after multiple days of preparing the paper. This in conjunction with the Kallitype printing. I can say that the first coat was successful, leaving a nice black framework of the image, sort of like a soft black and white print, not fully printed in, which was the goal. Anyone who has printed a gum knows there is more than one way of laying down the color layers and in what order. When I began printing gums the only material on the subject at the time was The Keepers of Light, which outlined the basic procedure. Over the years I have altered the order, and added an element or two, that for me, enhances the final image.

I won't be photographing the progress of the gum as it proceeds each color layer, as the gum process is such that any attempt to standardize the process does a disfavor to anyone wanting to learn the process. Not much different than teaching someone how to 'paint'. In what style, and medium becomes the question. Gum printing is a very personal approach to expressing a subjective handling of the process, unlike other historical processes, whereupon there are basic, sometimes rigid boundaries that cannot be altered. Printing in silver, as in salt paper or Kallitype, variations to solution percentages and developers are available, variations upon the theme. Yet the basic relationship of silver to salt or iron binder remains fairly constant. Same with Van Dyke and Cyanotype processes. Chemically, the boundaries are there for a reason. Not so with gum.

I spent yesterday testing out part of a Kallitype procedure that was employed earlier, in PJ's darkroom, which now, simply doesn't work well for the final image. Two things that differ from then to now. When mixing the silver with the ferric oxalate back then, there was a slight fizzing upon mixing. Now, absolutely none. Back then when printing a Kallitype the image became darker and filled in more of the tonal range; from Z1 up thru Z5 (usually) before developing, when the image would fully fill in. Now, even after ten minutes not much of the image appears, but can be slightly detected to appear to include Z4, maybe. When developer is poured on the print, the image is fully developed and dark immediately.

I'm not a chemist but it would seem to me that two variations of ferric oxalate are being employed. However, memory being that I ordered the said ferric oxalate both times from Bostick & Sullivan, and there is but one ferric oxalate powder. There is ammonium ferric oxalate and even ferric ammonium oxalate, but then I don't order either of those chemicals. That continues to be an unknown until I am able to make some comparisons with the two oxalate containers.

The tests I did with the Kallitype print was pre-rinsing the print in water before development. A second procedural change, once done at PJ's darkroom and now. Pre-rinsing the print then, cleared much of the unused silver to rinse off before development. Development was a bit slower then than now. Pre-rinsing the Kallitype in my darkroom yesterday also rinsed away unused silver, enough so that not much of the image was left to develop. The image was a faint wisp at 7 minutes, which fully printed in un-rinsed prints. At 13 minutes the image was strengthened, yet remained only about half of the textural part of the image. At 20 minutes, further fill in of the image, yet still seemingly without much of the textural quality that is so vital to the final image.