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by jmwilson
1100 days ago
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There are metal replacement toners that replace the silver in a print with either gold or platinum. This way the print can be made normally with an enlarger and silver chemistry to overcome the contact printing limitation. Toning improves the longevity of the print and provides many of the same tonal effects, depending on how long the print sits in the bath. Unfortunately, the chemicals involved are quite toxic. I remember one of the instructors at the Rayko darkroom in San Francisco running a "toning day" and it was very busy with a number of people coming in to tone their work and share the considerable material and hazmat fees for the chemicals. "unlike silver gelatin prints that hold the chemicals in a layer on top of the paper, platinum photography uses chemicals that are soaked into the paper, so the image lies embedded in its fibers." Fiber paper for silver prints is also a thing, and easily available from commercial sources. It requires more extensive washing compared to RC (resin coated) paper, and it tends to curl and warp after wetting. To get prints flat after drying, you need a big heated press that looks like a giant panini maker. |
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And I agree, fibre paper is awesome but the drying and mounting process tends to be onerous compared to resin coated paper, so I rarely do it. Saying that, I do happen to have a 16*20 capable heated paper press, but compared to fibre, there really is no contest for convenience!