glass cyanotypes processv2

7/22/2019 Glass Cyanotypes Processv2

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Wet Plate EmporiumThe Photographic Method of Cyanotype

Printing on Glass

Joseph J. McAllister

www.wetplateemporium.com

www.facebook.com/joseph.j.mcallister

Author Notes:

Original process by Joseph J. McAllister 2012. 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.
http://www.wetplateemporium.com/http://www.facebook.com/joseph.j.mcallisterhttp://www.facebook.com/joseph.j.mcallisterhttp://www.wetplateemporium.com/


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THIS COPY IS

VERSION 2.0

Check for a Newer Update Online
http://roaring20sevent.com/wpe/downloads/glass%20cyanotypes%20processv2.pdfhttp://roaring20sevent.com/wpe/downloads/glass%20cyanotypes%20processv2.pdf


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PAPER CYANOTYPE PROCESS

PROCESS

1) Mixing

[Safe light]

Bostick pre-mix A & B 50/ 50

2) CoatingUse sponge brush

3) Drying

Use fan

In dark room

Until the paper is slightly damp to the touch, but not visible unevenly damp

4) Exposure

Expose immediately

Yellow Dark Blue Light Gray: Finished

5) Washing

Wash quickly in tub of lukewarm, 2 trays

Only until yellow water & paper become clear

Color fades out fast

6) Drying

Lay print on paper towels

Blot dry with paper towel on top

Air dry only

Print will turn dark blue after drying for 24 hours

COFFEE TONING PROCESS

(Do not mix these baths together. You only need one bath per print to get the result of each bath)

Gallic Acid 25 ml / water 500 ml Light Blue Gloves/ Respirator

Borax 25 g / water 500 ml Dark Purple Safe/ Leaves chalky grit

Coffee 4 tbsp / 4 cups Black & Sepia Best

Hydrogen Peroxide straight Nothing

Notes:

Filter the cyanotype solution before using to get any un-dissolved crystals out


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Cyanotype toned using only coffee (Joseph J. McAllister 2012).


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MCALLISTERS GLASS CYANOTYPE PROCESS

(You can use any base formula to make the cyanotype. The formulas below have been tested.)

USING BOSTICK & SULLIVANS LIQUID CYANOTYPE PREMIX (500 ML)

Solution A: 250 ml

Solution B: 250 mlGelatin 5 oz

USING DICK SULLIVANS CYANOTYPE FORMULA

Total Volume 200 ml 400 ml 600 ml

Green ferric ammonium citrate 27.2 g 54.4 g 81.6 g

Potassium ferricyanide 9.2 g 18.4 g 27.6 g

Oxalic acid 1 g 2 g 3 g

Ammonium dichromate 0.2 g 0.4 g 0.6 g

Water 200 ml 400 ml 600 ml

Gelatin (Ounces of dry powder) 17.5 g 35 g 52.5 g

PROCESS

1) Mixing

[Safe light]

Pour cyanotype chemicals into stainless steel sauce pan

Stir 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 1200 F (480C) stirring constantly

(Remove from heat as soon as it reaches 1200 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 its 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)


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(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 & whatdrains off as it dries vertically. Do not level until the plate is ready to expose!

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

Fan dry until dry to the touch (25 min)

Flip the plate & fan dry (10 min)

(This step is to allow the gel burm at the button to dry)

(The plate is done drying when the burm on the edge is dry enough that it wont

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

burm. 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

(Expose until the contrast of the blue gel and the black of the print are equal, or until the

emulsion stops reacting to light)

5) Wash I

CAUTION: Extremely weak at this point

In safe light, sit the plate in cold water 5 minutes. Dont agitate!

The contrast of the print will increase as it fixes

(This bath hardens the gel by removing the unexposed emulsion)

Gently lift the plate from the water and let the water drip off the plate at the corner

(Dont do any more until you have fan dried it. Then work it a bit more if its still

light sensitive. Drying the gel after the first bath will harden it)

6) Drying II

Fan dry

(Step 7 & 8 may not be necessary if emulsion is non-reactive in light)


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7) Wash II

[White light]

Wash with cold water under a faucet

(The gel should be very strong at this point)

(Use the faucets stream to work the green & purple tints out of the photo untilthey are entirely gone.)

8) Drying III

Fan dry

Place in dark box until you are ready to recheck them

Recheck and continue washing & drying until photo is free of purple

9) Spot rinse

Rinse the plate in distilled water to remove hard water spots

Wipe the back down with a cloth

Fan dry front

Notes:

Heat & filter gelatin if you see the formation of crystals on the plate after drying

Heating the emulsion above melting temperature causes the cyanotype to form large crystals

Stirring the emulsion can cause bubbles and scrapes the cooked gel from the surface of the crock

pot into the gel.

Do not scrape the pot with a spoon when pouring heated emulsion back into the storage

container. The dried gel on the surface of the pot is unusable.Oxalic acid (ox-l-ic), hydrogen peroxide baths seem to have no effect on removing the purple

tone from the plates

Tartaric acid (tar-taric) can be substituted for Oxalic acid in a cyanotype recipe


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Glass cyanotype (Joseph J. McAllister 2012).


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BASE FORMULAS

You can use any cyanotype formula. (These are listed for a quick reference).

Dick Sullivans Recommended Formula

Green ferric

ammonium citrate

27.2 grams E. Valentas Sensitizer (speed)

Potassium

ferricyanide9.2 grams Herschels Original formula

Oxalic acid 1 grams Oxalic or tartaric acid (speed & range)

Ammonium

dichromate0.2 grams

Robert Hunt (speed/ shelf life, stops blue

formation)

Water 200 ml.

A Modern Cyanotype Formula

Solution A

Green ferric ammonium citrate 110 grains

Water 1 ounce

Solution B

Potassium ferricyanide 40 grains

Water 1 ounce

Filter before use. Use equal volumes of A and B, and develop in running water. If the water is alkaline,

a little citric acid should be added to counteract the alkalinity, which should be followed by a final

wash in two or three changes of plain water.

Hershels Original Cyanotype Formula

Solution A

Ammonio-citrate of iron 20 parts

Water 100 parts

Solution B

Potassium ferricyanide 16 parts

Water 100 parts

Equal quantities of A and B are mixed just before use.


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Notes:

21F7 Prussian blue (Berlin, Milori or Paris blue).

Cyanotypes are composed of the substance Prussian blue (ferric ferrocyanide), which was

originally an artists pigment.

In the 1800s cyanotype transparencieswere used as lantern slides.

A detectable range of cyanide gas is released during printing.Snowflake crystallization is due to overheating of the formula.

Dry chemicals.


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GELATIN

Knox original gelatine unflavored (32 oz). Food Grade. Wal-Mart $8.99.

TYPES

Glass Cyanotype

Cyanotype Orotype

Coffee Toned Glass Cyanotype

Cyanotype Lantern Slide


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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 its 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 exposewith 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.


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Contact printing in 11x14 frame using paper vignette.


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Alternate vignette technique.


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Gelled cyanotype emulsion.


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Mini crock pot and stainless steel ladle.


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GLASS CYANOTYPE TONING

Coffee 4 tbsp / 4 cups Black & Sepia Best

Toning with coffee takes a long time due to the strength of the gel at this point. On occasion it

only takes 5-10 minutes, but most of the time the plate is left in the coffee bath over night to get

the proper density.


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Coffee toned glass cyanotype (Joseph J. McAllister 2012).


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Coffee toned glass cyanotype (Joseph J. McAllister 2012).


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Cyanotype orotype (Joseph J. McAllister 2012).


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CYANOTYPE OROTYPE

HISTORY

Edward S. Curtisinvented orotype photographs in 1916 which he nicknamed Curt-Tone(also

known as orotone, goldtone or aurotypes). The photographs are an inter-negative ambrotype

backed with a banana oil varnish giving the images a bronze tone.

CYANOTYPE OROTYPES

Joseph J. McAllisterinvented the cyanotype-orotype in 2012 while doing experimentation with

glass cyanotypes. For an authentic method of gold toning the cyanotype, add bronzing powder to

Sandarac varnish. Bronzing powder can be found at Michaels Art Supply stores in the gold

leafing section. For a quick modern alternative, use Rust-Oleum bright coat metallic finish from

Lows or Home Depot. Lay the plate flat on a table with a newspaper under it, wear a 3M painters

respirator, layer the coat up to full thickness, blow drying the surface each time before adding

another coat. Apply the lacquer or varnish directly to the emulsion side.


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Coffee Toned Cyanotype Lantern Slide (Joseph J. McAllister 2012).


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Cyanotype lantern slide on projector.


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Projection from Cyanotype Lantern Slide.


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PRINTING DEFECTS

AIR BELLS

Tiny bubbles trapped in the emulsion. These can leave a streak trail down the image as they slide

across the plate during coating.


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AIR BELL TRAILS

Trails left by bubbles when pouring the emulsion off the plate. The trails can be dark, but are

usually light.


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SNOW FLAKES (CRYSTALLIZATION)

Small snow flake like crystal formations on dry plates formed when the emulsion is over heated.

Crystals are more prevalent in strong gelatin mixtures.

FRILLING

Wrinkling of a gelatin layer at the edges during processing caused by the gel expanding and

lifting from the plate.


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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 SPOTSBlack 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.


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UNDISOLVED CRYSTALS

The dark specs are caused by un-dissolved cyanotype powder or gelatin. To avoid these, when

making the emulsion, make sure the cyanotype chemicals before adding the gelatin, and the

gelatin is completely dissolved before chilling. Keep stirring and tipping the pan to check for un-

dissolved crystals. They usually disappear after 1-2 minutes of stirring.


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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.


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EDGE BURM

Edge burm 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.


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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. It is better to under wash it during the first wash and work out the

green emulsion later when the gel has hardened, then to loose detail.


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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.


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WARNING: CYANIDE GAS

Never dip cyanotype plates in potassium cyanide fixer or silver nitrate solution. This will remove

all the blue from the gel instantly. This reaction releases cyanide gas from the ferric ferrocyanide

(Persian blue) on the plate and from the potassium cyanide fixer as well.


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NEGATIVE PRINT

On occasion I have a print that turns negative when it is put into the initial water bath. This

happens when the image is over exposed in direct sun light to the point where an ugly gray color

starts forming. As you soak the image it will turn to a positive over 3-4 minutes of sitting it in the

water bath.

The image below was completely negative when I first put it into the water bath. It took 5 minutes

for the image to appear.


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Photo after initial water bath.


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Photographer Peter Geo by Joseph J. McAllister 2013.


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PURPLE & GREEN

Using a strong gelatin mixture of (8.7 g / 100 ml), 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. The gel is very strong at this point and wont dissolve.

If some of the purple color wont wash, out you can bleach it out by putting the wet plate in direct

sun light. Sometimes this will turn it clear, other times a light blue that matches the print.


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LINKS

UNBLINKING EYE: CYANOTYPE FORMULAS

HUhttp://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/Cyano/cyano.htmlU

BOSTICK & SULLIVAN

HUhttps://www.bostick-sullivan.com/U

PHOTO FORMULARY

HUhttp://stores.photoformulary.com/StoreFront.bokU

FREE STYLE PHOTO: ARISTA 8X10 FILM SUPPLIES

HUhttp://www.freestylephoto.biz/U

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