TheOldMadeNew PDF

THE OLD MADE NEW
Richard Eugene Puckett’s

Dry Print-Out Processes
with Gold, Palladium, and Platinum
A Printer’s Manual including the Texas Chrysotype, the Karytype, and the
Fannintype
THE OLD MADE NEW
Dry Print-Out Processes for Palladium,
Platinum and Gold
A technical manual including the Texas Chrysotype,

the Karytype, and the Fannintype
Richard Eugene Puckett
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Copyright 2013 by Richard Eugene Puckett.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, digital or
mechanical, including photocopy, recording, digitalization, the Internet, or any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the copyright holder.
Printed in the United States of America
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CONTENTS
AUTHOR’S FOREWORD ………………………….... 4

OVERVIEW …………………………………….……………... 5
GOLD …………………………………………………..………… 17
GOLD AND PLATINUM …………………………..... 23
GOLD AND PALLADIUM …………………….……. 29
PLATINUM ………………………………………............. 37
PALLADIUM ………………………………………………… 48
PALLADIUM AND PLATINUM ………………… 54
PALLADIUM, PLATINUM AND GOLD ….. 62
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AUTHOR'S FOREWORD
This manual is strictly a technical presentation of the formulas invented by the author for dry print out of gold,
platinum and palladium. The presentations for each metal (and combinations of any two, as well as all three)
include insights and tips the author has gained in the process of inventing and perfecting these formulas. The
author's intention is to provide the printer with the simplest and most effective instructions necessary to begin
immediately producing professional quality prints with the noble metals – without a significant learning curve
and without having to wade through a great deal of verbiage rehashed from other sources.
This manual is not concerned with discussions of the comparative longevity of prints made with gold versus
platinum versus palladium. That is a matter for archivists. Nor is this book a gallery of fine art prints; the
images published herein serve solely to approximate the print a given formula yields if the printer exactly
follows the step-by-step instructions in the section which that image illustrates. (It is reasonable to expect
contrast to vary from the representative photograph; it is not unreasonable to expect grain, tonal gradation, and
latitude to resemble the image.) Finally, it would be unethical to compare one image on the printed page with
another image on the printed page as if they were original photographic prints displaying absolute technical
values specific to a given photographic printing process. The author makes so such claims, leaving such
comparisons to unscrupulous reviewers.
Because this manual is a practical guide intended for the printer (and not the chemist), there is no jargon to
obfuscate immediate application of the formulas and to discourage the printer or instill uncertainty as a hedge
for the author's sake against an image failing to print out. For those who would counter that the technical
details underlying these processes should be shared, the author notes simply that information has been widely
published elsewhere and, reproduced here, would constitute nothing more than a rehashing of other sources'
verbiage. Assuming that solutions are prepared exactly as stated, and that procedures are followed exactly as
described and in the correct sequence, all of the formulas in this manual at minimum will reliably result in an
image appearing on the paper. If that discipline is observed, the failure of print out of an image is solely
attributable to either of exhausted or oxidized chemicals, the use of papers other than those specified for a
given metal (or metal combination), or fading UV lamps. Should complete failure otherwise occur after the
repetition of the exact sequence of preparation and process, the printer is encouraged to email
richardepuckett@texaschrysotype.com for guidance.
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OVERVIEW
Welcome to the twenty-first century revolution in printing with the noble metals. The revolution started on
August 13, 2011, with the author's discovery that artificially aging ammonium ferric oxalate with ascorbic acid –
vitamin C – allows the artist to print out, in gold, with no development and no hydration or humidification of
the paper, an image that approaches platinum in technical quality. Texas Chrysotypes display no grain, possess
latitude that holds details in both deep shadows and highlights, and exhibit a three-dimensional richness on a
par with any other process. This gentle revolution spread over the ensuing months to dry print out with
palladium, then birthed a new hybrid process – gold and platinum together for the first time – and proved dry
print out of palladium-platinum, gold-palladium, and gold-palladium-platinum. The final triumph was achieved
in the spring of 2013, with the absolute fulfillment of a 140 year quest to print out platinum, again with no
humidification or hydration of paper and no development out.
Not only is this a revolution in aesthetics and new ways to express one's vision, it is also a practical revolution.
All of the noble metals can be printed alone, or in any combination, in a simple, dry print out process. Quickly,
inexpensively, and reliably. Repeating a print involves nothing more than observing the same image appear on
the paper and stopping exposure at the same moment as for the previous one, followed by exactly the same
clearing procedure.
In Richard Sullivan’s excellent (and, therefore, widely adopted) Ziatype process, gold serves palladium as a sort
of handmaiden of hues – particularly lavender. Efforts to eliminate the palladium and platinum entirely were
successful and disproved the longstanding idea that it was not possible to print photographic images with gold.
While those images were deficient in technical quality, faith nonetheless rose in the absolute possibility of the
Chrysotype. Early in the twenty-first century, over the span of just a few years, two new Chrysotype formulas
were announced, each nudging the metal a little nearer its promise of a grainless, continuous tone image. In
January 2012, the correct formula, the Texas Chrysotype, was announced. That formula is utterly simple:
vitamin C, ammonium ferric oxalate, and gold chloride are mixed together, brushed onto dry paper, and, once
the sensitizer has dried, placed in contact with a negative – film or digital – and exposed to ultraviolet light. The
image that subsequently prints out fully, with no development, is all the more stunning precisely because it
exhibits smooth tones across 11 or more stops, deep blacks, excellent detail in shadows and highlights, and no
grain. With the Texas Chrysotype process, gold finally takes her place beside her noble sisters, palladium and
platinum.
With the perfection of the Chrysotype, other elusive challenges in printing with the noble metals were
surmounted. The addition of ascorbic acid to ammonium ferric oxalate (and lithium ferric oxalate) allows for
dry printing, heedless of humidity, relative or otherwise, and with no development, of all the noble metals. The
obstacles that have undoubtedly discouraged hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of photographers
working with digital cameras – as well as many of the countless photographers still using film – from printing
with the noble metals are finally obliterated.
* * *
This manual covers seven different dry print-out processes, encompassing all possible combinations of the
three noble metals alone and together. Each process has a slightly different formula. However, there are
overarching principles and materials common to all, which merit discussion for the benefit of the printer –
neophyte and experienced alike. Further, a number of the terms used in the text need to be clarified in advance.
Every discipline has its own jargon; while it is the avowed intent of the author to dispense with specialized
terminology that serves merely to obfuscate and/or intimidate, some terms are unique to the processes and,
therefore, need to be explained in appropriate detail.
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The A to Z of Siderotypes
These are jargon terms commonly used throughout this manual. Some, such as AFO-C and SFO-C, are the
author’s neologisms.
AFO: Ammonium Ferric Oxalate, a light-sensitive iron compound. In the presence of ultraviolet light, the
oxalate reacts with the iron and converts it to its ferrous state. Unable, chemically, to stay in suspension, the
ferrous iron particles drop onto the paper, taking along with them particles of the noble metal also present in
the solution. Caution: This chemical (as well as AFO-C, SFO, and SFO-C, all discussed below) is highly toxic,
particularly if ingested but also if inhaled (in its crystal form). To avoid death or permanent kidney damage,
handle with great care and store out of reach of children and domestic animals.
AFO-C: Ammonium Ferric Oxalate solution to which a small volume of weak vitamin C (ascorbic acid) has
been added. At the proper strength and in the correct volume, the C converts some, but not all, of the iron
from its ferric state to its ferrous state in advance of exposure to ultraviolet light.
Ascorbic acid: Vitamin C. This ubiquitous chemical is used in waste water treatment applications and in medical
laboratories to convert ammonium ferric oxalate to ammonium ferrous oxalate. It is the heart of the various
formulas presented in this book.
Chrysotype: A photographic image formed entirely from gold. Only the Texas Chrysotype process provides
grainless, continuous tone images with very wide latitude. Other variations on the Chrysotype have failed to
garner wide success because of a combination of poor quality and excessive cost.
Clear: Remove the iron from a print. A print made with ammonium ferric oxalate (or any other iron oxalate)
contains both the noble metal(s) added to the sensitizer and also the iron particles that fell onto the paper's
fibers with the noble(s). If that iron is not completely removed from the paper, it gradually oxidizes and the
print eventually darkens to near black. Clearing involves immersing the print in a series of baths in chemicals
that dissolve and chelate the iron without damaging the noble metal particles (which form the image). The
whole process is not particularly difficult, but it is time-consuming, taking one to two hours, depending on the
thickness of the paper. The printer who enjoys the luxury of sufficient facilities can, of course, clear more than
one print at a time.
EDTA: Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. For these processes, an alkaline salt, tetrasodium EDTA, is used to
chelate iron from the prints while leaving the noble metal(s) in place and raising the PH in the paper after the
initial acid baths. Although this chemical has low toxicity, wear gloves when working with it as it has a “bite” in
contact with any small scratches or cuts.
Fannintype: A pure platinum print that requires neither developing out nor hydration (humidification) of the
paper. Named after Colonel James Walker Fannin, commander of the Texian Revolutionary Army garrison at
the Presidio in Goliad, Texas. Fannin and his unarmed men were murdered under guarantee of safe passage on
Easter Sunday, 1836.
Karytype: Any print made from platinum and gold. The Karytype requires neither developing out nor
hydration (humidification) of the paper. Named after Karen Welsh, the model for the first prints made with the
new process.
Kodak Hypo Clear (Hypo Clear): Sodium sulfite and sodium bisulfate. Used in silver photographic developing
processes to remove the fixer (sodium thiosulfate) from negatives and papers. Helps clear iron in the processes
in this book.
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LFO: Lithium Ferric Oxalate, a light-sensitive iron compound with significantly higher inherent contrast than
ammonium ferric oxalate, but otherwise the same for the purposes of this manual. It can be prepared from
lithium carbonate or simply purchased directly in liquid form from Bostick & Sullivan in Santa Fe, NM.
Metal Salt: A chloride of gold, platinum or palladium. As a salt, a noble metal can be dissolved in water.
Muriatic Acid: 29% hydrochloric acid. Extremely caustic, including the vapor that rises from it when its
container is opened. Wear gloves and a respirator around muriatic, and keep plenty of cold water at hand when
mixing. (Remember to add acid to water.) Available at hardware stores everywhere.
SFO: Sodium Ferric Oxalate, a light-sensitive iron compound with somewhat higher inherent contrast than
ammonium ferric oxalate, but otherwise the same for the purposes of this manual. Instructions are provided in
the Materials section for preparing sodium ferric oxalate.
SFO-C: Sodium Ferric Oxalate solution to which a small volume of weak vitamin C (ascorbic acid) has been
added. At the proper strength and in the correct volume, the C converts some, but not all, of the iron from its
ferric state to its ferrous state in advance of exposure to ultraviolet light.
Siderotype: Any iron-based photographic printing process. The primary light-sensitive iron compound is ferric
oxalate. Sodium ferric oxalate, lithium ferric oxalate and ammonium ferric oxalate are examples of complex
iron oxalates.
Size: Coat (or “sub”) a sheet of paper with a usually organic compound to prevent the light-sensitive solution
from sinking into the paper's fibers. Arrowroot starch, gelatin, and sugar are common sizes. Some formulas
include glyoxal or alum as a hardener, particularly with gelatin. Various techniques are described in the literature
on sizing paper; how one applies a size is only important in that the paper’s surface dries to an absolutely
smooth finish.
Tetrachloroauric Acid: Gold chloride. A metal salt obtained by dissolving gold in a mixture of hydrochloric and
nitric acids (aqua regia).
Tetrachloropalladate: Palladium chloride. For the processes in this book, either lithium tetrachloropalladate
(lithium palladium chloride) or potassium tetrachloropalladate (potassium palladium chloride) can be used.
Tetrachloroplatinate: Platinum chloride. For the processes in this book, either ammonium tetrachloroplatinate
(ammonium platinum chloride) or potassium tetrachloroplatinate (potassium platinum chloride) can be used.
Potassium platinum chloride is generally preferred because of its longer shelf life. Caution: A small number
of individuals are allergic to platinum salts. Wear gloves when working with platinum chloride. Cleared prints
are safe to handle.
Vat sizing: Immersion of a paper into a tray of liquid arrowroot starch or gelatin, as opposed to brushing or
spraying the size onto the paper. Necessary for printing gold on Revere Platinum paper.
Ziatype: A process developed by Richard Sullivan (of Bostick & Sullivan) that was the first viable method for
printing out palladium alone or in combination with platinum and/or gold. So widely adopted has the process
become that many printers who work only with palladium refer to a Ziatype as a palladium-platinum print – or
even, absurdly, as a platinum print.
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Papers
Standard papers for the processes are unsized or internally sized pure rag cotton, ranging from 16 pound
(vellum) to 320 gsm (Bergger Cot 320). Not all unsized rag cotton papers are suitable. In this manual, papers
specifically tested for each process are listed in that section, followed by a second list of papers acknowledged
experts have stated work with a given metal salt.
Key Points on Papers
 Most papers are smooth on one side and less smooth on the other side. (Papers rough on both sides
generally are not suitable for these processes anyway.) The smoother side is the one on which to print.
Distinguishing the one from the other visually is difficult (unless the seller has attached an identifying
label, one hopes to the rough side, in which case it is rather obvious). The proper technique is to run
one’s fingers along the paper near the edge, outside the area on which an image is to be printed. The
difference in the two sides is instantly detectable.
 Handle papers only by the edge. Skin oil and finger smudges can mar an otherwise beautiful print.
 Larger sheets of paper should be torn (use a straight edge or simply a board to guide tearing) and not
cut. If you insist on cutting a sheet of paper, and your prints show black speckles, you will know why
cutting is discouraged.
 The habitual experimenter is cautioned to research papers thoroughly before buying. A good rule of
thumb is that if a paper is not advertised as “100% rag cotton” it is composed of cellulose fiber which,
with luck, lasts about 20 years. Only print with 100% rag cotton papers.
 When applying sensitizer to a paper, invariably dust, lint and cat hairs (for those graced with feline
companionship) find their way into the solution. Minute pieces of such detritus can be ignored; only
such matter as cat hairs and large pieces of lint need to be flicked aside: leave a few drops of sensitizer
in the shot glass to smooth out any areas that lose coverage as a result.
Specific Papers to Print with Palladium and Platinum
In this age of vanishing film emulsions and silver gelatin papers, it is a joy to discover the great variety of
readily available papers for printing with platinum and palladium. This list is hardly exhaustive; however, it
includes all the papers considered “best” for those metals, and represents a wide price range. A simple Internet
search uncovers multiple online suppliers for every one of the below papers.
 Arches Platine, a widely used and appreciated paper with a fine hard surface that is superb with all
three metals. It is one of only two heavy papers (Strathmore 500 Bristol Plate being the other) known
to print out gold straight from the packet. It is available in sheets cut as small as 11x15 and as large as
30x40 (all linear units of measure are in inches). The thrifty-minded printer is cautioned that the
apparent savings obtained by purchasing larger sheets (such as 22x30) usually evaporate once the
shipping costs are factored in. The author’s favorite. Tip: This paper is internally sized and the author
has observed that large sheets of it fail with gold print out after being stored loose and exposed to free-
flowing air for six months or longer. This failure is presumably attributable to gradual decay of the
internal sizing. Store large sheets of Platine for printing with gold in sealed oversized plastic bags.
 Strathmore 500 Bristol Plate finish is a slightly less pricey paper than Platine. 500 Bristol Plate is
bright white and produces lovely neutral images with all three metals. Being a two-ply paper it invariably
separates into two sheets in the clearing process. It is doubtful that the second sheet can be reused, but
feel free to experiment (with a small negative).
 Bergger Cot 320 (320 gsm) is a rather pricey, premium paper highly recommended for palladium and
platinum printing. Not tested with the Texas Chrysotype.
 Revere Platinum (145 and 300 gsm) is a reasonably priced paper expressly designed for printing with
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platinum and palladium straight from the packet. Slightly warm finish. Highly recommended. Works
well with gold when sized with arrowroot starch.
 Stonehenge Rising (245/250 gsm) is an inexpensive cotton paper, made in America, that works with
palladium and platinum.
 Fabriano Artistico is a heavy paper widely available at a modest price, unsized, intended for palladium
and platinum. Many printers recommend improving Dmax in prints by immersing this paper in a 4%
solution of oxalic acid for 20 minutes, followed by at least 24 hours of drying.
 Rives BFK is a very pleasant cotton paper that prints out beautifully with palladium and platinum. As
with Fabriano Artistico, many printers have noted that this paper exhibits stronger Dmax with a 20
minute immersion in 4% oxalic acid, followed by 24 hours of drying.
 Arches Aquarelle is another heavy cotton paper, widely available at a modest price, that prints out well
with platinum and palladium.
Vellums
Printers interested in very light papers, particularly translucent vellums for backing with metal leaf, use
ClearPrint or Pacific Arc vellum (Tip: you may want to study up on Talbot's process for waxing paper to
transparency). Note that vellum puckers severely when wet and a sharp print requires careful attention to
ensuring paper flatness during printing. One way to keep the vellum flat is to let it dry thoroughly after coating
and then to stretch it taut on a slightly larger piece of heavy paper. Tape down the four edges of the vellum
with strong (and very thin) tape. Warning: Canson Vidalon prints well, but is not rag cotton; not only does it
lack archival longevity, but it also falls apart in the clearing stage.
Papers Expressly for Gold
Only a handful of 100% rag cotton papers have been successfully tested to print with gold straight from the
packet. All are readily available.
 Arches Platine
 Canson White Parchment Drawing Paper (Note: The mottling intended to mimic parchment shows
through in highlights)
 24 lb Pacific Arc Vellum (use precut sheets; for some reason, in rolls print out has proved to be
inconsistent)
 16 lb ClearPrint Vellum
Rag Cotton Papers for Gold with Sizing
These superb papers require sizing them with 2% to 3% arrowroot starch (see Sizing Papers , below).
 Arches Aquarelle
 Revere Platinum (300 gsm and 145 gsm)
Rag Cotton Papers Not for Gold
These papers do not print out gold, with or without sizing.
 Canson 500 Bristol Plate

 Stonehenge Rising
 Fabriano Artistico
 Rives BFK
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Sizing Papers
The beautiful (and relatively inexpensive) Revere Platinum papers do not print with gold straight from the
packet, but are quite satisfactory when sized with arrowroot starch (or even spray starch) or gelatin. Note: So
many papers readily print with palladium and platinum that sizing is not necessary, and sizing with gelatin is not
appropriate for platinum. (Coating a finished platinum print with gelatin to prevent darkening, as discussed
farther down is, however, fine.)
Arrowroot Starch
Sizing paper is not difficult, but it must be done correctly. If too much starch is used, the sizing may be uneven.
The goal is to achieve as smooth a final surface on the paper as possible yet adequate to prevent the sensitizer
from soaking too deep into the fibers. Arrowroot starch is readily available at larger grocery stores and health
food grocers. It has the consistency of corn starch or flour.
To prepare arrowroot starch size:
1. Add an ounce or so of cool distilled water to 20 grams of arrowroot starch in a sauce pan and stir
vigorously until evenly wet. Make sure no gelatinous lumps form.
2. Add one liter cool distilled water and stir vigorously while slowing heating the solution to a boil. Stir
constantly to dissolve all solid particles rapidly and avoid clumping.
3. Lower heat once solution reaches full boil to avoid overflow from the pan.
4. Continue stirring until the solution is clear and no solid particles are suspended in solution. The starch will
still look somewhat milky; continue boiling for at least another five minutes. Spoon off and discard any
gelatinous globs.
5. Remove the pan from heat and allow the solution to cool to room temperature.
6. With a pencil, mark the back of paper to be sized.
7. Immerse one sheet of paper, printing side down, into the solution (more than one sheet if the tray is large
enough).
8. Remove the paper from the solution by one corner and hang to dry fully (typically several hours) in a dust-
free location (not out of doors). Tip: If short on interior space, run the shower on hot for several minutes
to cause dust to fall out of suspension in the air. Hang the sized paper on strings run along the length of
the shower. Draw the shower curtain and close the door during the drying. Close a central air register that
blows into the bathroom.
9. Repeat the above steps 6-8 for additional sheets of paper while drying.
10. When the sheet is quite dry, repeat steps 6-8.
11. Hang the paper to dry by the opposite corner from which it was previously hung.
12. Allow to dry fully before using (at least 24 hours).
The immersion (or “vat”) approach to sizing works well. Other techniques call for a spongy roller to spread the
arrowroot solution evenly across the paper, a sponge brush, and even a hake brush. Keep in mind that the size
needs to be fairly heavy – but perfectly smooth and even. Practice on inexpensive paper
Gelatin Sizing
It may demystify this process if you think of it as coating paper with unflavored Jell-O. Clear Knox gelatin,
which is the form you use, is readily available at large grocery stores. It just does not have the sugar and
flavoring added. Preparing and applying the gelatin as a size is very similar to doing so with arrowroot starch.
1. Empty four packets of clear Knox gelatin into a large sauce pan.
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2. Pour in 1000 ml distilled water and stir only enough to wet the gelatin.
3. Give the gelatin 15 minutes to stand and absorb the water.
4. When the gelatin has swollen, place the pan over medium heat.
5. Stir the gelatin constantly until the gelatin dissolves completely.
6. Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside for the gelatin to cool.
7. When the gelatin is just warm to the touch, pour it into a flat-bottomed tray.
8. With a pencil, mark the back of the paper to be sized.
9. Immerse one sheet of paper, printing side down, into the solution (more than one sheet if the tray is large
enough).
10. Remove the paper from the solution by one corner and hang to dry fully (typically several hours) in a dust-
free location (not out of doors). Tip: If short on interior space, run the shower on hot for several minutes
to cause dust to fall out of suspension in the air. Hang the sized paper on strings run along the length of
the shower. Draw the shower curtain and close the door during the drying. If a central air register blows
into the bathroom, shut it.
11. Repeat the above steps 6-8 for additional sheets of paper while drying.
12. When the sheet is quite dry, repeat steps 6-8.
13. Hang the paper to dry by the opposite corner from which it was previously hung.
14. Allow to dry fully before using (several days should be long enough).
As with arrowroot, instead of vat immersion coating, the gelatin can be spread across the paper with a spongy
roller. If, after drying, the surface of the sized paper is anything but perfectly flat and smooth, discard.
Post-Printing Sizing to Minimize Darkening During Dry Down
When determining correct exposure for a print made with any of the noble metals, be aware that a print
typically darkens by about one-third stop after it has fully dried. Even advanced printers lament that an image
that was so lovely when removed from the final wash dried to a dull, powdery thing. Some details fade into
shadows and highlights may lose specular brilliance. Therefore, print approximately one-third stop lighter than
the desired density of the final print. If you prefer to print an image to exactly the desired density, you can
minimize the adverse darkening by coating the print after draining the excess water from the final wash.
To size a wet print:
1. Measure 125 grams of clear Knox gelatin.

2. Pour the gelatin powder into a sauce pan.
3. Add 1000 ml of cool water and stir to wet the gelatin.
4. Give the gelatin 15 minutes to stand and absorb the water.
5. On medium heat, stirring constantly, bring the gelatin to a boil until completely clear.
6. Remove the gelatin from the heat.
7. Slowly stir in 125 grams of powdered alum.
8. Continue stirring until the alum is fully dissolved.
9. Store this working solution in a tightly capped wide-mouthed jar in a cool place.
10. To coat a print, mix an equal volume of the gelatin-alum solution and warm water.
11. Pour the mixture into a tray large enough to accommodate the print.
12. Place that tray in a larger tray of hot water.
13. After the final wash, drain off excess water and immerse the print, face down, in the gelatin-alum.
14. After two or three minutes remove the print and immerse it in a try of cold water.
15. After a minute or two, drain the print and dry as normally.
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Materials
Over time, the ardent printer accumulates a panoply of tools to facilitate printing with the noble metals. A
comprehensive list of the optional tools could fill this entire book! However, only a few things are absolutely
essential. Below is a short list of all one absolutely needs to get started, followed by a list of optional items.
The Bare Essentials
Many people likely have a number of these items; the more you already possess, the better, as it would not do
to become discouraged over a few dollars.
 Brush. Purchase a synthetic brush with very soft and extremely fine bristles. Draw the brush lightly
across the top of your hand; it should caress rather than tickle. The brush should be one-quarter to
one-half the width of the narrow side of the negative you intend to print. Therefore, a 1” to 2” wide
brush is correct for 4x5 contact prints and a 2” to 4” wide brush is appropriate for 8x10 prints. Highly
recommended by experienced printers is the Richeson 9010 brush. The synthetic bristles of this
superior quality brush absorb less of the sensitizer during application to the paper and are less prone to
abrade the surface of delicate papers. A 2” Richeson 9010, purchased from any discount art supplies
retailer, costs in the range of $30 (as of summer, 2013). Other, less expensive, brands are quite
acceptable, although the neophyte printer is advised to heed the consensus of experts.
Some sources (notably on the Internet) suggest hake brushes as preferable over brushes which have a
metal ferrule. Certainly a hake brush that possesses the desired attributes declared above of a synthetic
brush could arguably be superior to a brush with a metal ferrule. (The concern is that as the ferrule
corrodes, particles from it fall into the bristles and are transferred to the paper when the sensitizer is
applied, with resultant black specks in the final print. The author has printed many hundreds of images
using a ferruled brush with absolutely no black specks on his prints.)
Perfect brushwork on ordinary paper using dilute glycerin mixed with food color.
 Contact print frame. You can purchase one from various sources online; they are unnervingly
expensive, given that they consist of a wood frame with a felt covered split back, a sheet of glass, and
two large flat springs. With a minimum of skills and basic tools you can make one from a large picture
frame and odds and ends from a hardware store. Bereft of all craft skills and possessing little money,
you can nonetheless make one from a 1/4” thick sheet of glass clamped, with potato chip bag spring
clips, to a split back made of plywood. Place a few sheets of heavy construction paper under the print
to cover the narrow gap in the back. Tip: Do not be tempted to try to print with the thin window glass
or picture frame glass: it will only break. Buy the heavy 1/4” thick glass. And spend the extra dollar or
two to have the glass shop bevel the edges. Your fingers will thank you.
 Small, flat-bottomed plastic sauce container or shot glass (from which you must never drink again!).
When mixing the sensitizer, count drops of ammonium ferric oxalate and of the dissolved metal(s) into
a small container. Do not use too large a container or the solution will gather on the sides when poured
out.
 Scale sensitive down to .1 gram and up to half a pound. EBay is littered with battery-powered digital
scales that sell for under $20.
 Rubber or nitrile gloves (NOT latex). Kitchen gloves are perfect.
 Ultraviolet light source. The sun is free, though unreliable. A UV lamp box is easy to make – the major
expense is the hardware for the UV fluorescent lamps.
 Two graduated cylinders – one up to 50 ml and a second up to 1000 ml.
 Glass or plastic bottles, at least one liter, with air-tight caps.
 Darkroom thermometer accurate to within 1 degree Fahrenheit and capable of measuring at least 32 to
120 degrees Fahrenheit. If the glass rod type, the thermometer can double as a stirrer.
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 Synthetic brush (NOT hake, which only soaks up the expensive metal solution) up to 1/2 the short
edge of your negative – 2” to 4” for preparing 8x10 prints.
 Plastic tray at least one inch wider and longer than the paper on which you intend to print.
 Scissors.
 Access to running water.
 Paper towels.
 60 watt or lower light source.
The Full Panoply of Tools
While the above are all one absolutely needs to make and clear a print, the following items can simplify the task.
Many are quite inexpensive:
 10 ml to 30 ml transparent brown glass bottles with stoppers (chemicals purchased premixed usually
come with these, but in time extra bottles become treasured objects).
 Adhesive labels for solutions mixed from solids.
 Water-resistant labeling marker.
 Pencil for tracing an outline of the area to be coated.
 Undeveloped negative or mat cut to same size as negative to be contact printed.
 Acetate or mylar sheeting. Use 2 mil sheets larger than the negative, but smaller than the paper. Hobby
Lobby and other sources sell 2 mil mylar in rolls you can cut to size.
 Eyedroppers (calibrated) or pipettes (preferred) – 1 for each solution to avoid cross-contamination.
 Ruby lith tape for blocking off brush strokes.
 X-Acto knife (for breaking up black spots on paper).
 Spotting brush (00 or 000).
 Spot tone and/or India ink (purple, black, white).
 Paper trimmer.
 Face mask.
 Respirator.
 Hair dryer/blow dryer.
 UV lamp box. Very expensive purchased new. Make one suitable for up to 8x10 prints with 4 pieces of
light-weight lumber 18 inches square and joined with 2 L-brackets at each union. The box does not
need a bottom. A fifth piece of wood the same dimensions can serve as a top, mounted with small
hinges. Cut or drill six holes in the top spaced evenly apart about 2” – of sufficient diameter to allow
snug but easy insertion and removal of six standard lamp sockets. Scavenge plain lamp sockets or buy
them at a thrift store or at retail. Purchase six Feit 13W UV CFL bulbs. The author’s UV box is an old
fiber board camera case with six lamp sockets and Feit UV CFL bulbs mounted in holes cut in the top
with an X-Acto knife. (Note: Feit UV CFL bulbs, while inexpensive to start, have a useful printing life
of around 100 hours. When a print suddenly prints out flat and murky, the bulbs have lost their
usefulness.)
 Glass rod for applying platinum and palladium sensitizer to paper. While not for gold, which is too thin
(watery), a glass rod with a handle glued to it has become quite popular with some printers for
spreading the solution evenly across the paper. The author prefers a brush.
Comprehensive Chemical List
All chemicals used in these formulas are readily available on line (Bostick & Sullivan, Digital Truth, Artcraft
Chemicals, Photographers Formulary, Freestyle, etc.). Some can be purchased at health food stores, grocery
- 14 -
stores, and many pharmacies. Handle these chemicals with care and observe precautions.
A given percentage expresses the number of grams of the dry chemical to dissolve in 100ml of distilled water.
(You dissolve the measured weight of the dry chemical in a volume approximately 75% the final volume and
top off the solution to the total.) The table below illustrates how many grams constitute a given percentage of
100 ml and 10 ml solution, respectively, for the common solutions required in this manual:
Percent Solution Expressed by Grams in Total Volume of 100 ml and 10 ml
Percent Grams
1% of 100 ml 1
1% of 10 ml 0.1
2% of 100 ml 2
2% of 10 ml 0.2
5% of 100 ml 5
5% of 10 ml 0.5
10% of 100 ml 10
10% of 10 ml 1
15% of 100 ml 15
15% of 10 ml 1.5
20% of 100 ml 20
20% of 10 ml 2
26% of 100 ml 26
26% of 10 ml 2.6
40% of 100 ml 40
40% of 10 ml 4
Important: Wear gloves and a respirator or at least a dust mask rated for fine particles when handling metal
salts, hydrochloric, phosphoric and nitric acids, as well AFO, FO, and SFO in dry form, and gloves when
handling these chemicals after they are mixed. Work with the ferric oxalate compounds only in weak tungsten
(not fluorescent) light, at a maximum illumination of 60 watts at least six feet away.
 Ammonium ferric oxalate crystals. Buy at least 25 mg.

 Lithium ferric oxalate liquid. (High contrast alternative to ammonium ferric oxalate, for palladium and
platinum printing; available as liquid only from Bostick & Sullivan in Santa Fe, NM. Richard Sullivan
has a formula for preparing lithium ferric oxalate at http://www.bostick-
sullivan.com/articles/ferriccoalate.html. The ingredients are water, ferric oxalate, oxalic acid and
lithium carbonate – the latter is used as a flux in glazes and is available from ceramic supply houses
quite inexpensively.)
 Ferric Oxalate powder. Used for making 26% ferric oxalate for contrast control, and for preparing
sodium ferric oxalate. Buy at least 50 mg.
 Oxalic acid. Used at 4% strength for prepping some papers for printing platinum with better Dmax.
Also used for preparing sodium ferric oxalate. Buy at least 100 mg.
 Calcium carbonate anhydrous. Used for preparing sodium ferric oxalate. Buy at least 50 mg.
 Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C). Buy at least 1 ounce.
 Distilled water. Several gallons.
 10% Gold solution (tetrachloroauric acid). Available from Bostick and Sullivan, Artcraft Chemicals and
a number of other suppliers on line. Buy 1 gram or a 10 ml bottle of 10% premixed gold.
 Tetrasodium EDTA. Buy at least 500 grams.
 Kodak Hypo Clear, or Sodium Sulfite and Sodium bisulfite. Buy enough for 1 gallon of stock solution.
- 15 -
 Hydrochloric acid (muriatic acid, 29%). Buy at least 1 quart.
 Nitric acid. Buy at least 16 ounces in at least 20% strength.
 Boric acid (widely available, Roach Pruf being the least expensive form) for blue prints with gold.
 Phosphoric acid (Lime Away is an easily found alternative) for developing out accidentally
underexposed images (blue). Also useful for clearing any stubborn yellow stains.
 Citric acid for lavender/purple tones with gold. Buy at least 100 grams.
 Tartaric acid for deep, almost black, purple with gold. 100 ml of 10% solution or 10 grams.
 Potassium tetrachloroplatinate or ammonium tetrachloroplatinate. Purchase 20% solutions premixed or
by the dry gram. Ammonium tetrachloroplatinate is only available in dry form. Handle the powder with
extreme caution.
 Lithium tetrachloropalladate or potassium tetrachloropalladate. Purchase 15% solutions premixed or by
the dry gram. (If preparing your own solution, add .5 gram table salt to each gram of metal.)
Sensitizer Volumes Required For Various Print Sizes
The standard print size referred to in this book is 8x10. The number of drops of sensitizer required for smaller
and larger prints is more or less proportional based on print size in square inches. To determine how much of
each solution to use for a given negative size calculate its percentage of 8x10. The appropriate number of
drops for preparing a print with various standard negative sizes is given in the table below.
1 2
Print Size Metal(s) AFO-C/SFO-C Ferric Oxalate Glycerin (for Platinum only)
4x5 3 2 1 3 (5 drops 20% Platinum)
5x7 4 3 2 to 4 3 (6 drops 20% Platinum)
6.5x8.5 8 6 3 to 5 5 (12 drops 20% Platinum)
1
Refer to the Glycerin column for drop count for a pure platinum print.
2
Platinum and palladium. Gold rarely needs ferric oxalate.
- 16 -
GOLD: THE TEXAS CHRYSOTYPE
Illustration 1. The
Alamo at Night, San
Antonio, Texas. Texas
Chrysotype.
This is one of those rare images in which a full 10 steps are found: the night sky receives no light; two direct
light sources (the lamp burning to the right of the building and the neon hotel sign peering over the upper right
corner) reveal the base white of the paper. From the lightless night sky through the shadows and shades of gray
to the steps of the highlights ending in the direct light sources in the image, this print is all the more amazing
because I deliberately raised the contrast. The care I put into the print was found in the exposure and
development of the negative. The Alamo is at night strongly lit by floods from high and to the right. Normally,
with Ilford HP5+ rated at ISO 400, I would expose such a scene at about 1/50th second at f/32. However, I
wanted the grass in the foreground to show the merest hint of detail and exposed for 3 minutes to ensure as
much – knowing I could rely on the self-masking inherent in the iron-based processes to preserve detail in the
darker areas while I burned in the highlights of the facade. I then reduced development of the negative by 20%
to rein in the highlights and make burning in those highlights a little easier: Given the incredible latitude of
HP5+ that extra caution was probably not necessary. As a negative for printing with silver gelatin paper, my
calculations fail miserably: a test contact on glossy grade 2 paper yielded blacks and blown highlights with some
mid tones on the facade.
Negatives
The Alamo negative is not a general rule for exposing and developing for gold prints. For this subject I had the
luxury of photographing to the east, away from the heart of San Antonio, into a cloudless night sky. Any
subject, as well as any reasonable exposure, is appropriate for this process. The bulk of my printing with the
Texas Chrysotype has been devoted to negatives of the Texas Revolution of 1835 and 1836. Because of the
considerable distances I had to drive, it was late afternoon sunlight that illuminated most subjects.
- 17 -
Tame stern light and blazing contrast when printing by reducing the number of drops of 1% ascorbic acid
added to 10 ml of 40% ammonium ferric oxalate, or by lowering the ratio of the modified AFO to the gold
chloride. Raise flat negatives to normal contrast by adding more ascorbic acid to the AFO.
Standards
Working solution is 5 drops of 1% ascorbic acid added to 10 ml of 40% AFO. The result form adding 1 drop
less or 1 drop more of ascorbic acid is obvious.
The ratio of the modified ammonium ferric oxalate (AFO-C(5:1%) to the 10% gold is .66:1 or .75:1. For
example, for an 8x10 print, mix 8 or 9 drops of 40% AFO-C(5:1%) with 12 drops of 10% gold.
Control Dmax, contrast, gradation, and grain by varying the volume of 1% ascorbic acid added to the AFO
and the ratio of AFO to gold. For example, a print made with 3 or 4 drops of 1% ascorbic acid added to the
AFO has considerably lower contrast than one made with the above standards; a print made with 10 drops of
1% ascorbic acid added to AFO has considerably higher contrast (and exceeds the threshold for obtaining a
grainless print).
Papers
Because the sensitizer is thinner (runnier) than platinum and palladium, a paper with a smooth, hard surface
that keeps the solution from sinking too far into fibers is necessary, a glass rod or tube is not suitable for
applying the sensitizer for gold. Arches Platine has proven itself the ideal paper for this process, yielding
perfect results straight from the package. Rag cotton vellum papers generally work quite well, if the puckering
from the sensitizer can be overcome. 16 pound ClearPrint vellum yields a very sharp image with excellent
Dmax and contrast. With a barely damp brush to apply the solution, the image is gray with purple overtones.
White parchment papers also work quite well, although some printers find the mottling in the paper an
unacceptable distraction. Remember, do not humidify paper for this or any process in this manual.
Work (tested)
 Arches Platine
 Canson White Parchment Drawing Paper (a mottled paper mimicking parchment)
 ClearPrint Vellum
 Pacific Arts Vellum
Tip: Vellum and parchment papers in general should work provided they are 100% pure cotton fiber; vellum
papers that are not cotton, such as Canson Vidalon, work but fall apart during the long washes.
Do not work (tested)
 Canson 500 Bristol Plate sized with arrowroot starch as well as unsized
 Stonehenge sized with arrowroot starch as well as unsized
 Fabriano Artistico sized or unsized
 Rives BFK sized or unsized
 Strathmore two-ply Bristol Plate unsized
- 18 -
Gold Chloride
Bostick and Sullivan offers premixed 10% gold chloride (tetrachloroauric acid). Artcraft Chemicals sells
chloroauric (III) acid by the gram. Dissolving the gold is a straightforward process: Dissolve one gram in 8 ml
of distilled water and top off to a final volume of 10 ml.
Solutions
Handle ammonium ferric oxalate only in tungsten (not fluorescent) light. Maximum acceptable intensity is 60
watts and the light should be at least 6 feet away.
 Dissolve .5 mg ascorbic acid in 50 ml distilled water (or just .1 in 10 ml if the scale is sensitive enough).
Store in a bottle labeled 1% C. (Other processes in this manual require a 2% ascorbic acid solution.)
 Dissolve 12 grams of ammonium ferric oxalate in 24 ml distilled water. Top off the solution to 30 ml.
Pour 10 ml of the AFO into 3 small brown glass bottles.
 Prepare adhesive labels for the bottles. Recommended are AFO-C(3:1%), AFO-C(4:1%), and AFO-
C(5:1%).
 Add 5 drops of ascorbic acid to the bottle labeled AFO-C(5:1%). Agitate vigorously for 10 seconds.
This solution is for printing contrasty negatives.
This solution is for printing normal contrast negatives.
This solution is for printing soft negatives.
 Prepare hypo clear according to the package instructions, or simply dissolve 200 mg of sodium sulfite
and 20mg of sodium bisulfite in 750ml of distilled water and top off to a liter. Dilute 1:9 for clearing a
print and discard after each use.
 Dissolve 1 level teaspoon (approximately 12 grams) sodium sulfite in 1000 ml water. This is the initial
clearing bath.
Printing
A. For an 8x10 with a normal negative for printing on silver gelatin:
1. Don a pair of rubber or nitrile gloves.

2. Working in weak tungsten light, count 9 drops of 40% AFO-C(5:1%) into a shot glass.
3. Add 12 drops of gold.
4. Swirl the liquid in the shot glass vigorously and quickly pour the sensitizer solution onto the paper
inside the sketched negative area.
5. Brush out the solution methodically, vertically, horizontally and diagonally across the paper. Spread the
solution out evenly as fast as possible while keeping it more or less within the outline. Tip: Practice
brushwork on ordinary paper using water mixed with food color before trying this with the precious
metals.
6. Place the sensitized paper in a dark, dry, cool place for 10-20 minutes, until dry.
7. Place a sheet of 2 or 3 mil mylar/acetate on top of the dry paper and the negative on top of the mylar.
Place this in the contact print frame.
8. Expose in direct sunlight or to a UV light source. Anticipate exposures ranging from less than 1
minute to as long as 10 minutes, depending on the negative. Drop one side of the print frame back to
view print-out progress.
- 19 -
9. Immerse the correctly exposed print in a first bath of iced (~35 degrees Fahrenheit) 1.2% sodium
sulfite. This both minimizes the initial darkening of the image observed in a first bath that is too warm
and minimizes color shifts.
10. After ten minutes, pour off the sodium sulfite (save for reuse if making more prints in the same
session). Wash the print in cool running water for 5 minutes.
11. Immerse the print in 2% hydrochloric acid and agitate intermittently for 15 minutes.
12. Save the acid and wash print in cool running water for five minutes.
13. Repeat the 2% acid bath and water wash.
14. After the second wash in running water, pour 15% tetrasodium EDTA into the tray. Agitate
intermittently for 15 minutes.
15. Pour the EDTA back into its bottle and wash the print in running tap water for one minute.
16. Pour 250 ml to 500 ml of hypo clear (at normal strength for clearing silver gelatin prints or sodium
sulfite into the tray and agitate intermittently for 15 minutes. Save the dilute hypo clear for later prints
if you plan more for the session.
17. Wash print in running water again for 5 minutes, and then soak in tetrasodium EDTA (from a second
bottle with fresh solution) for 15 minutes.
18. Wash a print on Arches Platine or Revere Platinum 300 gsm in running water for 60 minutes. Wash
Revere Platinum 145 gsm or Clear Print vellum for 30 minutes.
19. Immerse in the gelatin-alum solution (find the formula in the Overview) to constrain darkening.
20. Drain and hang to dry.
21. Spot the dry print with spot tone or India ink as necessary.
Note: For a negative that needs more contrast, substitute ammonium ferric oxalate to which you have added 6,
7, or even 8 drops of 1% ascorbic acid.
B. For an 8x10 print with a contrasty negative, or for any print in which smooth skin stones are vital:

2. Working in weak tungsten light, count 9 drops of 40% AFO-C(3:1%) or AFO-C(4:1%) into a shot
glass.
3. Add 3 to 8 drops of 26% ferric oxalate. For a soft negative, such as a head and shoulder shot with a
3:1 contrast ratio, add 8 drops. For a hard negative, add just 3 drops of ferric oxalate. Without the
ferric oxalate, even contrasty negatives print slightly flat.
4. Add 12 drops of gold.
6. Brush out the solution methodically, vertically, horizontally and diagonally across the paper. Spread the
solution out evenly as fast as possible while keeping it more or less within the outline. Tip: Practice
brushwork on ordinary paper using water mixed with food color before trying this with the precious
metals.
Place this in the contact print frame.
9. Expose in direct sunlight or to a UV light source. Anticipate exposures ranging from less than 1
minute to as long as 10 minutes, depending on the negative. Drop one side of the print frame back to
view print-out progress.
10. Immerse the correctly exposed print in a first bath of iced (~35 degrees Fahrenheit) tap water. This
minimizes the initial darkening of the image observed in a first bath that is too warm. For AFO-
C(3:1%) or AFO-C(4:1%) only ice water can be used for the first bath. A print made with this small
volume of ascorbic acid will instantly flatten to an overall dull gray if immersed in a first bath of any
kind of acid. Do not be concerned about any bronzing you may discern in the print: this generally
- 20 -
clears by the second wash bath.
11. Immerse the print in working strength Hypo Clear (250 ml to 500 ml of hypo clear at normal strength
for clearing silver gelatin prints, or 200 mg of sodium sulfite dissolved in a total of 1000 ml of water
and diluted 1 to 9 for a working solution) and agitate intermittently for 15 minutes. Save the dilute
hypo clear for later prints if you plan more for the session.
12. Wash in running water for five minutes.
13. Pour 250 ml to 500 ml of 2% hydrochloric acid into the tray. Agitate intermittently for 15 minutes.
14. Save the acid and wash in cool running water for five minutes.
20. Immerse in the gelatin-alum solution (find the formula in the Overview) to constrain darkening.
Colors
Color is widely understood to be a characteristic of gold prints. However, because the hydration of the paper is
eliminated, reliably adding color to a Texas Chrysotype is only assured for blue. Other colors are likely to
appear, but the printer should not be disappointed if a print remains neutral gray.
To make a purple print:
 Print as above, but immerse the print first in a cold 5% tartaric acid bath. Agitate for 5 to 10 minutes
until the color reaches maximum intensity. Pour off the acid and continue clearing as above.
To make a blue print:
1. Prepare a 40% solution of hot boric acid and cool to 110° F to 120° F. Boric acid will not dissolve in
such strength under 140° F.
2. Prepare paper for printing as above, using Arches Platine, Revere Platinum 300gsm, or vellum.
3. Expose until the darkest parts of the picture form a partial image and the highlights form a ghostly
image.
4. Immerse the print in the boric acid. As soon as the image is developed out (a few seconds to several
minutes), transfer the print to a tray of ice cold water.
To make a rose- or flesh-hued print:
 Print as above, but immerse the print first in a cold 5% nitric acid bath. Agitate for 5 to 10 minutes until
the color reaches maximum intensity. Pour off the acid and continue clearing as above.
- 21 -
Problems and Solutions
You will certainly have unsatisfactory results at some point. It is inevitable. In this section I identified the
commonest problems I ran into and provided the solutions I discovered for resolving those problems.
Problem: Print flat and dark with poor image. OR the ferric ammonium oxalate solution turns greenish-black
when you add the ascorbic acid drops.
Solution: Either the ferric ammonium crystals have been exposed to excess light or the prepared ferric
ammonium oxalate solution has aged beyond usability. Note: The modified ferric ammonium oxalate solution
will decay more rapidly than normal ferric ammonium oxalate. If the ammonium ferric oxalate is not bad, then
check the UV lamps used for printing, as they may have reached their maximum useful life.
Problem: Prints consistently darken too much on immersion into first bath.
Solution: Use ice-cold water for the first clearing bath or reduce exposure time by 5% to 10%. Note: An
initial cold bath is very effective.
Problem: Prints darken too much when they dry.

Solution: Bathe in the gelatin-alum bath as described above, in the Overview. In the future, reduce printing
time by 5% to 10%.
Problem: Print accidentally underexposed (too light) approximately one-half to one stop.
Solution: Immerse print in a warm bath (~95° F) of 18% phosphoric acid. Lime Away mixed with 50% water
is an adequate substitute. Place tray under an overhead fan hood. Do not inhale the fumes. Wear a respirator if
necessary.
Problem: Print turns pink and darkens over days or weeks.

Solution: Watch your first prints for a week after drying. If the print shows a noticeable shift to pink
immediately immerse it in a 5% solution of hydrochloric acid for 15 minutes, followed by a 15 minute bath in
hypo clear and a final 30 minute wash. This usually suffices to save a print. In the future, extend clearing bath
and wash times.
Problem: Print too grainy.

Solution: Grain is caused by either of excess ascorbic acid in the AFO, too much AFO-C (the correct ratio of
AFO-C to gold is .66 to 1 to .75 to 1).
Problem: Insufficient Dmax.

Solution: If you identify the weak Dmax on removing the print from the frame, immerse the print in a
solution of 10% ammonium dichromate at room temperature. Caution: Wear rubber or nitrile gloves at all
times when working with dichromate: it is highly toxic, quite poisonous, and repeated, prolonged exposure
apparently causes cancer. Otherwise, if the image fails to print or develop out with adequate Dmax, reprint
with 40% AFO with 1 drop more of ascorbic acid solution added (unless you are already using AFO with 10
drops ascorbic acid per 10 ml).
- 22 -
GOLD AND PLATINUM: THE KARYTYPE
Illustration 2. Kary. Karytype (gold
and platinum).
This negative approximates the characteristics of the Karytype at 75% gold and 25% platinum. The print
received a first bath in ice cold nitric acid at 3% strength, which lent a coral hue with the hints of blue typical of
gold in the presence of platinum. The image above is really, like its subject, quite lovely.
With AFO-C, gold and platinum print out an image of ethereal beauty. Karytype prints possess a striking
delicacy, expressing a lifelike plasticity and spatial 3-dimensionality. They are truly worthy of the woman after
whom the process is named (and whose image adorns this section). Similarly to the Ziatype process, gold can
be used to yield prints of various hues, including, blue, red, purple, rose, and gray. Prints made with about 33%
and higher platinum generally print out in a gray tone; prints that are 66% and higher gold generally exhibit a
blue-gray cast (especially with potassium platinum).
Modify an image's initial hue by immersing the paper in any of various first acid baths. A weak bath in nitric
acid for 15 minutes reduces the blue hue in a high-gold content print and gives the image a rosy glow. Color
shifts away from blue (toward deep purple) with a 15 minute bath in a 5% solution of tartaric, lactic or
phosphoric acid. Deepen the blue cast with a first bath in very strong (30% to 40%) boric acid.
The Karytype is not just beautiful, but it is also an economical process, working well with a 10% solution of
either ammonium tetrachloroplatinate or potassium chloroplatinate and a 10% solution of gold chloride.
Substitute platinum for up to 66% of the gold chloride. For an 8x10 inch print, therefore, use up to 8 drops of
platinum solution with as few as 4 drops of gold. Replacing more than 66% of the gold with platinum is not
recommended: platinum instantly precipitates the gold, with resultant staining and uneven distribution.
Great care must be taken to clear a Karytype thoroughly. Failure to clear iron completely results in the print
turning pink within a few days or weeks, followed by a gradual fade to red-black.
- 23 -
Notes
Boost contrast by substituting a smaller volume of platinum for gold (such as, 3 drops of platinum with 9 drops
of gold), or by adding ferric oxalate to the sensitizer. Refer to the contrast table below. (Note: You will likely
be able to eliminate contrast boost with ferric oxalate simply by substituting lithium ferric oxalate for the
ammonium ferric oxalate.)
Clearing in an initial bath of 1.2% sodium sulfite generally results in a gray scale Karytype in the presence of
more gold than platinum. Other acids produce more dramatic changes in color.
For a rosy tint, immerse the print in a first bath of 6% nitric acid for 10 to 15 minutes. Follow with a five
minute wash and the hydrochloric acid bath.
Negatives
The wide contrast range of this process supports any negative. The tonal range widens as more platinum is
substituted for gold.
Standards
The Karytype sensitizer is 8 drops of 1% ascorbic acid added to 10 ml of 40% ammonium ferric oxalate –
referred to in this section as AFO-C(8:1%). If contrast must be raised, a few drops of 13% or 26% ferric
oxalate, alone or in combination, suffice for an 8x10 print. For printing with more than 33% platinum, you can
substitute 40% lithium ferric oxalate with the same (or even less) volume of 1% ascorbic acid added.
An 8x10 print requires 12 drops of metals total. Maximum recommended ratio of platinum to gold is 8 drops
of 10% platinum and 4 drops of 10% gold. While you can mix and print 9 to 11 drops of platinum with 1 to 3
of gold, you will observe almost instantaneous staining of the paper when you pour on the sensitizer (though
this can be mitigated somewhat by increasing the volume of glycerin added). Above 50% platinum and 50%
gold, the Karytype loses most of those characteristics that distinguish it from pure platinum. For this reason
alone, the author recommends that the printer wishing to exploit this hybrid process for its unique look begin
with prints containing no more than a third platinum and the remainder gold.
Papers
These papers work with the Karytype straight from the package. Do not humidify papers. It is not necessary
for any of the processes in this manual.
 Arches Platine
 Strathmore 500 Bristol Plate (tested with the Fannintype – platinum print out – process, this may fail to
print out properly with solutions that are more than 50% gold)
 Clear Print 16 lb vellum (tested with Texas Chrysotype)
 Pacific Arts 24 lb vellum (tested with Texas Chrysotype)
Other Papers
 Arches Aquarelle heavily sized with arrowroot starch (2% to 3% solution, four immersions)
 Revere Platinum in either its 145 gsm or 310 gsm heavily sized with arrowroot starch (2% to 3%
solution, four immersions)
- 24 -
Metals
Print with 10% solutions of gold chloride (tetrachloroauric acid), purchased in solid form (from Artcraft
Chemicals in New Jersey) or 10% premixed solution (from Bostick & Sullivan in Santa Fe).
Print with either 10% ammonium platinum chloride (ammonium tetrachloroplatinate) or potassium platinum
chloride (potassium tetrachloroplatinate). Some sources have mentioned sodium platinum chloride as
acceptable for printing, but that form of the metal has never been tested with a proper dry print out process.
Potassium platinum, which is the form of the metal specified for the Ziatype process, is available in a premixed
20% solution (designated “solution #3”) from Bostick & Sullivan. Some or all of the solution is easily diluted
to 10% with warm distilled water. Purchase potassium platinum and ammonium platinum by the dry gram
from any of several suppliers, such as Artcraft Chemicals, and prepare solutions. Dissolve platinum in distilled
water between 80° F and 90° F. If the temperature is not observed, the platinum will not go completely into
solution.
Ammonium tetrachloroplatinate yields somewhat more neutral images with gold than does potassium
tetrachloroplatinate, which leans toward slate-blue images when the gold constitutes more than 50% of the
combined metals in the sensitizer.
Chemicals
The following are the core chemicals need, along with some optional acids for shifting colors in prints that are
more gold than platinum.
 Ammonium ferric oxalate, crystals or 40% premixed solution

 Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C powder)
 99.9% glycerin
 Distilled water
 Hydrochloric acid
 Sodium sulfite or Hypo clear
 Tetrasodium EDTA
 Ferric oxalate powder or 26% premixed solution (recommended, available from Bostick & Sullivan)
 Nitric acid (optional, for a rose hue)
 Boric Acid (optional, for a blue hue)
 Tartaric, citric, phosphoric, or lactic acid (optional, for a purple-black hue)
Solutions
Use distilled water when preparing solutions. Distilled water is free of the chemical contaminates and
particulate matter (especially iron) found in tap water.
All of the chemicals required are readily available from a variety of suppliers in the United States, Asia and
Europe. With the exception of muriatic acid, which is severely caustic and burns flesh and can scar or blind if
splashed in the eyes, none of the chemicals are particularly dangerous unless grossly mishandled (that is,
swallowed or inhaled).
- 25 -
 Prepare a stock solution of Hypo Clear by dissolving one package in warm distilled water. Hypo Clear
is sold in units for preparing 1 quart or 1 gallon. After the powder has completely dissolved, make up a
working solution by adding 50 ml to 450 ml of distilled water. Tip: Economize by mixing sodium sulfite
and sodium bisulfite instead (200 grams of sodium sulfite, 2 grams of sodium bisulfite dissolved in one
liter of distilled water). As with Hypo Clear, dilute the stock solution 1:9 in distilled water for immediate
use). This solution chelates iron and adjusts PH in the paper.
 Prepare a solution of 10 ml of 40% ammonium ferric oxalate by dissolving 4 grams of the emerald
crystals in 8 ml of distilled water at room temperature. Work in weak tungsten (not fluorescent or
natural) light. Stir vigorously until the crystals dissolve completely and top off to a total volume of 10
ml. Pour into a brown glass eyedropper bottle labeled AFO-C(8:1%).
 Prepare a 1% solution of ascorbic acid. Dissolve 1/10th gram of ascorbic acid in 10 ml of distilled
water or 1 gram in 100 ml. Pour into an eyedropper bottle labeled 1% C.
 Add eight drops of the 1% ascorbic acid solution to the appropriately labeled bottle of 10 ml of 40%
ammonium ferric oxalate. Recap both bottles, and shake the ammonium ferric oxalate vigorously for 10
seconds. The ascorbic acid flows evenly throughout the AFO converting some but not all of the iron
from its ferric state to its ferrous state.
 Prepare 2 liters 10% tetrasodium EDTA by dissolving 200 grams in 1.75 liters of distilled water and
topping off to 2 liters when fully dissolved. Pour 1 liter into a bottle labeled T-EDTA-1 and the other
into a bottle labeled T-EDTA-2. Use the T-EDTA-1 for the first EDTA bath and T-EDTA-2 for the
second bath. When it takes on a yellow cast, discard it and replace it with the second bath (and then
mix up a liter of fresh solution for T-EDTA-2 – remembering to switch the labels). Tip: The first liter is
unlikely to be exhausted in a single printing session.
 Pour 150 ml of muriatic acid into a large cylinder or beaker containing 750 ml of distilled water. Pour
this into a bottle labeled 5% Hydrochloric Acid. This is the first of three clearing baths to remove the
iron from the print. Note: Some authors recommend citric acid as a safe alternative to hydrochloric
acid. Unfortunately, citric acid is not the ideal clearing agent for Arches Platine and Revere Platinum.
Wear rubber gloves, eye protection, and mix the hydrochloric acid solution under a vent or out of
doors. Tip: Keep a two-quart sauce pan (not a narrow-necked bottle) filled with cold water within arm's
reach when working with an open container of muriatic acid.
 Dissolve 4 grams of ferric oxalate in 20 ml of warm distilled water. This process can take upwards of
an hour, including re-warming the bottle in a tray of hot water. Ferric oxalate is notoriously difficult to
get into solution; you can save yourself considerable anxiety by purchasing it premixed from Bostick &
Sullivan. Pour 15 into a bottle labeled 26% Ferric Oxalate.
 Add 5 ml of distilled water to the remaining ferric oxalate and pour this into a bottle labeled 13% Ferric
Oxalate.
 Dissolve 12 grams of sodium sulfite in 1000 ml water.
Printing
Exposed prints are gray or blue-gray depending on whether you use ammonium tetrachloroplatinate (gray) or
potassium chloroplatinate (blue-gray), as well as how much platinum you use (by a 50:50 ratio all prints are
gray).
The ratio of AFO-C(8:1%) to metals is .75:1 (9 drops AFO-C to 12 drops total metals). A 1:1 ratio of the two
causes grain with prints that contain more gold than platinum.
- 26 -
Contrast Table
The following table assumes an 8x10 negative that would print on Grade 2 silver paper with minimal dodging
and burning. Remember, the ferric oxalate is in addition to the 9 drops of AFO-C(8:1%) and 12 drops of total
metals. Keep in mind that this contrast table is for ammonium ferric oxalate only. With the substitution of
lithium ferric oxalate – LFO-C(8:1%) – only half as much ferric oxalate, or less, is required.
Ferric Oxalate Contrast with 4 drops Au Contrast with 8+ drops Au
0 Low Low medium

1 Low Medium
2 Low Medium high
3 Low medium High
4 Medium Very high
5 High Not recommended
Important: Carry out all work from step 3 through step 15, below, in tungsten (not fluorescent) light, with a
maximum illumination of 60 watts at least six feet away. Wear nitrile or rubber gloves.
To make an 8x10 print with 9 drops gold and 3 drops platinum:
1. Place an undeveloped negative or matte on the smooth surface of a sheet of paper. With a pencil, trace
a light outline of the negative on the paper.
2. Wash the application brush thoroughly under running water. Wearing gloves, hold a heavy paper towel
in one hand and wipe the brush damp with the paper towel. Draw both sides of the brush across a
clean sheet of scrap paper to remove dust and lint. Place the brush aside, close at hand.
3. Count 9 drops of AFO-C(8:1%) into a shot glass.
4. Add to the shot glass a total of 9 drops of gold and 3 drops of platinum solutions. Swirl the solution
vigorously for a few seconds until well mixed.
5. Pour the solution along the narrow edge of the negative outline, inside the pencil lines.
6. Immediately brush the liquid across the full length of the outline. Brush steadily, confidently and
deliberately – neither rapidly, nor too slowly – taking care not to abrade the paper. Continue until you
have spread the solution evenly across the paper. If dust specks or animal hairs are transferred onto the
paper from the brush, flick them away with the brush and lightly smooth out the spot.
7. Place the brush in water and transfer the coated paper to a dark location to dry. Sufficient drying
typically takes 15 minutes.
8. Rinse the solution from the brush, wipe it as dry as possible and set it aside. Tip: Do not place the
brush on a metal or painted surface, unless your intent is to decorate with lavender smudges of gold.
9. If you are using a UV lamp box, turn on the lamps to warm up about five minutes before the print is
ready.
10. Place a 2 mil sheet of acetate/mylar on the paper covering the coated area. This sheet is necessary to
protect the negative from serious damage. Do not deceive yourself that the paper is sufficiently dry not
to damage the negative. The heat from the UV bulbs can generate a corrosive steam, from an
apparently dry sheet of paper, that settles between the acetate/mylar sheet and the negative and
subsequently corrodes the emulsion.
11. Place the negative to be printed emulsion side down onto the acetate/mylar sheet and press the glass
down and close the frame.
12. Place the print frame in direct sunlight or in the UV lamp box. Start examining the print when any
over-brushed sensitizer darkens.
- 27 -
13. Immerse the correctly exposed print in a first bath of iced (~35 degrees Fahrenheit) 1.2% sodium
sulfite. This both minimizes the initial darkening of the image observed in a first bath that is too warm
and minimizes color shifts.
14. After ten minutes, pour off the sodium sulfite (save for reuse if making more prints in the same
session). Wash the print in cool running water for 5 minutes.
15. Immerse the print in 2% hydrochloric acid and agitate intermittently for 15 minutes.
16. Save the acid and wash print in cool running water for five minutes.
sulfite into the tray and agitate intermittently for 15 minutes. Save the dilute hypo clear for later prints if
you plan more for the session.
23. Hold the print by one corner to drain off the excess water.
24. Optionally treat the print in a gelatin-alum solution to minimize darkening when it is dried.
25. Place the print flat on blotter paper to dry. If you skipped step 28, you can hang the print to dry by one
corner.
26. When fully dry, spot the print as necessary with spot tone or diluted India ink. (Tip: India ink is
available in such useful colors as rose and blue.)
Alter the tone of a blue-gray print by washing first in a cool bath of any of the following acids at 2% to 10%
strength. A 2% solution produces the subtlest color shift; 10% the strongest shift.
 Purple-black to purple-brown tones require tartaric acid or lactic acid.

 Rose requires nitric acid (5% to 10%)
 Gray requires 1.2% sodium sulfite.
To make an 8x10 negative with 5 drops of platinum (and 7 of gold) all steps are the same as above, except for
mixing the sensitizer:
1. Count 5 drops of 10% platinum into a shot glass.

2. Count 4 drops of 99.9% glycerin into the shot glass and swirl to mix.
3. Count 3 drops of 26% ferric oxalate into the shot glass and swirl to mix.
4. Count 7 drops of 10% gold into the shot glass and swirl to mix.
5. Count 9 drops of AFO-C(8:1%) the shot glass and swirl to mix.
To make an 8x10 negative with 6 to 8 drops of platinum (and the remainder gold) all steps are the same as
above, except add 4 to 7 drops of 26% ferric oxalate.
Printing Problems
Unsatisfactory results are inevitable at some point. Following are the commonest problems encountered, along
with solutions.
- 28 -
Problem: Print flat and dark with poor image.
Solution: Either of two conditions causes this problem: UV lamps that have reached their maximum useful
life, or bad ammonium ferric oxalate. If the AFO is not bad, replace the lamps.
Problem: The ferric ammonium oxalate solution turns greenish-black when ascorbic acid is added.
Solution: This generally occurs when too many drops of ascorbic acid are added. Make sure that only 8 drops
of 1% ascorbic acid were added to fresh AFO and not to a bottle of AFO previously treated with ascorbic
acid. If such is not the case, then either the ferric ammonium crystals have been exposed to excess light or the
prepared ferric ammonium oxalate solution has aged beyond usability. If the crystals are known still to be
good, mix up a fresh 40% solution. Note: Modified ferric ammonium oxalate solution has a far shorter shelf
life – one measurable in weeks – than plain ferric ammonium oxalate.
Problem: Prints consistently darken too much on immersion into first bath.
Solution: Use ice-cold acid or reduce exposure time by about 10%. Note: An initial ice water bath is very
effective.
Problem: Print darkened too much when it dried.

Solution: Bathe print in the gelatin-alum bath as described above and in the Overview.
Problem: Print accidentally underexposed (too light) approximately one-half to one stop.
Solution: It may be possible to save the print by Immersing it in a warm bath (~120° F) of 18% phosphoric
acid. Lime Away mixed with 50% water is an adequate substitute. Other acids (except oxalic, which is horribly
noxious when warm) can be used instead, typically at 20% strength and ~120° F. With all hot acids, place the
tray under an overhead fan hood and take care not to inhale the fumes. Wear a respirator if necessary. Note:
Substitute a 40% solution of boric acid for the phosphoric if you do not object to a blue print. Boric acid is
considerably less noxious.
Problem: Print turns pink and fades in a few days to a week.

Solution: Examine your first gold-platinum prints once or twice a day for a week after they are dry. If a print
shows a noticeable shift to pink immediately immerse it in a 15% solution of tetrasodium EDTA for 15
minutes, followed by a 5 minute water wash and then a15 minute bath in hypo clear. Wash the print in running
water for 60 minutes. In the future increase the strength of the tetrasodium EDTA baths to 15%.
Problem: Print too grainy.

Solution: More than 10 drops of AFO-C in the sensitizer can cause grain. If this was not the case, reprint with
1 additional drop of glycerin.
Problem: Print contrast too low on removal from frame.

Solution: Immerse the print for 1 to 5 minutes in a warm (~70° F) 10% solution of ammonium dichromate
under a fume hood. Wear your rubber gloves and a respirator or face mask rated for toxic vapors.
Problem: My print looked fine after clearing but when it dried it turned yellow.
Solution: Clearing was insufficient. Try adding 50 ml of Lime Away to 950 ml distilled water. Give the print
two 10 minute baths with 10 minutes baths in running water interposed.
- 29 -
GOLD AND PALLADIUM
Illustration 3. San Fernando Cathedral, San
Antonio, Texas. 6 drops gold, 6 drops palladium.
This negative exemplifies the power of Ilford HP4+ in conjunction with gold and palladium. Few emulsions
could hold detail in the stone around the lamps illuminating the cathedral's facade, preserve the iron crosses
atop the twin towers, regale the viewer with the three-dimensional plasticity of the massive structure, and hold
nuanced detail in the deep shadows.
In the Ziatype process, gold is added to palladium to introduce colors to prints. Blue, red, lavender and purple
are the usual colors attributed to printing with gold and palladium. Those colors are obtained because, when
humidification is used to aid the precipitation of gold onto the paper, gold behaves more as a pigment than as a
metal. This process does not rely on humidification; therefore, gold serves not to add color to an image, but to
enhance the quality of palladium, and palladium serves to complement gold's properties as an image-forming
metal. The inherent contrast of gold is further subdued by palladium, as compared to platinum's more
vigorous interaction with gold. Color, when apparent, is treated as a side effect of the process.
A strong acid bath substituted for ice water as a first bath can access a palette of subtle colors. Gold pliantly
surrenders a fleshly hue in citric acid, a haunting blue in boric acid, hints of purple in lactic acid. In this regard,
it is not dissimilar to the Karytype – gold-platinum. The higher the volume of gold relative to the palladium,
- 30 -
the stronger the colors. The printer interested in this application benefits from economical experimentation
with small format (medium format and 4x5) contact prints. Other acids, not tested with this particular
combination of the nobles, include oxalic, nitric, phosphoric, tartaric and EDTA acids.
With a print that is mostly gold, the general properties of the image as discussed above under The Texas
Chrysotype are retained while the latitude of the image is slightly extended. At higher volumes of palladium,
images display a considerably wider tonal range (two to three more full stops). As grain is not an issue with The
Texas Chrysotype (unlike all older chrysotype formulas), palladium-gold is appropriate for the printer ardent
for an image that displays a look somewhat different from either platinum-palladium or platinum-gold. Gold
enhances palladium by increasing Dmax without interfering with nuanced highlights, and the latitude is
extended by the presence of palladium.
Printing palladium-gold with AFO-C differs from printing pure palladium. On the one hand, far less ascorbic
acid is added to the ammonium ferric oxalate, as too much ferrous iron will precipitate the gold from solution
before the sensitizer is even poured onto the paper. On the other hand, contrast is slightly higher, particularly
as more gold than palladium is added to the sensitizer. The advantage lies in that less ascorbic acid is necessary
to obtain an image of satisfactory contrast. Further, less FO is required to raise contrast for soft negatives (and
even less is required if you print with lithium ferric oxalate).
A 10% solution of either lithium palladium or potassium palladium is suitable. (There is no appreciable cost
saving in selecting one over the other.) Buy lithium palladium in a 25 ml 15% solution from Bostick and
Sullivan and dilute it with distilled water to 37.5 ml total volume. Buy potassium palladium as a powder and
dissolve 1 gram in 8 ml of distilled water and top it off to 10 ml. (Remember when preparing a palladium
solution from powder to add half a gram or so of salt – sodium chloride – to each gram of metal salt
completely to dissolve. Salt is not required when diluting a premixed solution.) Use a 10% solution of gold
chloride (tetrachloroauric acid).
Any combination of palladium and gold can be used. As is the case with all processes in this manual, print
reliably and consistently on dry paper with no concern for relative humidity. There is no need to keep a steam
kettle – or a bath of developer – at the ready in the event an image fails to print it. Assuming the instructions
below are strictly followed, an image always prints out.
Notes
Contrast: Boost contrast, if necessary, by adding 1 to 5 drops of 13% or 26% ferric oxalate to the sensitizer.
Refer to the contrast table below.
Clearing: Immerse the print in three successive .5% hydrochloric acid baths. (Warning: That is one-half of one
percent.) This clears much of the iron. In addition to two baths in tetrasodium EDTA, interpose a hypo clear
(sodium sulfite) bath.
Negatives
Because contrast control is so flexible, you can print any negative with palladium and gold.
To strengthen Dmax, increase the volume of gold in proportion to the palladium, and/or add more ferric
oxalate (1 drop of 26% is a big boost with a print mostly gold; 4 or 5 drops adjust contrast to a correct level
with a print mostly palladium).
Digital negatives print adequately with Photoshop curves for platinum (that is not a typo) printing, freely
- 31 -
available on the Internet. Standard practice is to apply a curve and then tweak contrast for the subject. In this
way, all negatives print with roughly the same density and, hence, the same exposure time.
Standards
Add 8 drops of 1% ascorbic acid added to 10 ml 40% ammonium ferric oxalate or 40% lithium ferric oxalate.
Mix with 1 to 8 drops of palladium chloride (lithium or potassium) and 11 to 5 drops of gold chloride
(tetrachloroauric acid). For satisfactory Dmax at 9 to 11 drops of palladium with ammonium ferric oxalate, you
may need to switch to ammonium ferric oxalate to which 10 drops of ascorbic acid have been added. This
substitution is not necessary with lithium ferric oxalate.
For an 8x10 print that is 9 to 11 drops of gold, no contrast boost is necessary. Obviously, sometime,
somewhere, a printer will find a negative so soft that, even with so much gold, a slight contrast boost is needed.
Add 1 drop of 13% or 26% ferric oxalate to the sensitizer.
For an 8x10 print that is 9 to 11 drops of palladium, a contrast boost of 5 to 7 drops of 26% ferric oxalate is
needed with ammonium ferric oxalate. A contrast boost of 1 to 3 drops of 26% ferric oxalate is needed with
lithium ferric oxalate.
For an 8x10, the ratio of AFO-C(8:1%) to palladium and gold is .75:1 (9 drops of AFO-C(8:1%) or lithium
ferric oxalate-C(8:1%)) and 12 drops total of metal salts.
Papers
Any paper suitable for the Texas Chrysotype, and some that work with palladium and platinum, is compatible
with this formula straight out of the packet. Do not dampen the paper; use it dry for these processes.
 Arches Platine
 Clear Print 16 lb vellum
 Pacific Arts 24 lb vellum
 Strathmore 500 Bristol Plate (except for prints that are composed of about two-thirds or more gold)
Not tested by the author, these papers may be suitable for palladium-gold and are almost certainly acceptable
for solutions composed of 50% or more palladium.
 Rives BFK
 Bergger Cot-320
 Fabriano Artistico (presoaked in water, 4% citric acid or 4% oxalic acid according to various sources,
notably master printer Dick Arentz)
 Cranes Cover (used widely with palladium)
Metals
Use a 10% solution of either lithium palladium chloride or potassium palladium chloride (potassium
tetrachloropalladate). Lithium palladium is available in a premixed 15% solution from Bostick & Sullivan and
all or part of the total volume should be diluted with distilled water to 10%.
- 32 -
Purchase dry potassium palladium from any of several suppliers, such as Artcraft Chemicals, and prepare your
own solution. Tip: When mixing palladium add half a gram of table salt for each gram of the metal salt before
adding warm water (80° F to 90° F) to aid dissolving the metal. If the salt is not added, the palladium will not
go completely into solution. Prepare a 10% solution by dissolving 1 gram potassium palladium chloride and .5
gram sodium chloride in 8 ml warm distilled water. Top off to 10 ml. Palladium chloride solution is not
sensitive to light.
Use a 10% solution of gold chloride (tetrachloroauric acid). Premixed gold chloride is available in volumes as
low as 10 ml from Bostick and Sullivan. Artcraft Chemicals and others sell tetrachloroauric acid in quantities as
small as 1 gram. Add 9 ml of warm distilled water to each gram of gold and stir until fully dissolved. Top off
the volume to 10 ml. Gold chloride is not sensitive to light.
Chemicals
 Ascorbic acid (pure vitamin C.

 Ammonium ferric oxalate crystals.
 Tetrasodium EDTA.
 Hypo Clear (in powder or liquid form. Use as instructed for clearing silver prints. Economize by mixing
sodium sulfite and sodium bisulfite (200 grams of sodium sulfite, 2 grams of sodium bisulfite dissolved
in one liter of distilled water and diluted 1:9 for immediate use).
 Distilled water.
 Ferric oxalate (13% and 26% solutions) for boosting contrast.
 Muriatic acid (~29% hydrochloric acid). Dilute 1:60 (.5%) in distilled water to clear prints.
Solutions
Use distilled water when preparing solutions. Distilled water is free of the chemical contaminates (including
iron) and particulate matter found in tap water. Purchase distilled water at grocery stores and pharmacies.
Caution: Wear a good dust mask when preparing solutions as accidental inhalation of any of these chemicals
(except ascorbic acid) and metals can have serious health consequences.
 Prepare a solution of 10 ml of 40% ammonium ferric oxalate by dissolving 4 grams of the crystals in 8
ml of cool distilled water. Work in weak tungsten (not fluorescent or natural) light. Stir vigorously until
the crystals dissolve completely and top off to a total volume of 10 ml. Pour into a brown glass
eyedropper bottle labeled AFO-C(8:1%).
water or 1 gram in 100 ml. (Ascorbic acid sells for less than 4 cents a gram.) Pour into an eyedropper
bottle labeled 1% C.
 Add 8 drops of the 1% ascorbic acid solution to the 10 ml of 40% ammonium ferric oxalate (or
lithium ferric oxalate). Recap both bottles, and shake the ammonium ferric oxalate vigorously for 10
seconds. If printing with 9 to 11 drops of palladium, add 10 drops of the 1% ascorbic acid solution
instead of 8.
 Prepare 1 liter of Hypo Clear at working strength and 2 liters of 10% tetrasodium EDTA and pour
into 3 labeled bottles. One bottle of the EDTA should be noted as “Bath 1” and the second as “Bath
2.” The first bath is generally good for 5 to 10 prints; once it is stained yellow, it should be discarded
and the second bath promoted to first bath.
 Pour 16 ml of muriatic acid into a large cylinder or beaker containing 984 ml of distilled water. Do not
- 33 -
exceed .5% strength, as hydrochloric acid dissolves palladium. (Tip: Reducing intensity of a mostly
palladium print with hydrochloric acid is not recommended except for experienced printers – if at all.)
Pour the acid into a bottle labeled .5% Hydrochloric Acid. Wear rubber gloves, eye protection, and mix
the hydrochloric acid solution under a vent or out of doors. Warning: Keep a two-quart sauce pan (not
a narrow-necked bottle) filled with cold water within arm's reach when working with an open bottle of
muriatic acid.
an hour, including warming the bottle in a tray of hot water. Ferric oxalate is notoriously difficult to get
into solution; you can save yourself considerable anxiety by purchasing it premixed from Bostick &
Sullivan. Pour 20 ml into a bottle labeled 26% Ferric Oxalate.
 Add 10 ml of distilled water to the remaining 10 ml of ferric oxalate and pour into a bottle labeled 13%
Ferric Oxalate.
Printing
For an 8x10 print, anywhere from 11 drops palladium and 1 drop of gold to 1 drop of palladium and 11 drops
of gold can be used. A print loses the characteristics that distinguish it from pure palladium with 5 or fewer
drops of gold. For that reason alone, printing with such high proportions of palladium to gold is discouraged.
8x10’s typically require up to 7 drops of ferric oxalate added to AFO-C(8:1%) and 0 to 3 drops for lithium
ferric oxalate-C(8:1%). A print that is half palladium and half gold usually requires 3 drops of 26% ferric
oxalate. On the other hand, a print that is two-thirds or more (8 to 11 drops) gold rarely needs ferric oxalate.
Tastes (and negatives) vary considerably, so exact numbers are only general guidelines.
Contrast Tables
The following tables assume an 8x10 negative.
Contrast With 6 to 11 Drops of Gold – AFO-C(8:1%) and 26% Ferric Oxalate
Ferric Oxalate Contrast

0 drops Medium
1 drop High (Not recommended with more than 6 drops gold)
Contrast With 4 or 5 Drops of Gold – AFO-C(8:1%) and 26% Ferric Oxalate

0 drops Low, low medium
1 drop Medium
2 drops High
- 34 -
Contrast With 1 to 3 Drops of Gold – AFO-C(8:1%) or (10:1%) and 26% Ferric Oxalate

4 drops Medium (9 drops palladium)
Printing
To make an 8x10 print with a 1:1 ratio of fresh gold and palladium:

2. Working in weak tungsten light, count 9 drops of 40% AFO-C(10-1%) into the shot glass.
3. Add 6 drops of palladium and 6 drops of gold.
4. Add 1 drop of 26% ferric oxalate.
6. Brush out the solution methodically, vertically, horizontally and diagonally across the paper.
8. Place a sheet of 2 or 3 mil mylar/acetate on top of the dry paper and your negative on top of the
mylar. Place this in your contact print frame.
9. Expose in direct sunlight or to a UV light source. Anticipate exposures ranging from less than 1 minute
to as long as 10 minutes, depending on the negative. Drop one side of the print frame back to view
print-out progress. (Tip: Watch for any solution extending beyond the negative boundaries to turn dark
gray as a cue to begin checking the print.)
10. Immerse the correctly exposed print in a first bath of iced (~35 degrees Fahrenheit) tap water. This
minimizes the initial darkening of the image observed in a first bath that is too warm.
11. After five minutes, pour off the cold water and pour 250 ml to 500 ml of .5% hydrochloric acid into
the tray. Agitate intermittently for 15 minutes.
12. Discard the acid and wash in cool running water for five minutes.
13. Repeat the .5% acid bath and water wash two more times.
14. After the third five minute wash in running water, pour 10% tetrasodium EDTA into the tray. Agitate
15. Pour the EDTA back into its bottle and wash the print in running tap water for five minutes.
sulfite into the tray and agitate intermittently for 15 minutes. Save the dilute hypo clear only if planning
to make more prints in the same session.
17. Wash print in running water again for 5 minutes, and then soak in tetrasodium EDTA for 15 minutes.
18. Wash a print on Arches Platine or Revere Platinum 300 gsm (or other heavy paper) in running water for
60 minutes. Wash Revere Platinum 145 gsm or Clear Print vellum for 30 minutes.
Problem: My prints fade in the hydrochloric acid bath.

Solution: The acid is ridiculously strong. Remember when diluting muriatic acid that its full strength is
approximately 29% (I have seen it as high as 31%). If your prints continue to fade, switch to 15% citric acid,
- 35 -
two baths in 15% tetrasodium EDTA and a bath in Hypo Clear (at normal strength for clearing silver negatives
and prints).
Problem: My prints slowly get darker and after a few weeks are almost entirely black.
Solution: Leave the print in the hydrochloric acid bath longer, increase the strength of the tetrasodium EDTA
to 15%, and a bath in Hypo Clear (at normal strength for clearing silver negatives and prints). Make sure your
final water wash is 60 minutes for heavier papers (250 gsm and heavier) and 30 minutes for lighter papers.
Problem: My prints look gritty and the image does not completely print out.
Solution: You are using an incompatible paper. The sensitizer soaked too far into the fibers. Refer to the
papers list above and choose one suitable for this process.
Problem: I get dark stains in my paper where I pour the sensitizer solution.
Solution: This is caused by brushing the paper so hard you abrade the surface, or by adding too much ascorbic
acid in the ammonium ferric oxalate. To remedy the paper abrasion, practice brushing dilute glycerin mixed
with food coloring onto the same paper. To remedy the excess ascorbic acid problem, prepare fresh
ammonium ferric oxalate and carefully add exactly 8 drops of 1% ascorbic acid for each 10 ml. Boost contrast
with ferric oxalate added to the AFO-C.
Problem: I humidified my paper but my print looks fuzzy and grainy.

Solution: Do not humidify paper for this process. It is unnecessary and provides no benefit whatsoever.
Problem: My image is flat.

Solution: Add 2 drops more ferric oxalate to the sensitizer.
- 36 -
PLATINUM: THE FANNINTYPE
Illustration 4.
Fannin Monument.
Goliad Texas.
Fannintype (pure
platinum).
This delicate print, with its silvery halo of leaves and variegated play of light across the lawn, belies the 107
degrees of sweltering torment in which the negative was exposed. The Fannin Obelisk soars from the heart of
Goliad, Texas, and is dedicated to Colonel Fannin and the 345 men of his command who were murdered, on
the morning of Easter Sunday, 1836, one week after surrendering only with a solemn guarantee of free passage
back to their homes and families. When I stood gazing at this scene, I realized, like some wild-eyed animist, that
the spirits of those men indwelt these leaves and glowed with the eternal glory of their martyrdom in the name
of freedom.
I adjusted my camera only to shift the obelisk out from behind the overhanging branches (oblivious, in my
rapture, to the distortion I brought to the cement walk), and metered for the glittering foliage, and the hell with
everything else, for that light is the true subject of this image. The vintage lens flared unbearably at the top of
the frame, even stopped down to f/32, for it was a 1953 vintage Schneider Symmar-S, single coated, scratched
and smudged from years of abuse, but it nonetheless faithfully recorded the sacred luminance.
A gold print from the same negative does not show the flare, for gold’s weightier Dmax suggests that the
arching boughs at each corner are merely bent with the bones of specters; whereas platinum’s more delicate
tones betray my lens’ flaws.
Lithium ferric oxalate cured with ascorbic acid (LFO-C) produces reliable and consistent platinum print out
with no humidification and no development. Anywhere from 8 to 12 drops of 2% ascorbic acid, added to 10
ml of 40% LFO, precipitates platinum out of solution. Add 0 to 5 drops of 26% ferric oxalate to boost
contrast. For a strong negative typically exposed and developed for printing with platinum, LFO with 10 drops
of 2% ascorbic acid usually needs 5 or even 6 drops of ferric oxalate, whereas LFO with 12 drops of 2%
ascorbic acid usually needs 4 drops of ferric oxalate. LFO-C(8:2%) requires 7 drops of ferric oxalate.
- 37 -
Note that for contrast boost you can substitute potassium chlorate, or potassium or ammonium dichromate,
for the ferric oxalate. However, the chlorate raises two problems: it introduces grain and it significantly
increases printing time. More glycerin (which significantly increases drying time) can mitigate the grain, but it
cannot help with the longer exposure time. Furthermore, potassium chlorate is a dangerous chemical. While
dichromates do not increase grain, they greatly extend exposure time and are extraordinarily toxic. By contrast
with these dangerous chemicals, ferric oxalate only introduces a deep yellow stain that clears in the first acid
bath. For all these reasons, only ferric oxalate is discussed in this book.
While the image made with just SFO-C (and, as appropriate, ferric oxalate) does print out, it is excessively
grainy. Glycerin (which greatly increases drying time) takes care of the grain problem, and its addition to the
sensitizer is crucial to this process. Pizzighelli's 1892 formula for a platinum print out process (that required
humidification of paper), with ammonium ferric oxalate, called for gum arabic for printing on unsized paper,
and glycerin for printing on sized paper. Given that he incorporated a developer (potassium oxalate) into his
formula, and that glycerin acts as a restrainer on that developer, it is likely Pizzighelli was simultaneously sizing
the paper and slowing the action of the potassium oxalate. In this way, his platinum was precipitated out of
suspension – but not too fast. Interestingly, 3 drops of glycerin tames grain in prints from 4x5 to 6.5x8.5 and
the significantly larger 8x10 print requires 6 drops. Prints 11x14 and larger likely require more glycerin, but how
much more has not been determined. To test for the required volume of glycerin in, for example, a 16x20
print, prepare the sensitizer with the assumption that 24 drops of glycerin will be needed. Use a few drops of
that sensitizer to coat a scrap of the same paper on which the full negative will be printed and make a contact
with a medium format negative. Examine that contact for visible grain under a low power (2x to 3x) magnifier.
A fresh solution of either ammonium tetrachloroplatinate or potassium tetrachloroplatinate will not print out
even in solution with SFO-(10:2%). The same principle applied to ammonium ferric oxalate – artificial aging –
must be applied to platinum. After weeks of fruitless experimentation with various chemicals known to
precipitate platinum, the author settled on a simple and obvious solution: freeze the platinum chloride. That
uninspired workaround succeeded: the metal separates from the ice as the liquid freezes. Thawing the metal ice
and restoring it to solution just before mixing it with the SFO-C and glycerin works. (Tip: Potassium
tetrachloroplatinate has a lower freezing point than ammonium platinum.)
When the platinum has oxidized somewhat, typically after about two months, it abruptly stops printing out
with the freezing and thawing method. The answer to this problem simple: boil a pint or two of water and pour
enough in a small container or tray to cover the bottle of platinum at least as high as the solution inside. Let the
bottle stand in the water until the temperature drops to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Replace the water with fresh
boiling water. Two hot water baths usually suffice to re-dissolve the platinum. Anticipate about 15 minutes of
warming. Mix it with the SFO-C and FO immediately. Do not freeze the solution as you do with fresh
platinum.
On a final note, this process is not so efficient as the others in this manual that use platinum at 10% or 20%
solution. A solution of 25% to 30% platinum, or equivalent, is needed to obtain good Dmax and “snap”;
otherwise, prints consistently appear weak. In this section, the printer is instructed to use 25% more drops of
20% platinum to the same effect: 15 drops for an 8x10 print. (Critics of the formula will no doubt argue that
this is a substitute for paper hydration; however, the author has printed with 12 drops of the stronger solution
with equally good results.)
Notes
Contrast: Boost contrast by increasing the drops of 26% ferric oxalate to the sensitizer. Refer to the contrast
table below.
- 38 -
Clearing: Immerse the print in three successive 5% hydrochloric acid baths. This clears much of the iron.
Follow with two baths in tetrasodium EDTA, interposed with a hypo clear (sodium sulfite) bath and,
afterwards, a 30 to 60 minute wash in running water.
Negatives
This process responds best to the same negatives traditionally printed with platinum and palladium. The wide
latitude of platinum is optimized by a negative that possesses a wide tonal range, but also one with strong
micro-contrast. Of course, with flexible contrast control, you can print any negative with platinum. In that
sense, it is little different from the traditional develop out methods.
Strategies for strengthening Dmax include reducing the concentration of ascorbic acid added to the sodium
ferric oxalate while adding more ferric oxalate, or just adding more ascorbic acid to the sodium ferric oxalate.
Each additional drop of ascorbic acid boosts contrast slightly and yields blacker blacks, and each additional
drop of ferric oxalate increases contrast. The danger of staining paper increases with more ascorbic acid n the
SFO; more glycerin mitigates that risk.
Digital negatives print adequately with Photoshop curves for printing platinum, freely available on the Internet.
Standard practice is to apply a curve and then tweak contrast for the subject. In this way, all negatives print
with roughly the same density and, hence, the same exposure time.
As this is a reliable dry print-out process, correct exposure and maximum Dmax possible with a given solution
can be determined visually during print out.
Standards
The basic formula for printing out an 8x10 image in platinum with no developer or humidification is:
 15 drops of 20% platinum frozen, in the shot glass, and thawed and refrozen (twice).
 6 drops of 99.9% glycerin.
 12 drops of LFO-C(8:2%) – that is, 40% lithium ferric oxalate with 8 drops of 2% ascorbic acid
added.
 2 to 4 drops of 26% ferric oxalate for the needed contrast boost.
The above is the formula I penciled on the back of the print that illustrates this section. That image is two
generations removed from the original print and only provided as a general illustration; having said that, the
original is an exquisite image exhibiting the breathtaking delicacy of platinum luminance.
Either ammonium tetrachloroplatinate or potassium tetrachloroplatinate works for this process. Potassium
platinum freezes much faster than the sodium version. After roughly 4 weeks, the platinum requires freezing
and thawing only once. After two months, expect the platinum to stop printing out (following the freezing and
thawing), presumably as a result of oxidation of the bottled solution. You know the solution has decayed to
this state when, with no previous printing problems, an image prints out as grainy and weak. The remedy for
the problem is to heat the platinum before mixing it with the glycerin and LFO-C or SFO-C. Heating re-
dissolves the metal and there is no need to freeze and thaw it. Just place the bottle, with the cap loosened, in a
tray of boiling water periodically re-warmed with more hot water. Again, after heating old platinum, freezing is
not necessary.
- 39 -
Papers
Any paper suitable for the Ziatype process and all suitable for the Texas Chrysotype work with this formula.
None need humidification before or after printing.
 Arches Platine
 Strathmore 500 Bristol Plate (Tested)
 Clear Print 16 lb vellum (Tested with Texas Chrysotype)
 Pacific Arc 24 lb vellum (Tested with Texas Chrysotype)
 Rives BFK (Tested with pure palladium Ziatype)
Not tested by the author but reported by various sources to work with platinum:
 Bergger Cot-320 (Widely recommended for platinum printing)

 Fabriano Artistico (presoaked in water, 4% citric acid or 4% oxalic acid according to various
sources, notably master printer Dick Arentz)
 Stonehenge
 Cranes Cover
 Crane's Business Card Stock
Platinum Chloride
Print with 20% or 25% ammonium platinum chloride (ammonium tetrachloroplatinate) or potassium platinum
chloride (potassium tetrachloroplatinate). Some sources have mentioned sodium platinum chloride as
acceptable for printing, but that form of the metal has never been tested with a proper dry print out process.
Potassium platinum chloride, which is the form of the metal specified for the Ziatype process, is available from
Bostick & Sullivan in a premixed 20% solution (designated “solution #3”). With platinum at 20% strength,
simply count 15 drops rather than the 12 used for the stronger solution. Purchase potassium platinum and
ammonium platinum by the dry gram from any of several suppliers, such as Artcraft Chemicals, and prepare
solutions in any strength. Dissolve platinum in distilled water between 80° F and 90° F. If the temperature is
not observed, the platinum will not go completely into solution. Dissolve 1 gram in 2.5 ml distilled water and
top off to 4 ml for a 30% solution; dissolve 1 gram in water to make up 5 ml total for a 20% solution.
Because freezing and thawing fresh platinum immediately before use is critical, potassium platinum chloride is
recommended. Inexperienced printers are strongly advised to work with a premixed solution rather than
preparing it themselves.
Chemicals
 Ascorbic acid (pure vitamin C). Use a 2% solution.

 Lithium ferric oxalate (available from Bostick & Sullivan, Santa Fe, New Mexico)
- 40 -
 Hypo Clear (in powder or liquid form) or sodium sulfite. Use as instructed for clearing silver prints.
Muriatic acid (~29% hydrochloric acid). Dilute 1:5 (5%) in distilled water to clear prints.
Solutions
Caution: wear a good dust mask when preparing solutions as accidental inhalation of any of these chemicals
(except ascorbic acid) can have serious health consequences.
 As an alternative to lithium ferric oxalate, prepare 40 ml of 37% sodium ferric oxalate. Begin by
dissolving 3.9 grams of oxalic acid in warm distilled water in a large (at least 200 ml) beaker or squat
cylinder (to accommodate stirring). SLOWLY add 4.6 grams of sodium carbonate. The solution fizzes
vigorously, but is harmless. In weak tungsten (not fluorescent or natural) light, stir 6.7 grams of the
light-sensitive ferric oxalate powder into the solution. Keep stirring – it will mostly dissolve. As the
solution needs to be clear (first a dirty, dull yellow and then bright green), pour hot tap water (100 to
120 degrees Fahrenheit is hot enough) into a tray and place the container with the solution in the water
to stand for a few minutes. Continue stirring while it stands, then remove and stir until the solution
clears fully. If the liquid does not turn bright green, slowly stir in half a gram or so of ferric oxalate at a
time until it does turn bright green. Pour 10 ml into a brown glass eyedropper bottle labeled SFO-
C(8:2%). Pour the remaining 30 ml into a brown glass bottle labeled 37% SFO.
 Prepare a 2% solution of ascorbic acid by dissolving 1/5th gram of ascorbic acid in 10 ml of distilled
water or 1 gram in 50 ml. Pour the solution into an eyedropper bottle labeled 2% C..
 Add 8 drops of the 2% ascorbic acid solution to 10 ml of lithium ferric oxalate (recommended) or to
10 ml of sodium ferric oxalate solution. Recap both bottles, and shake the lithium ferric oxalate
vigorously for 10 seconds. The labeling is critical as other processes in this manual require half as much
– or less – ascorbic acid. This solution has a fairly short shelf life – weeks – because it is deliberately
aged.
 Prepare 1 gallon of hypo clear or sodium sulfite buffered with sodium bisulfate (200 grams and 5
grams, respectively). For a printing session, dilute either solution 1:9 (50 ml or 75 ml in 450 ml or 605
ml of distilled water) and use that solution for clearing. Discard at the end of each session.
 Dissolve 100 grams of tetrasodium EDTA in 2 liters of distilled water and pour into 1 liter bottles.
Label one T-EDTA-1 and the other T-EDTA-2.
this into a bottle labeled 5% Hydrochloric Acid. This is for clearing the iron from the print. Wear
rubber gloves, eye protection, and mix the hydrochloric acid solution out of doors. Warning: When the
container is opened, acrid fumes ghost out. Tip: Keep a two-quart sauce pan (not a narrow-necked
bottle) filled with cold water within arm's reach when working with an open bottle of muriatic acid:
even at 29% solution it burns skin horribly.
an hour, including warming the bottle in a tray of hot water. After warming, stir vigorously for 15
minutes and place in a dark location. After standing for 30 minutes or so, the ferric oxalate begins to
dissolve. Re-warm in hot (not boiling) water and stir for another 15 minutes. Place the solution back in
a dark location. It usually dissolves fully after sitting another half hour or so. Ferric oxalate is
notoriously difficult to get into this strong a solution; you can save yourself considerable anxiety by
- 41 -
purchasing it premixed from Bostick & Sullivan. Pour into a bottle labeled 26% Ferric Oxalate.
Printing
The beginning printer is advised to use only LFO-C(8:2%) for this process. Boost contrast with 26% ferric
oxalate. Most negatives require 2 to 4 drops of ferric oxalate for an 8x10 print.
The advanced printer may comfortably use SFO-C(8:2%) or even SFO-C(12:2%), along with twice the number
of drops of ferric oxalate. With the latter, staining paper is a risk, but the stronger sensitizer usually allows for
adding just one or two drops ferric oxalate to the solution for contrast boost.
Contrast Tables
For Sodium Ferric Oxalate
The following tables assume an 8x10 negative as for a develop out platinum print. Remember, the ferric oxalate
is in addition to the 13 drops of SFO-C(8:2%) and 15 drops of 20% platinum. Keep in mind that these
numbers and values are only general guidelines – you may readily find one drop less or one more is required to
match your personal evaluation of contrast.
Contrast With SFO-C(8:2%) and 26% Ferric Oxalate

6 drops Low medium
7 drops Medium
8 drops Medium high
9 drops High
Contrast With SFO-C(10:2%) and 26% Ferric Oxalate (Recommended Solution)

5 drops Low medium
6 drops Medium
7 drops Medium high
8 drops High
Contrast With SFO-C(12:2%) and 26% Ferric Oxalate

3 drops Low Medium
4 drops Medium
5 drops Medium High
6 drops High
For lithium ferric oxalate, compared to the table above, use 1/3 as many drops of 26% ferric oxalate to boost
contrast (that is, 2 to 4 drops).
To make an 8x10 print with fresh platinum chloride with sodium ferric oxalate:
- 42 -
1. Count 15 drops of 20% platinum chloride into a shot glass and place in the freezer.
2. Set a liter of water to boil.
3. Sketch the outline of the negative on a sheet of paper.
5. When the platinum chloride is frozen solid, remove the shot glass from the freezer and place it in a tray
of boiling water.
6. When the solution has thawed, swirl the solution to re-dissolve the platinum completely.
7. Return the shot glass to the freezer.
8. Wet the brush for applying the solution to the paper and wipe until just damp.
9. When the platinum is frozen, remove from the freezer and repeat steps 4 and 5 above
10. Add 6 drops of 99% glycerin to the shot glass and swirl to mix the solution.
11. Working in weak tungsten light, count 13 drops of 40% SFO-C(8:2%) into the shot glass.
12. Add 7 drops of 26% ferric oxalate.
13. Swirl the liquid in the shot glass vigorously until thoroughly mixed.
14. Quickly pour the sensitizer solution onto the paper inside the sketched negative area.
15. Any solution allowed to remain in a puddle risks a stain to the paper, so quickly brush it out vertically,
horizontally and diagonally across the paper.Tip: Perfect your brushwork on ordinary paper using dilute
glycerin mixed with food color before trying this with the precious metals.
16. Place the sensitized paper in a dark, dry place for anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes, until dry. Warning:
The glycerin in the solution must dry completely; otherwise, the print will exhibit black specks where
the glycerin was still damp. You can accelerate the drying with a blow dryer. Just aim it away from your
face and, ideally, wear a proper respirator to avoid inhaling any particles that may be lifted from the
paper’s surface and become airborne.
Place this in a contact print frame. (Note: Do not settle for 5 mil mylar or acetate, no matter what you
may read on the Internet about this not softening a contact print. The author scrutinized 3 prints, side
by side, made with 2 mil, 3 mil and 5 mil mylar. The one made with a 5 mil sheet was softer, to the
naked eye, than those made with the other thicknesses, which were identical in sharpness.)
18. Expose in direct sunlight or to a UV light source. Expect fairly long exposure times. Drop one half of
the print frame back to view print-out progress. A cue to start examining the print is the over-brushed
sensitizer darkening to near black. Ferric oxalate may give the image a dark yellow stain, making it
appear darker than it actually is. Examine the print carefully for detail in the darkest and lightest zones
where you want detail. (If you prefer the tidy look of clean borders around a print, place a drop of the
sensitizer near the edge of the paper but where it is still exposed to UV light when mounted in the
contact frame. Watch for that spot to darken.)
19. Immerse the correctly exposed print in a first bath of iced (~35 degrees Fahrenheit) tap water. Ice
water minimizes the initial darkening of the image observed in a first bath that is too warm.
20. After five minutes, pour off the cold water and pour 250 ml to 500 ml of 5% hydrochloric acid into the
tray. Agitate intermittently for 15 minutes. (Less agitation can give the print an etched look. Experiment
with little or no agitation on a small print before trying this on 8x10.)
22. Repeat the 5% acid bath and water wash two more times. The stain from the ferric oxalate is usually
gone after the first acid bath. Do not be concerned if not, as the following baths definitively clear any
iron stain.
23. After the third five minute wash in running water, pour 5% tetrasodium EDTA from the first bottle
into the tray. Agitate intermittently for 15 minutes.
24. Pour the EDTA back into its bottle and wash the print in running tap water for five minutes. Tip:
EDTA is exhausted when it has a yellowish cast. This typically happens after five to ten prints. Replace
the EDTA with the solution used for the second bath and prepare a fresh solution to serve as EDTA
bath number two.
25. Pour 250 ml to 500 ml of hypo clear (at normal strength for clearing silver gelatin prints) or sodium
- 43 -
you plan to make in the same session. Discard it at the end of a session.
26. Wash the print in running water again for five minutes, and then soak in tetrasodium EDTA for 15
minutes.
28. Drain the print holding it by a corner and hang to dry.
29. Optionally, immerse the print in a gelatin and alum solution to prevent darkening.
To make an 8x10 print with fresh platinum chloride with lithium ferric oxalate:
1. Count 15 drops of 20% platinum chloride into a shot glass and place in the freezer.
2. Set a liter of water to boil.
5. When the platinum chloride is frozen solid, remove the shot glass from the freezer and place it in a tray
of boiling water.
6. When the solution has thawed, swirl the solution to re-dissolve the platinum completely.
7. Return the shot glass to the freezer.
8. Wet the brush for applying the solution to the paper and wipe until just damp.
9. When the platinum is frozen, remove from the freezer and repeat steps 4 and 5 above
10. Add 6 drops of 99% glycerin to the shot glass and swirl to mix the solution.
11. Working in weak tungsten light, count 12 drops of 40% LFO-C(8:2%) into the shot glass.
13. Swirl the liquid in the shot glass vigorously until thoroughly mixed.
14. Quickly pour the sensitizer solution onto the paper inside the sketched negative area.
15. Quickly brush it out vertically, horizontally and diagonally across the paper.Tip: Perfect your brushwork
on ordinary paper using dilute glycerin mixed with food color before trying this with the precious
metals.
16. Place the sensitized paper in a dark, dry place for anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes, until dry. Warning:
The glycerin in the solution must dry completely; otherwise, the print will exhibit black specks where
the glycerin was still damp. You can accelerate the drying with a blow dryer. Just aim it away from your
face and, ideally, wear a proper respirator to avoid inhaling any particles that may be lifted from the
paper’s surface and become airborne.
Place this in a contact print frame. (Note: Do not settle for 5 mil mylar or acetate, no matter what you
may read on the Internet about this not softening a contact print. The author scrutinized 3 prints, side
by side, made with 2 mil, 3 mil and 5 mil mylar. The one made with a 5 mil sheet was softer, to the
naked eye, than those made with the other thicknesses, which were identical in sharpness.)
18. Expose in direct sunlight or to a UV light source. Expect fairly long exposure times. Drop one half of
the print frame back to view print-out progress. A cue to start examining the print is the over-brushed
sensitizer darkening to near black. Ferric oxalate may give the image a dark yellow stain, making it
appear darker than it actually is. Examine the print carefully for detail in the darkest and lightest zones
where you want detail. (If you prefer the tidy look of clean borders around a print, place a drop of the
sensitizer near the edge of the paper but where it is still exposed to UV light when mounted in the
contact frame. Watch for that spot to darken.)
19. Immerse the correctly exposed print in a first bath of iced (~35 degrees Fahrenheit) tap water. Ice
water minimizes the initial darkening of the image observed in a first bath that is too warm.
tray. Agitate intermittently for 15 minutes. (Less agitation can give the print an etched look. Experiment
- 44 -
with little or no agitation on a small print before trying this on 8x10.)
22. Repeat the 5% acid bath and water wash two more times. The stain from the ferric oxalate is usually
gone after the first acid bath. Do not be concerned if not, as the following baths definitively clear any
iron stain.
23. After the third five minute wash in running water, pour 5% tetrasodium EDTA from the first bottle
into the tray. Agitate intermittently for 15 minutes.
24. Pour the EDTA back into its bottle and wash the print in running tap water for five minutes. Tip:
EDTA is exhausted when it has a yellowish cast. This typically happens after five to ten prints. Replace
the EDTA with the solution used for the second bath and prepare a fresh solution to serve as EDTA
bath number two.
25. Pour 250 ml to 500 ml of hypo clear (at normal strength for clearing silver gelatin prints) or sodium
you plan to make in the same session. Discard it at the end of a session.
26. Wash the print in running water again for five minutes, and then soak in tetrasodium EDTA for 15
minutes.
28. Drain the print holding it by a corner and hang to dry.
29. Optionally, immerse the print in a gelatin and alum solution to prevent darkening.
Problem: I tried SFO-C(12:2%) but the contrast in my print is still too low.
Solution: Add more drops of 26% ferric oxalate to the sensitizer. There is no limit to how much ferric oxalate
can be added. Ideally, however, switch to lithium ferric oxalate for its innate higher contrast. Add 4 drops of
26% ferric oxalate to LFO-C(12:2%) for a very flat negative.
Problem: My print out image is strong but visibly grainy and contrasty.
Solution: Freeze the 20% platinum solution solid in the bottom of the (mixing) shot glass, then thaw. Add one
additional drop of glycerin to the sensitizer.
Problem: My image is slightly grainy.

Solution: Add an additional drop of 99% solution to the sensitizer.
Problem: My image is too contrasty.

Solution: Add less ferric oxalate to the sensitizer.
Problem: My image is not contrasty enough.

Solution: Add more ferric oxalate to the sensitizer.
Problem: The Dmax is too weak.

Solution: This is not likely to occur with 15 drops of 20% solution. If you are sure you did not accidentally
count out too few drops, solutions include any of the following:
 If you were printing with sodium ferric oxalate, switch to lithium ferric oxalate.
 Soak the paper in 4% oxalic acid or citric acid for about 30 minutes and dry fully before coating with
sensitizer.
 Add more drops of 2% ascorbic acid to 10 ml SFO or LFO.
- 45 -
 Add a drop or two of ferric oxalate.
Problem: My prints turn pink, then slowly get darker and, after a few weeks, are almost entirely black.
Solution: Your clearing process is inadequate. Leave the print in the hydrochloric acid bath longer, and add
two baths in 10% tetrasodium EDTA . Make sure your final water wash is 60 minutes for heavier papers (250
gsm and heavier) and 30 minutes for lighter papers.
Solution: This is caused by too much ascorbic acid in the sodium ferric oxalate. Prepare fresh sodium ferric
oxalate and add less ascorbic acid. An additional drop of glycerin may suffice alone.
Problem: Only a grainy, partial image printed out.

Solution: This is usually caused by "old" platinum solution (older than two months or so). You freeze and
thaw fresh (less than two months old) platinum chloride before printing with it. For old platinum chloride,
place either the entire (loosely-stoppered) bottle of platinum chloride, or just a shot glass containing the drops
of platinum to be used immediately, in a tray of boiling hot water. Heat the platinum in this way for about 30
minutes, replenishing the boiling hot water as it cools. Do not freeze and thaw the solution after heating it.
Problem: I tried warming the old platinum but I am still getting grainy, partial print out.
Solution: You may be using an incompatible paper. In that case, the metal is soaking too far into the fibers.
Make a very small test print (medium format) on Revere Platinum or Arches Platine. If the print out is still
grainy and incomplete, heat the platinum longer.
Problem: I tested printing out on Revere Platinum but I am still getting grainy, partial print out.
Solution. Your platinum has reached a state of extreme decay and will not re-dissolve. If you hold the bottle
up to a strong light source and tilt it sideways, you should be able to see platinum crystals on the bottom and
lower sides. Prepare a volume of fresh platinum solution that you reasonably expect to use up in two to four
months. Tip: You may be able to heat the old solution and make prints developed out potassium oxalate.
Problem: I tested printing with stronger platinum but I am still getting grainy, partial print out.
Solution. Either your sodium ferric oxalate has gone bad or, if you are using a UV box for printing, your
lamps are bad.
Problem: I prepared a platinum solution from scratch, and followed the instructions precisely, but the image
that prints out is flat and fuzzy.
Solution: The likeliest cause is that the platinum did not completely dissolve. Place the bottle of platinum
chloride in a tray of boiling water for 15 minutes, replenishing the hot water every five minutes or so. With
every change of water, shake hold the tightly capped bottle vigorously for about 20 seconds. After the full 15
minutes of heating in boiling water, immediately add the appropriate number of drops of platinum to the
glycerin in the shot glass (which will cool the platinum and hold it in suspension. Then add the LFO-C(8:2%)
or SFO-C(8:2%) and the 26% ferric oxalate.
- 46 -
- 47 -
PALLADIUM: THE ZIATYPE+
Illustration 5.
Mexican Artillery
Position, San Jacinto,
Texas. Pure palladium.
Palladium is a genial metal, at least as impervious to atmospheric pollution as gold and platinum, and that
actually encourages platinum and gold alike to print out. It has slightly more latitude than platinum or gold.
Palladium seeming gives itself to almost any paper, and with ascorbic acid, no paper humidification is
necessary.
Like the Ziatype, this process uses a 15% solution of palladium, although the printer is encouraged to
experiment with solutions in the 10% to 12% range. Either lithium palladium or potassium palladium is
suitable. (There is no appreciable cost saving in selecting one over the other.) Lithium palladium does have the
advantage of being available from Bostick & Sullivan in a freshly mixed solution; potassium palladium seems to
be available only as a powder and requires mixing. (Remember when preparing a palladium solution to add half
a gram of salt for each gram of palladium to get the metal to dissolve completely.)
With this process, a pure palladium print requires adding the appropriate number of drops of palladium to
lithium ferric oxalate [LFO-C(8:2%)] or ammonium ferric oxalate [AFO-C(8:2%)] – that is, 8 drops of 2%
ascorbic acid added to 10 ml of 40% lithium ferric oxalate or 40% ammonium ferric oxalate. The neutral gray
image usually prints out very quickly in a UV box or in direct sunlight.
Notes
Contrast: Boost contrast either by increasing the volume of ascorbic acid added to the LFO or AFO, or by
adding 4 to 7 drops of 26% ferric oxalate to the sensitizer (for LFO or AFO, respectively).
Clearing: Immerse the print in three successive .5% hydrochloric acid baths. This clears much of the iron,
including the yellow stain from the ferric oxalate. In addition to two baths in tetrasodium EDTA, interpose a
- 48 -
hypo clear (sodium sulfite) bath.
Negatives
Because contrast control is so flexible, any negative prints with palladium. Digital negatives print with
Photoshop curves for palladium printing, freely available on the Internet. Standard practice is to apply a curve
and then tweak contrast for the subject. In this way, all negatives print with roughly the same density and,
hence, the same exposure time.
Self-masking seems to be somewhat exaggerated in discussion of palladium and platinum print out. Beginners
routinely express an almost dogmatic faith in self-masking to preserve shadow details while highlights are
relentlessly burned in.
Standards
Count 9 to 12 drops of LFO-C(8:2%) or AFO-C(8:2%) into a shot glass, add 12 drops of lithium or potassium
palladium, and swirl to mix the two thoroughly. For LFO-C(8:2%) count 2 drops of 26% ferric oxalate into the
shot glass and swirl the liquid until completely mixed.
Do not add hydrogen peroxide to boost contrast as it will restore the ferric iron in the lithium/ammonium
ferric oxalate.
Papers
Arches Platine is strongly recommended for this process, especially for beginning printers. Suitable papers in
general are:
 Arches Platine
 Revere Platinum
 Strathmore 500 Bristol Plate (Tested with the Fannintype – platinum print out)
 Pacific Arts 24 lb vellum (Tested with Texas Chrysotype)
Not tested by the author but reported by various sources to print out with palladium:
 Bergger Cot-320 (Widely recommended for palladium and platinum printing)

 Stonehenge
 Cranes Cover
Palladium Chloride
Print with either 15% lithium palladium chloride or potassium palladium chloride (potassium
tetrachloropalladate). Some sources have mentioned sodium palladium chloride, but that form of the metal has
- 49 -
never been tested with a dry print out process. Lithium palladium, which is the form of the metal specified for
the Ziatype process, is available in a premixed 15% solution from Bostick & Sullivan. You can purchase
potassium palladium from any of several suppliers, such as Artcraft Chemicals, and prepare your own solution
in any strength. Tip: When mixing palladium add half a gram of table salt for each gram of the metal salt before
adding warm water (80° F to 90° F) to aid dissolution. If the salt is not added, the palladium will not go
completely into solution. Prepare a 15% solution by dissolving 1 gram potassium palladium chloride and .5
gram sodium chloride in 5 ml warm distilled water. Top off to 6 ml.
Chemicals
 Ascorbic acid (pure vitamin C).

 40% Lithium ferric oxalate solution (from Bostick & Sullivan, Santa Fe, NM)
 Alternatively, ammonium ferric oxalate crystals.
 Hypo Clear (in powder or liquid form). Use as instructed for clearing silver prints. Economize by
mixing sodium sulfite and sodium bisulfite instead (200 grams of sodium sulfite, 2 grams of sodium
bisulfite dissolved in one liter of distilled water and diluted 1:9 for immediate use).
 Muriatic acid (~29% hydrochloric acid). Dilute 1:60 (.5%) in distilled water to clear prints. This acid
dissolves iron particles. It also dissolves palladium, so be careful to prepare no more than a .5%
solution. Too much and your print will fade in the bath.
Solutions
Prepare solutions with distilled water. Distilled water is free of the chemical contaminates (including iron) and
particulate matter found in tap water.
(except ascorbic acid) can have serious health consequences.
 If printing with ammonium ferric oxalate rather than lithium ferric oxalate, prepare a solution of 10 ml
of 40% ammonium ferric oxalate by dissolving 4 grams of the crystals in 8 ml of cool distilled water.
Work in weak tungsten (not fluorescent or natural) light. Stir vigorously until the crystals dissolve
completely and top off to a total volume of 10 ml. Pour into a brown glass eyedropper bottle labeled
AFO-C(8:2%).
 If printing with lithium ferric oxalate, measure out 10 ml into a brown glass eyedropper bottle labeled
LFO-C(8:2%).
 Prepare a 2% solution of ascorbic acid. Dissolve 1/5th gram of ascorbic acid in 10 ml of distilled water
or 1 gram in 50 ml. (Ascorbic acid generally sells for less than 4 cents a gram, so the sacrifice of a single
gram to prepare 50 ml of AFO is trivial wastage.) Pour the solution into an eyedropper bottle labeled
2% C.
 Add eight drops of the 2% ascorbic acid solution to the 10 ml of 40% ammonium ferric oxalate
- 50 -
solution or to the 10 ml of lithium ferric oxalate if using that. Recap both bottles, and shake the lithium
or ammonium ferric oxalate vigorously for 10 seconds. The labeling is critical as other processes in this
manual require half as much – or less – ascorbic acid.
 Prepare 1 gallon of hypo clear.
 Dissolve 100 grams of tetrasodium EDTA in 2 liters of distilled water and pour into labeled 1 liter
bottles.
 Pour 16 ml of muriatic acid into a large cylinder or beaker containing 984 ml of distilled water. Pour
this into a bottle labeled .5% Hydrochloric Acid. Wear rubber gloves, eye protection, and mix the
hydrochloric acid solution out of doors. Warning: When the container is opened, acrid fumes rush out.
Tip: Keep a two-quart sauce pan (not a narrow-necked bottle) filled with cold water within arm's reach
when working with an open bottle of muriatic acid: the 29% solution burns skin.
 Dissolve 8 grams of ferric oxalate in 30 ml of warm distilled water. This process can take upwards of
an hour, including warming the bottle in a tray of hot water. After warming, stir vigorously for 15
minutes and place in a dark location. After standing for 30 minutes or so, the ferric oxalate begins to
dissolve. Re-warm in hot (not boiling) water and stir for another 15 minutes. Place the solution back in
a dark location. It usually dissolves fully after sitting another half hour or so. Ferric oxalate is
notoriously difficult to get into solution; you can save yourself considerable anxiety by purchasing it
premixed from Bostick & Sullivan. Pour 20 ml into a bottle labeled 26% Ferric Oxalate.
 Add 10 ml of distilled water to the remaining 10 ml of ferric oxalate and pour this into a bottle labeled
13% Ferric Oxalate.
Printing
Use either LFO-C(8:2%) or AFO-C(8:2%) for this process. Boost contrast with 26% ferric oxalate. Most
negatives require 4 to 6 drops of ferric oxalate for an 8x10 print made with AFO-C(8:2%) and 2 to 3 drops for
printing an 8x10 with LFO-C(8:2%).
Finer control of contrast is afforded by adding a drop of 13% ferric oxalate in addition to the 26% ferric
oxalate. Contrast steps are then half so great as with a 26% solution.
Contrast Table
The following table assumes an 8x10 negative. Remember, the ferric oxalate is in addition to the 8 drops of
AFO-C(8:2%) and 12 drops of palladium.
Contrast With AFO-C(8:2%) and 26% Ferric Oxalate

4 drops Low
5 drops Low medium
6 drops Medium
7 drops Medium high
8 drops High
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Contrast With LFO-C(8:2%) and 26% Ferric Oxalate

1 drops Low
2 drops Low medium
3 drops Medium
4 drops High
Printing

2. Working in weak tungsten light, count 12 drops of 40% LFO-C(8:2%) or of AFO-C(8:2%) into the
shot glass.
3. Add the appropriate number of drops of 26% ferric oxalate for LFO-C(8:2%) or AFO-C(8:2%).
4. Add 12 drops of 15% palladium.
5. Holding the damp brush in one hand, swirl the liquid in the shot glass vigorously and pour the
sensitizer solution onto the paper just outside the sketched negative area.
6. Brush the solution quickly but methodically, vertically, horizontally and diagonally across the paper.
Spread the solution out evenly as fast as possible while keeping it more or less within the outline. Tip:
Perfect your brushwork on ordinary paper using glycerin mixed with food color before trying this with
the precious metals.
7. Place the sensitized paper in a dark, dry, cool place for 15 to 30 minutes, until dry. On very humid days,
a print takes longer to dry. Do not be tempted to print until the sensitizer is dry.
Place all in the contact print frame.
to as long as 15 minutes, depending on the density of the negative. Keep an eye on the over brushed
sensitizer extending past the negative. When it turns dark gray, drop one side of the print frame back to
view print-out progress. (Note: Ferric oxalate stains the paper dark yellow, and the image therefore
appears darker than it actually is. Examine the print carefully for detail in the darkest and lightest zones
where you want detail. Tip: Minimize the interference of the stain by viewing the print through a yellow
filter.
10. Immerse the correctly exposed print in a first bath of iced (~35 degrees Fahrenheit) tap water. This ice
water bath minimizes the initial darkening of the image.
11. After five minutes, pour off the cold water and pour 250 ml to 500 ml of .5% hydrochloric acid into
the tray. Agitate intermittently for five minutes.
13. Repeat the .5% acid bath with fresh solution and water wash two more times.
14. After the third wash in running water, pour 5% tetrasodium EDTA into the tray. Agitate intermittently
for 15 minutes.
16. Pour 250 ml to 500 ml of Kodak or other brand Hypo Clear (at normal strength for clearing silver
gelatin prints or sodium sulfite into the tray and agitate intermittently for 15 minutes. Save the dilute
Hypo Clear for later prints if more planned for the session. Discard this solution at the end of the
session.
19. Drain the print holding it by one corner and hang to dry. Do not touch the emulsion.
- 52 -
Problem: I tried adding 4 drops of 26% ferric to my 40% ammonium ferric oxalate but the contrast in my
print is still too low.
Solution: Switch to 40% lithium ferric oxalate. Otherwise, add 1 drop to 3 drops of 26% ferric oxalate to the
sensitizer. If a significant contrast boost is not apparent in the next print, the AFO-C has gone bad (or is the
wrong strength) or the ferric oxalate is old (and weak), or the UV lamps are fading.

Solution: The acid is too strong. For pure palladium prints, the recommended maximum strength is .5%.
Remember when diluting muriatic acid that its full strength is approximately 29%.
Solution: This is caused by insufficient clearing of the iron. Leave the print in the hydrochloric acid baths
longer. Boost the EDTA to a 15% solution and leave the print in an additional 5 minutes longer than instructed
above. Make sure the final water wash is 60 minutes for heavier papers (250 gsm and heavier) and 30 minutes
for lighter papers.
Solution: You are using an incompatible paper. The sensitizer soaked too far into the fibers. Refer to the
papers list above and choose one suitable for this process.
Solution: Arches Platine is the recommended paper for this process. Only AFO-C(8:2%) – 10 ml of 40%
ammonium ferric oxalate with 8 drops of 2% ascorbic acid added – is appropriate. Higher volumes of 2%
ascorbic acid precipitate the metal faster. Also take care to brush the solution across the paper as fast as
possible. Try spreading the sensitizer with a glass coating rod.

Problem: My image is blotchy and grainy.

Solution: Either you used the wrong paper or you humidified the paper. Use Arches Platine and do not
humidify.
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PALLADIUM-PLATINUM: ZIATYPE+
Illustration 6. Kary II. 50%
palladium, 50% platinum.
Dry print out with palladium and platinum is very similar to Richard Sullivan's Ziatype process – without the
humidification of paper. The Ziatype process is possibly the most popular fine art printing process in the 21st
century. It enjoys a long track record for yielding excellent results with good reliability. However, the Ziatype
requires humidification of the paper immediately before printing, which is difficult to quantify and introduces a
level of uncertainty in the process, and the (recommended) limitation that no more than one-half or so of the
palladium be replaced with platinum. Partly as a result of those two issues, many printers continue to work with
develop out printing with platinum and palladium – and countless other photographers who would love to
print in platinum and palladium hold back, settling for “giclee” prints because of the learning curve associated
with developed out and humidified print out processes alike. Well, no more humidifying paper. Use it dry now.
The benefits obtained from mixing these two noble metals are well known. Platinum provides deeper blacks
that can be difficult to bring up in a pure palladium print. Palladium preserves shadow details and smoothes out
mid-range tones that can be a challenge with pure platinum. A minor difference between this process and the
Ziatype is that, thanks to ascorbic acid, the printer can substitute as much platinum as desired for palladium on
a drop-for-drop basis; however, Dick Arentz and other master printers have observed authoritatively that
optimal quality – as regards shadow detail, tonal separation and transition – is obtained with an admixture of
75% palladium and 25% platinum. Indeed, the aim of this process is not to improve the image quality of
palladium-platinum prints – that was accomplished when Richard Sullivan introduced his Ziatype – but to
simplify printing with the two metals and to make the results more predictable.
A 15% solution of either lithium palladium or potassium palladium is suitable. (As mentioned elsewhere in this
manual, remember when preparing a palladium solution to add half a gram of salt – sodium chloride – for
each gram of metal to dissolve the palladium completely.)
- 54 -
For this process, 20% platinum is artificially “aged” and thus encouraged to precipitate out of solution more
compliantly by freezing and thawing immediately before use. Potassium platinum chloride freezes very quickly
in a household refrigerator freezer, whereas ammonium platinum chloride has a lower freezing point and
therefore takes several times longer to solidify. This difference is not an issue with very small volumes (4 drops
for fewer of platinum). For larger volumes, use potassium tetrachloroplatinate.
As with the other processes for two or more metals, discussed in this manual, palladium and platinum are
mixed, swirled together for a few seconds, and then added into the lithium ferric oxalate+C or the ammonium
ferric oxalate+C and further swirled together until the whole solution is thoroughly mixed. The sensitizer is
then poured onto the dry – not humidified – paper and brushed out evenly. A crucial point with brushing is to
avoid abrading the surface of the paper; any place where the paper is damaged, the solution seeps into the
fibers and the result is stains. If brushing is too onerous a skill to acquire, use a glass coating rod to push the
emulsion across the paper. Practice with dilute glycerin dyed with food color. However, the sensitizer is applied,
the image prints out perfectly in a matter of minutes of exposure to a strong UV light source, be it lamps or
sunlight.
Notes
Contrast: Boost contrast by adding 1 to 7 drops of 26% ferric oxalate to the sensitizer (1 for a 4x5, up to 7 for
an 8x10). You can also boost contrast by adding more ascorbic acid to the ammonium ferric oxalate – up to 12
drops of 2% ascorbic acid. However, the risk of staining increases dramatically. Alternatively, substitute 40%
lithium ferric oxalate for the AFO: the resultant prints usually require 0 to 3 drops of 26% ferric oxalate.
Clearing: Immerse the print in three successive 2% hydrochloric acid baths. This clears much of the iron. In
addition to two baths in tetrasodium EDTA, interpose a hypo clear (sodium sulfite) bath.
Negatives
Ideal negatives have a wide tonal range and strong micro-contrast.
Digital negatives print adequately with Photoshop curves for palladium-platinum freely available on the
internet. Standard practice is to apply a curve and then tweak contrast for the subject. In this way, all negatives
print with roughly the same density and, hence, the same exposure time.
Standards
For an 8x10, mix 9 to12 drops of of LFO-C(8:2%) or AFO-C(8:2%) with 6 drops of palladium chloride
(lithium or potassium) and 6 drops of platinum chloride. 26% ferric oxalate is necessary to boost contrast. For
very contrasty negatives, add usually 2 to 4 drops of ferric oxalate is enough. For negatives with normal
contrast, add 3 to 6 drops, and add 4 to 7 drops of 26% ferric oxalate to AFO-C(8:2%) for lower contrast
negatives.
Note: AFO-C prepared with 10 to 12 drops of 2% ascorbic acid requires drops of 26% ferric oxalate, but
raises the risk of staining the paper from premature precipitation of the metals when applying the sensitizer. An
additional drop or two of glycerin can mitigate staining somewhat. LFO-C requires little or no 26% ferric
oxalate at this solution strength
The ratio of LFO-C or AFO-C to platinum-palladium is .75:1 to 1:1 (9 to 12 drops of either LFO-C(8:2%) or
- 55 -
AFO-C(8:2%) and 12 drops of metals total for an 8x10 print).
Papers
Any paper suitable for the Ziatype process and all suitable for the Texas Chrysotype work with this formula
straight out of the package. Hydration is not necessary.
 Arches Platine
 Revere Platinum
Not tested by the author but reported to work with palladium by various sources:
 Bergger Cot-320 (Widely recommended for palladium and platinum printing)

 Stonehenge
 Cranes Cover
Palladium and Platinum
Print with a 15% palladium solution. Use either 15% lithium palladium chloride or potassium palladium
chloride (potassium tetrachloropalladate). Some sources have mentioned sodium palladium chloride, but that
form of the metal has never been tested with a proper dry print out process. Lithium palladium, which is the
form of the metal specified for the Ziatype, is available in a premixed 15% solution from Bostick & Sullivan.
You can purchase potassium palladium from any of several suppliers, such as Artcraft Chemicals, and prepare
your own solution in any strength. Tip: To get palladium into solution, add half a gram of table salt to each
gram of the metal salt and then add warm (80° F to 90° F) distilled water. If the salt is not added, the palladium
will not go completely into solution. Prepare a 15% solution by dissolving 1 gram potassium palladium chloride
and .5 gram sodium chloride in 5 ml warm distilled water. Top off to 6 ml.
Print with either 20% potassium tetrachloroplatinate or ammonium tetrachloroplatinate. As the ammonium
version has a lower freezing point, and freezing and thawing the platinum is important to this process,
potassium platinum is recommended. To prepare a 20% solution of either form, add 5 ml of warm (80° F to
90° F) distilled water to 1 gram of platinum chloride in a small, capped bottle. Warning: The temperature
range is critical. Shake the bottle vigorously until the platinum fully dissolves and is a clear, deep red liquid with
no suspended particulates.
Chemicals

 40% lithium ferric oxalate solution (from Bostick & Sullivan, Santa Fe, NM)
 If using AFO-C, ammonium ferric oxalate crystals.
- 56 -
 Hypo Clear (in powder or liquid form). Use as instructed for clearing silver prints. Economize by
mixing sodium sulfite and sodium bisulfite instead (200 grams of sodium sulfite, 2 grams of sodium
bisulfite dissolved in one liter of distilled water and diluted 1:9 for immediate use).
 Muriatic acid (~29% hydrochloric acid). Prepare a 2% solution to clear prints. This acid dissolves iron
particles. It also dissolves palladium, so be careful to prepare no more than a 2% solution.
Solutions
 If printing with ammonium ferric oxalate, prepare a solution of 10 ml of 40% ammonium ferric
oxalate by dissolving 4 grams of the crystals in 8 ml of distilled water at room temperature. Work in
weak tungsten (not fluorescent or natural) light. Stir vigorously until the crystals dissolve completely
and top off to a total volume of 10 ml. Pour into a brown glass eyedropper bottle labeled AFO-C. Tip:
Prepare 30 ml of 40% ammonium ferric oxalate by dissolving 12 grams of the green crystals in 20 ml
of distilled water. Top off to 30 ml and then distribute 10 ml into each of three small brown glass
bottles. Label one bottle AFO-C(8:2%), the second AFO-C(10:2%) and the third AFO-C(12:2%).
 Prepare a 2% solution of ascorbic acid. Dissolve 1/5th gram of ascorbic acid in 10 ml of distilled water
or 2 grams in 100 ml. (Ascorbic acid sells for less than 4 cents a gram.) Pour into an eyedropper bottle
labeled 2% C.
ammonium ferric oxalate or of 10 ml of 40% lithium ferric oxalate. Recap both bottles, and shake the
lithium or ammonium ferric oxalate vigorously for 10 seconds. Add 10 drops of 2% ascorbic acid to
the bottle so labeled, agitate that bottle vigorously, and then add 12 drops to the last bottle.
 Prepare 2 liters 5% tetrasodium EDTA and pour 1 liter into a bottle labeled T-EDTA-1 and the other
into a bottle labeled T-EDTA-2. Use the T-EDTA-1 for the first EDTA bath and T-EDTA-2 for the
second bath. The first liter is exhausted much more quickly than the second. When it takes on a yellow
cast, discard it and replace it with the second bath. Note: The first liter is unlikely to be exhausted in a
single printing session (unless the printer suffers from mania-driven activity levels!).
this into a bottle labeled 2% Hydrochloric Acid. This is the first of three clearing baths to remove the
iron from the print. Wear rubber gloves, eye protection, and mix the hydrochloric acid solution under a
vent or out of doors. Tip: Keep a two-quart sauce pan (not a narrow-necked bottle) filled with cold
water within arm's reach when working with an open container of muriatic acid.
an hour, including re-warming the bottle in a tray of hot water. Ferric oxalate is notoriously difficult to
get into solution; you can save yourself considerable anxiety by purchasing it premixed from Bostick &
Sullivan. Pour 20 ml into a bottle labeled 26% Ferric Oxalate.
 Add 10 ml of distilled water to the remaining 10 ml of ferric oxalate and pour this into a bottle labeled
13% Ferric Oxalate.
- 57 -
Printing
Boost contrast either by increasing the number of drops of 2% ascorbic acid added to the lithium ferric oxalate
or the ammonium ferric oxalate, or by adding more ferric oxalate to the sensitizer. Do not substitute ferric
oxalate for the lithium or ammonium ferric oxalate: add it in addition to that.
8 drops of 2% ascorbic acid added to 10 ml of 40% ammonium ferric oxalate boosts contrast enough to
guarantee consistent precipitation of the metals from suspension. 8x10 negatives typically require 4 to 7 drops
of ferric oxalate added to AFO-C(8:2%). A hard 4x5 negative may print out with no ferric oxalate added.
Usually, 1 drop is needed.
8 drops of 2% ascorbic acid added to 10 ml of 40% ammonium ferric oxalate boosts contrast enough to
guarantee consistent precipitation of the metals from suspension. 8x10 negatives typically require 2 to 4 drops
of ferric oxalate added to AFO-C(8:2%). A hard 4x5 negative usually prints out with no ferric oxalate added.
12 drops of 2% ascorbic acid added to 10 ml of 40% ammonium ferric oxalate boosts contrast considerably.
Few 8x10 negatives will require more than 4 or 5 drops of ferric oxalate added to AFO-C(12:2%). For this
reason, the skilled printer able to apply AFO-C(12:2%) without staining the paper will find it most useful
solution strength.
12 drops of 2% ascorbic acid added to 10 ml of 40% lithium ferric oxalate generally requires no additional
contrast boost.
Contrast control can be further refined by substituting 13% ferric oxalate, in which case contrast steps are
roughly half those with a drop of 26% solution.
Contrast Tables
For ammonium ferric oxalate
The following tables assume an 8x10 negative that would print on Grade 2 silver paper with minimal dodging
and burning. Remember, the ferric oxalate is in addition to the 8 drops of AFO-C(8:2%) and 12 drops of
metals.

3 drops Low
4 drops Low medium
5 drops Medium
6 drops Medium high
7 drops High

2 drops Low
3 drops Low medium
4 drops Medium
5 drops Medium high
6 drops High
- 58 -

1 drops Low
2 drops Low medium
3 drops Medium
4 drops Medium high
5 drops High
For lithium ferric oxalate
The following tables assume an 8x10 negative that would print on Grade 2 silver paper with minimal dodging
and burning. Remember, the ferric oxalate is in addition to the 8 drops of LFO-C(8:2%) and 12 drops of
metals.

0 drops Low to Low medium
1 drop Medium
2 drops Medium high
3 drops High

0 drops Low to Medium
1 drop Medium high
2 drops High

0 drops Low to Medium high
1 drop High
To make an 8x10 print with a 1:1 ratio of fresh platinum and palladium:

2. Count 6 drops of platinum into a shot glass and place the glass in the back of a freezer. Freezing,
thawing and restoring the platinum into suspension eliminates visible grain in the print the platinum
otherwise introduces. For a grainy print skip this step.
3. After about 5 minutes, set a small volume of tap water to boil.
5. When the platinum solution has frozen solid, remove the shot glass from the freezer and place it in a
small dish with enough hot water to cover the shot glass about one-third up from the bottom.
6. Repeat steps 2, 3 and 5.
7. Wet the synthetic brush thoroughly. Double two sheets of paper towel and firmly wipe the brush until
it is just damp and set aside.
8. When the platinum has thawed the second time, swirl it to re-dissolve any platinum that has dropped
- 59 -
out of suspension.
9. Count 6 drops of palladium into the shot glass. Swirl to mix the metals.
10. Working in weak tungsten light, count 12 drops of 40% LFO-C(8:2%) or AFO-C(8:2%) into the shot
glass. Add 2 to 6 drops of 26% ferric oxalate. For a very contrasty negative with AFO-C, add 4 or 5
drops of ferric oxalate. Refer to the Contrast Tables, above, for different strengths of AFO-C. and
LFO-C
inside the sketched negative area. With no hesitation, brush out the solution methodically, vertically,
horizontally and diagonally across the paper. Spread the solution out evenly as fast as possible while
keeping it more or less within the outline. Keep your touch light and gentle to avoid abrading the
paper's surface. Tip: Perfect brushwork on ordinary paper using dilute glycerin mixed with food color
before trying this with the precious metals.
12. Place the sensitized paper in a dark, dry, cool place for 15 to 30 minutes, until matte and no longer
glistening when viewed at an angle in weak tungsten light. On very humid days, a print takes longer to
dry. Do not be tempted to print until the sensitizer is dry.
Place all in a contact print frame.
to as long as 10 minutes, depending on the negative and the ratio of platinum to palladium (palladium
prints out faster). Drop one half of the print frame back to view print-out progress. The image may
have a heavy yellow stain from any ferric oxalate and therefore may appear darker than it actually is.
Examine the print carefully for detail in the darkest and lightest zones where detail should be preserved.
Highlights in particular are difficult to judge. Viewing the print through a yellow filter helps with
determining correct exposure for highlights.
15. Wearing rubber gloves again, immerse the correctly exposed print in a first bath of very cold (~35
degrees Fahrenheit) tap water. This wash minimizes the initial darkening of the image sometimes
observed in the first bath.
tray. Agitate intermittently for 5 minutes.
18. Repeat the 2% acid bath with fresh solution and water wash two more times.
19. After the third one minute wash in running water, pour 5% tetrasodium EDTA into the tray. Agitate
gelatin prints or sodium sulfite into the tray and agitate intermittently for 15 minutes. Save the dilute
Hypo Clear for later prints if more planned for the session. Discard this solution at the end of the
session.
24. Drain holding the print by one corner. Do not touch the emulsion.
25. Hang to dry.
26. Spot the dry print with spot tone or India ink, as necessary.
Problem: If I add platinum to the palladium, my print is visibly grainy.

Solution: Freeze the platinum solution solid in the bottom of the (mixing) shot glass, then thaw.
- 60 -
Problem: I humidified my paper and my print looks fuzzy and grainy.
Solution: Do not humidify paper for this process. It is not necessary and provides no benefit whatsoever.
Problem: I tried adding 12 drops of 2% ascorbic acid to my 40% ammonium ferric oxalate but the contrast in
my print is still too low
Solution: Switch to 40% lithium ferric oxalate or just increase the number of drops of 26% ferric oxalate you
add to the sensitizer.

Solution: The acid is ridiculously strong. Platinum helps prevent the palladium from dissolving; even so, the
recommended maximum strength is 2%. Also, remember when diluting muriatic acid that its full strength is
approximately 29%. If your prints continue to fade, switch to 15% citric acid, two baths in 15% tetrasodium
EDTA and a bath in Hypo Clear (at normal strength for clearing silver negatives and prints).
to 15%, and a bath in Hypo Clear (at normal strength for clearing silver negatives and prints). Make sure your
final water wash is 60 minutes for heavier papers (250 gsm and heavier) and 30 minutes for lighter papers.
Solution: You are using an incompatible paper. Switch to Revere Platinum or Arches Platine.
Solution: This is caused by too much ascorbic acid in the ammonium ferric oxalate. Prepare fresh ammonium
ferric oxalate and add less ascorbic acid. Boost contrast with ferric oxalate added to the AFO-C.
Problem: I tried to make a print with platinum substituted for some of the palladium. Only a grainy, partial
image printed out.
Solution: This is caused by "old" platinum solution (older than two months or so). For old platinum chloride,
place either the entire (loosely-stoppered) bottle of platinum chloride, or just a shot glass containing the drops
of platinum to be used immediately, in a tray of boiling hot water. Heat the platinum in this way for about 30
minutes, replenishing the boiling hot water as it cools.

- 61 -
PALLADIUM-PLATINUM-GOLD
Illustration 7. Kary III. 4
drops palladium, 4 drops
platinum, 4 drops gold.
Some images require the wide latitude of palladium, the delicate luminance of platinum, and the strong Dmax
of gold alloyed as a unity of vision. In the negative of Kary, above, there is a tendency for spillover light to
burn the wall distractingly, for bright-gleaming silver flute keys to draw the eye downward and out of the frame,
and for the black jeans and the cushion to Kary’s left both to lose all detail. Over correct in one direction and
lose Dmax; over correct down the opposite path and lose specular highlights. The answer is simple: boost
Dmax by adding a few drops of gold to equal volumes of platinum and palladium. Smooth out gold mid tones
with a few drops of palladium and preserve highlights with platinum.
The formulas for dry print out of gold, platinum, and palladium separately all differ, just as do the formulas for
printing combinations of any two noble metals. As a consequence, mixing all three requires shifting the
formula as the proportions of the metals shift. The major difference about this process from the others is that
all three metal solutions are used at 10% strength.
As with the other processes for two more metals, discussed in this manual, gold, palladium, and platinum are
mixed, swirled together for a few seconds, and then added into the AFO-C and further swirled together until
the whole solution is thoroughly mixed. The sensitizer is then poured onto the dry – not humidified – paper
and brushed out evenly. Note that, for this process, 10% platinum does not have to be artificially “aged” –
although freezing and thawing platinum immediately before use may boost Dmax with prints that are half or
more platinum.
Notes
Contrast: Boost contrast by adding 1 to 7 drops of 26% ferric oxalate to the sensitizer (1 for a 4x5, up to 7 for
an 8x10). You can also boost contrast and Dmax by adding more gold (and less palladium).
- 62 -
Clearing: Immerse the print in three successive 2% hydrochloric acid baths. This clears much of the iron. In
addition to two baths in tetrasodium EDTA, interpose a hypo clear (sodium sulfite) bath.
Negatives
Any negative can be printed with this combination of three metals, although the best negatives will be those
that would print well on grade 2 silver gelatin paper but need a moderate amount of burning and dodging.
Digital negatives have not been tested with this process. As this process may exhibit properties of gold or
properties of palladium-platinum, apply a Photoshop curve for silver gelatin to a negative that is to be printed a
sensitizer that is 75% or more gold, and a Photoshop curve for palladium-platinum to a negative to be printed
with 25% or less gold. After applying the silver curve, tweak it for the wider latitude. After applying the
platinum-palladium curve, tweak it for the slightly narrower latitude.
Standards
For an 8x10 with equal volumes of the three metals, mix 9 drops of AFO-C(8:1%) with 4 drops of 10% gold, 4
drops of 10% palladium (lithium or potassium), and 4 drops of platinum (ammonium or potassium). Add 5
drops of 26% ferric oxalate to boost contrast.
Papers
For prints that are 50% gold or less, any paper suitable for any of the processes in this manual work. For prints
that are more than 50% gold, use any of the following:
 Arches Platine
 Revere Platinum
Gold, Palladium and Platinum
Print with 10% solutions of the metals. A 6 ml solution of 15% palladium contains 1 grams of the metal. A
10% solution prepared with 1 gram would be 10*1 or 10 ml. Therefore, to dilute the palladium to 10%, add
4ml of distilled water to the 6 ml. A 5 ml solution of 20% platinum contains 1 gram of the metal. Since 1 gram
in 10 ml of water is a 10% solution, add 5 ml of distilled water.
Chemicals

 Ammonium ferric oxalate crystals.
 Hypo Clear (in powder or liquid form).
- 63 -
 Ferric oxalate (26% and 13% solutions.
 Muriatic acid (~29% hydrochloric acid).
Solutions
 Prepare a solution of 10 ml of 40% ammonium ferric oxalate by dissolving 4 grams of the crystals in 8
ml of distilled water at room temperature. Work in weak tungsten (not fluorescent or natural) light. Stir
vigorously until the crystals dissolve completely and top off to a total volume of 10 ml. Pour into a
brown glass eyedropper bottle labeled AFO-C.
water or 1 gram in 100 ml. Pour into an eyedropper bottle labeled 1% C.
ammonium ferric oxalate. Recap both bottles, and shake the ammonium ferric oxalate vigorously for 10
seconds.
 Prepare 2 liters 5% tetrasodium EDTA and pour 1 liter into a bottle labeled T-EDTA:1 and the other
into a bottle labeled T-EDTA:2. Use the T-EDTA:1 for the first EDTA bath and T-EDTA:2 for the
second bath. The first liter is exhausted much more quickly than the second. When it takes on a yellow
cast, discard it and replace it with the second bath.
this into a bottle labeled 2% Hydrochloric Acid.
 Dissolve 2.6 grams of ferric oxalate in 10 ml of warm distilled water. This process can take upwards of
an hour, including re-warming the bottle in a tray of hot water.
Printing
Increase contrast by adding more drops of gold and fewer drops of palladium, or by adding ferric oxalate to
the sensitizer. Do not substitute ferric oxalate for ammonium ferric oxalate: add it in addition to the AFO.
Contrast Tables
Contrast is the same as for printing gold and platinum or gold and palladium. The following tables assume an
8x10 negative.
Contrast With 6 to 11 Drops of Gold – AFO-C(8:1%) and 26% Ferric Oxalate

0 drops Medium
1 drop High (Not recommended with more than 6 drops gold)
- 64 -
Contrast With 4 or 5 Drops of Gold – AFO-C(8:1%) and 26% Ferric Oxalate

0 drops Low, low medium
1 drop Medium
2 drops High
Contrast With 1 to 3 Drops of Gold – AFO-C(8:1%) or (10:1%) and 26% Ferric Oxalate

Printing
To make an 8x10 print with 4 drops gold, 4 drops of palladium, and 4 drops of platinum:

2. Count 4 drops each of gold, palladium, and platinum into a shot glass.
3. Swirl to mix the metals.
4. Working in weak tungsten light, count 9 drops of 40% AFO-C(8:1%) into the shot glass.
inside the sketched negative area. Brush out the solution methodically, vertically, horizontally and
diagonally across the paper. Keep your touch light and gentle to avoid abrading the paper's surface.
7. Place the sensitized paper in a dark, dry, cool place for 15 to 30 minutes, until matte and no longer
glistening when viewed at an angle in weak tungsten light.
Place all in a contact print frame.
to as long as 10 minutes, depending on the negative and the ratio of platinum to palladium (palladium
prints out faster). Drop one half of the print frame back to view print-out progress.
10. Wearing rubber gloves again, immerse the correctly exposed print in a first bath of very cold (~35
degrees Fahrenheit) tap water.
tray. Agitate intermittently for 5 minutes.
12. Discard the acid and wash in cool running water for a few minutes.
13. Repeat the 2% acid bath with fresh solution and water wash two more times.
14. After the third wash in running water, pour 5% tetrasodium EDTA into the tray. Agitate intermittently
for 15 minutes.
gelatin prints) and agitate intermittently for 15 minutes. Save the dilute Hypo Clear for later prints if
more planned for the session. Discard this solution at the end of the session.
19. Drain holding the print by one corner. Do not touch the emulsion.
- 65 -
20. Hang to dry.
21. Spot the dry print with spot tone or India ink, as necessary.
To make an 8x10 print with lower and higher ratios of gold to the other two metals, refer to the contrast table.
Problem: I humidified my paper and my print looks fuzzy and grainy.

Solution: Do not humidify paper for this process. It is not necessary and provides no benefit whatsoever.
Problem: The contrast in my print is too low.

Solution: Increase the number of drops of 26% ferric oxalate you add to the sensitizer.
to 15%. Make sure your final water wash is 60 minutes for heavier papers (250 gsm and heavier) and 30
minutes for lighter papers.
Problem: My print looks gritty and the image does not completely print out.
Solution: One of four conditions can cause this: incompatible paper, old AFO-C(8:1%), bad UV lamps, or a
print made with mostly fresh or very old platinum. Try a different paper, prepare fresh AFO-C, freeze and thaw
the fresh platinum or heat the old platinum. If after all this, a print is still gritty and incompletely printed out,
replace the lamps.

Solution: Either add less ferric oxalate to the sensitizer or considerably less gold and more palladium and/or
platinum.
- 66 -

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THE OLD MADE NEW

Richard Eugene Puckett’s

A technical manual including the Texas Chrysotype,

Richard Eugene Puckett

Printed in the United States of America

AUTHOR’S FOREWORD ………………………….... 4

Key Points on Papers

Specific Papers to Print with Palladium and Platinum

Papers Expressly for Gold

Rag Cotton Papers for Gold with Sizing

Rag Cotton Papers Not for Gold

These papers do not print out gold, with or without sizing.

 Canson 500 Bristol Plate

To prepare arrowroot starch size:

Post-Printing Sizing to Minimize Darkening During Dry Down

1. Measure 125 grams of clear Knox gelatin.

The Bare Essentials

The Full Panoply of Tools

Comprehensive Chemical List

Percent Solution Expressed by Grams in Total Volume of 100 ml and 10 ml

 Ammonium ferric oxalate crystals. Buy at least 25 mg.

Sensitizer Volumes Required For Various Print Sizes

Do not work (tested)

A. For an 8x10 with a normal negative for printing on silver gelatin:

1. Don a pair of rubber or nitrile gloves.

1. Don a pair of rubber or nitrile gloves.

To make a purple print:

To make a blue print:

To make a rose- or flesh-hued print:

Problem: Prints darken too much when they dry.

Problem: Print turns pink and darkens over days or weeks.

Problem: Print too grainy.

Problem: Insufficient Dmax.

 Ammonium ferric oxalate, crystals or 40% premixed solution

Ferric Oxalate Contrast with 4 drops Au Contrast with 8+ drops Au

0 Low Low medium

To make an 8x10 print with 9 drops gold and 3 drops platinum:

 Purple-black to purple-brown tones require tartaric acid or lactic acid.

1. Count 5 drops of 10% platinum into a shot glass.

Problem: Print darkened too much when it dried.

Problem: Print turns pink and fades in a few days to a week.

Problem: Print too grainy.

Problem: Print contrast too low on removal from frame.

 Ascorbic acid (pure vitamin C.

The following tables assume an 8x10 negative.

Contrast With 6 to 11 Drops of Gold – AFO-C(8:1%) and 26% Ferric Oxalate

Ferric Oxalate Contrast

Contrast With 4 or 5 Drops of Gold – AFO-C(8:1%) and 26% Ferric Oxalate

Ferric Oxalate Contrast

Ferric Oxalate Contrast

1. Don a pair of rubber or nitrile gloves.

Problems and Solutions

Problem: My prints fade in the hydrochloric acid bath.

Problem: I humidified my paper but my print looks fuzzy and grainy.

Problem: My image is flat.

 Bergger Cot-320 (Widely recommended for platinum printing)

 Ascorbic acid (pure vitamin C). Use a 2% solution.

For Sodium Ferric Oxalate

Contrast With SFO-C(8:2%) and 26% Ferric Oxalate

Ferric Oxalate Contrast

Contrast With SFO-C(10:2%) and 26% Ferric Oxalate (Recommended Solution)

Ferric Oxalate Contrast

Contrast With SFO-C(12:2%) and 26% Ferric Oxalate