Topic: Does it count if I'm wasting paper?

[jharr]

Here is a toned cyanotype. I started with some x-ray film and a Speed Graphic. The blog has the details of the print as well as the original film image. Cyanotype is the 'traditional' (non-Ware) formula, toning is wine tannin and washing soda.

Voigtlander toned cyanotype by James Harr Photo, on Flickr

[imagesfrugales]

Yessss! Finally a Cyanotype with a nice colour not the annoying blue tone. 110 points of 100 from me.

[jharr]

Thanks Reinhold. I agree that the blue gets a little old after a while. The options for toning really breathe life into this process.

~J

[original_ann]

Wonderful image!!  I've been quite interested in the x-ray film - even stocked some in the freezer, but just had no idea what to do with it!  Your test results are quite inspiring!

[jharr]

Thanks Ann. Just jump on in with the x-ray film. It's so cheap, I don't even mind if a shot goes badly. I have used Adonal and Caffenol with it. They both produce good results. It really is 'worry-free' photography!

[zapsnaps]

Sorry to ask... but I bet I'm not the only one thinking this. What happened to the blue? I assume that when initially processed it was blue, but your additional processing somehow removed the blue and replaced it with the beautiful tones we see here? That seems unlikely to me, but my tiny mind can't work this out.

Nice blog by the way - I've read it before. I was hoping the missing blue would be explained there, but I can't find an answer (just having a quick look at work)
David

[jharr]

Sorry to ask... but I bet I'm not the only one thinking this. What happened to the blue? I assume that when initially processed it was blue, but your additional processing somehow removed the blue and replaced it with the beautiful tones we see here? That seems unlikely to me, but my tiny mind can't work this out.

Nice blog by the way - I've read it before. I was hoping the missing blue would be explained there, but I can't find an answer (just having a quick look at work)
David

Thanks David. You are correct that the blue has been replaced. The washing soda bath bleaches the prussian blue. This involves the partial reversal of the chemistry that created the image to begin with. You start with iron +3 compounds which the UV light reduces to iron +2 compounds. The sodium carbonate then reduces the iron compound from +2 back to a yellowish +3. Then the tannin binds with the iron to form some kind of gallic acid. Gallic acid has been used for centuries in ink and is quite permanent. This toning process can be done with anything containing tannin (tea, coffee, wine, etc.). That is sort of a layman's understanding of the chemistry, but the basic premise is that you are changing the chemistry of the iron compounds in the cyanotype in order to change the color. There are lots of different toning recipes that will give you different results. Even different dilutions of the same materials will give different looks. It really is a lot of fun to play around with and it is nice that you can do it with household (non-toxic) materials.

Regards,
James