The Van Dyke & Kallitype Processes
by Todd Walker
Like the three other silver salts used in photography (silver chloride, silver iodide and silver bromide), silver nitrate becomes light sensitive when placed in the presence of organic substances. Although not as sensitive generally as the other salts, the silver nitrate emulsion is easier to prepare and process.
NOTE: silver nitrate is highly poisonous, can be used in making explosives (which can sometimes make it difficult to obtain except institutionally), and leaves dark brown stains on the skin for many days; therefore treat it with care and WEAR GLOVES!
Chemicals:
| Ferric Ammonium Citrate | 90 | grams |
| Tartaric Acid | 15 | grams |
| Silver Nitrate (cryst) | 37.5 | grams |
| Distilled Water | 1,000 | cc |
Mixing:
Dissolve each of the chemicals separately in 250 cc of water. Mix the Ferric Ammonium Citrate and Tartaric Acid solutions well together. While continuously stirring, slowly add the Silver Nitrate solution, and continue stirring until well mixed. Finally, add remaining 250 cc of Distilled Water and stir again well. Keep the resulting solution in a dark brown bottle away from direct light. Under such conditions the mixed solution should keep in good condition for several months. The solution should be allowed to "age" for two or three days prior to use. It should be stirred or shaken before and periodically during use.
Application:
The paper or fabric can be dipped in or floated on the solution, but probably you will want to brush or swab it on. Treat the Van Dyke emulsion as blueprint emulsion: it needs to saturate the fibers of the ground. Coat evenly and if coating cloth, the emulsion must be worked well into the fabric. However, be as frugal as possible because Silver Nitrate retails for about $12.00 an ounce. Also, because you are working with silver, the coating should be done on acid-fee, high or pure rag content paper (BFK brand seems to be the best), or on natural (eg. cotton) and acid free (this is achieved by prewashing) cloth. Contact between silver nitrate and acid often results in mottling and fading.
Exposure:
After drying, contact print under strong actinic light; 20 - 24 minutes under unshielded UV flourescents, 8 - 15 minutes in direct sun and 24 - 36 minutes under photofloods or heat lamps. Cloth or other low-reflectance material needs about 50% more exposure.
Development:
Immerse the print for about three minutes in a solution of 100 grams Borax (the amount is not too critical -- about two teaspoons is fine) per 1 liter (or quart) of Water. Wash in running water for five to ten minutes. This will produce an image of a somewhat disagreeable yellowish color, but it will intensify and change to a more pleasing brown when completely dry.
Fixing to arrive at "Van Dyke Brown":
If preferred, after the development in the Borax solution, the print need only be rinsed briefly in running water, and then immersed for 2 - 4 minutes in a plain hypo solution of 50 grams (one teaspoon-full) per 1 liter/quart of water. This will change the image color to a very agreeable "Van Dyke Brown", as well as making the emulsion more stable. Fixed prints need to be washed in hypo clearing agent for 2 - 3 minutes to neutralize the hypo acid and finally washed for 10 minutes in running water before drying.
Note:
Because blueprint and Van Dyke contain opposing substances (Silver Nitrate vs. Potassium Ferricyanide, they tend to attack, nuetralize and obliterate each other when used on the same ground. This can produce sometimes very interesting and/or beautiful results, but I wouldn't count on their archivality.
KALLITYPE
The Kallitype process is another using Silver Nitrate, and although it more complicated than the Van Dyke process, it provides better control of the image coloration.
Mixing:
Dissolve 150 grams of Ferric Oxalate and 10 grams of Oxalic Acid in 1000 cc Water at 100 degrees F. Filter several times through 3 layers of muslin. Add 60 grams of Silver Nitrate slowly while stirring, and continue stirring until completely dissolved. Keep in a dark brown bottle and allow to age for three days before using.
Apply to Acid-free Ground as with Van Dyke Process.
Expose as with Van Dyke Process
After drying, contact print under strong actinic light; 20 - 24 minutes under unshielded UV flourescents, 8 - 15 minutes in direct sun and 24 - 36 minutes under photofloods or heat lamps. Cloth or other low-reflectance material needs about 50% more exposure.
Development:
Immerse print for 15 minutes in a solution of 90 grams of Borax, 60 grams Rochelle Salts, and 1000 cc Water. This should produce a black image. To increase the image contrast, add 1 - 3 cc of a 10% solution of ammonium dichromate to the developing solution. To produce purplish-brown image coloration, change the proportion of the developer to 45 grams of Borax and 90 grams Rochelle Salts. For a sepia tonality, omit the Borax and use only 45 grams of Rochelle Salts. For very rich black coloration (but not as great stability), over-expose the print by 50% and mix and use a developer of 120 grams of Sodium Acetate and 1000 cc Water.
Clearing and Fixing:
After development, rinse print briefly, and then clear in a solution of 120 grams Potassium Oxalate in 1000 cc Water for several minutes. Fix for 5 minutes in a solution of 45 grams Sodium Thiosulfite, 12 cc Household Ammonia, and 1000 cc Water. After fixing, wash the print in hypo clearing agent for 2-3 minutes and then in running water for 10 minutes.
This information is from a handout in the Non-Silver Photography class, ART 444, taught by Todd Walker at the University of Arizona in the Fall semester of 1984.
Disclaimer: Don't attempt to use these formulae if you aren't familiar with safe procedures for handling chemicals.
Obituary Self-portraits WWII Pilot Resume Commercial Photography Off-site Images Nonsilver Gallery
Photo-silkscreen Gum Prints Van Dyke & Kallitype Reversal Processing Blueprints Inko Dyes Litho Film
TW Scholarship UA Collections Portraits Off-site links Ancestry HOME
Jerry Ferrin.
This page was last updated March 26th, Y2K.