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Old 8th November 2018, 11:05 AM
Peter Fitz Peter Fitz is offline
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Default Mixing Vandyke Sensitiser

Is it normal for Vandyke sensitizer to look very cloudy when mixed fresh from the raw chemicals? There seems to be a lot of sediment in the bottle. Is this normal?
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Old 8th November 2018, 12:02 PM
alexmuir alexmuir is offline
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There’s a video on
filmphotographyproject.com
If you search ‘vandyke brown process’ you should find it. It’s hard to see if the mixed solution in the bottle is clear, but the solution that is dropped onto the paper is definitely a clear green. Unfortunately, there is no mention of what it should look like.
Alex


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Old 8th November 2018, 06:56 PM
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B&W Neil B&W Neil is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Fitz View Post
Is it normal for Vandyke sensitizer to look very cloudy when mixed fresh from the raw chemicals? There seems to be a lot of sediment in the bottle. Is this normal?
Peter,

You have to be very careful how you mix solutions A/B/C otherwise you will end up with a bad / useless mix.

Mix A+B thoroughly then add C (the silver solution) a few drops at a time to the A+B mix stirring all the time until it is completely mixed. If you don't mix C gradually you will end up with a sludge at the bottom of your mix!

If you have a copy of Spirits of Salts to hand Martin Reed covers this very well on page 66.

I made this mistake once myself !

All the best,

Neil.
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Old 19th November 2018, 07:21 PM
Peter Fitz Peter Fitz is offline
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Thanks guys, I did pour the silver nitrate in quickly so will do so much slower next time. I also heard that adding more tartaric acid can help.

I heated the bottle of sensitizer and that helped a little and then I filtered it, so it looks much better now. I'll be trying it out soon.
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Old 20th November 2018, 09:29 AM
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B&W Neil B&W Neil is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Fitz View Post
Thanks guys, I did pour the silver nitrate in quickly so will do so much slower next time. I also heard that adding more tartaric acid can help.

I heated the bottle of sensitizer and that helped a little and then I filtered it, so it looks much better now. I'll be trying it out soon.

Peter,

I found it best to add the silver solution a few drops at a time whilst continually stirring. It's a weird mix and it doesn't take much to turn it cloudy.

Cheers,

Neil.
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