Cyanotypes

cardiff_gareth

cardiff_gareth

Suspended / Banned
Messages
2,734
Name
Gareth
Edit My Images
Yes
Just a quick question please.
For a uni project I want to try something a little different and have bought a cyanotype kit. I've read up that you paint the solution onto the paper and let it dry, ideally indoors under tungsten lighting so it doesn't get any UV rays on it. Then when you're ready add the items on top of the paper and wait for the paper to darken down, usually around 5 minutes?

So far so good I think - it then says to have immediate results, dip paper into a water / hydrogen peroxide solution and then wash with clean water. It doesn't say how long to dip in the hydrogen peroxide water or how to mix it in terms of strength?

Has anyone done cyanotypes please and know what strength to make this wash solution?

Thanks

Gareth
 
I've never bothered with hydrogen peroxide, I just wash them in several changes of water but then our tap water is very good, if you are in a hard water area adding something may help, easiest thing is to try it and see, start with tap water and progress from there.
A few other tips:
  • I coat the paper with no lights on in a darkened room and let the paper dry the same darkened room.
  • Unless you have a UV light source you really need a sunny day or it could take a long time to expose. If when you wash the paper the image disappears you haven't exposed for long enough. You can do test strips of different lengths of exposure time.
  • The type of paper really matters, you need a good acid-free water colour paper or similar.
  • For washing I float the paper image side down in water after an initially dipping it through the water several times

There's a thread - https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/lockdown-blues-cyanotypes-anyone.710155/page-2
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top