Jan. 22. 1853.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



93 



is to be presumed that he means a solution of this 

 salt, which is a solid substance as usually sold. 



What follows is so exceedingly droll, that I can 

 do nothing more than guess at the meaning. How 

 one solution is to be floated on another, and then, 

 after a bath of nitrate of silver, is to be ready for 

 the camera, surpasses my comprehension. 



Also, further on, he alludes to iodizing with the 

 ammonio-nitrate (I presume of silver). What does 

 he mean ? Geo. Shadbolt. 



Dr. Diamond's Services to Photography. — Sib, 

 We, the undersigned amateurs of Photography in 

 the city of Norwich, shall be obliged if you will 

 (privately, or otherwise, at your own discretion) 

 convey to Dr. Diamond our grateful thanks for 

 the frankness and liberality with which he has 

 published the valuable results of his experiments 

 in the pages of " N. & Q." We have profited 

 largely by Dk. Diamond's instructions, and beg 

 to express our conviction that he is entitled to 

 the gratitude of every lover of the Art. 

 We are. Sir, 



Your obedient servants, 

 [iT. Lawson Sisson, Clk., G. Brownfield. 

 * (Edingthorpe Rectory). Henry Pulley. 



Thos. D. Eaton. W. Bransby Francis. 



John Crosse Koope. J. Blowers (Cossey). 



JaAies Howes. Benj. Russell. 



T. G. Bayfield. 



[Agreeing, as we do most entirely, with the Plioto- 

 grapliers of Norwich in their estimate of the skill and 

 perseverance exhibited by Dr. Diamond in simplify- 

 ing the collodion and paper processes, and of his 

 liberality in making known the results of his experi- 

 ments, we have great pleasure in giving publicity to 

 this recognition of the services rendered by Dii. Dia- 

 mond to this important Art.] 



Simplification of the Wax-paper Process. — At a 

 late meeting of the Chemical Discussion Society, 

 Mr. J. How read the following paper on this 

 subject : — 



" The easiest way of waxing the paper is to 

 take an iron (those termed 'box- irons' are the 

 cleanest and best for the purpose) moderately hot, 

 in the one hand, and to pass it over the paper 

 from side to side, following closely after it with a 

 piece of white wax, held in the other hand, until 

 the whole surface has been covered. By thus 

 heating the paper, it readily imbibes the wax, and 

 becomes rapidly saturated with it. The first sheet 

 being finished, I place two more sheets of plain 

 paper upon it, and repeat the operation upon the 

 top one (the intermediate piece serving to absorb 

 any excess of wax that may remain), and so on, 

 sheet after sheet, until the number required is 

 waxed. 



" The sheets, which now form a compact mass, 

 are separated by passing the iron, moderately 



heated, over them ; then placed between folds of 

 bibulous paper, and submitted to a further appli- 

 cation of heat by the means just described, so as 

 to remove all the superfluous wax from the surface, 

 and render them perfectly transparent — most es- 

 sential points to be attended to in order to obtain 

 fine negative proofs. 



" I will now endeavour to describe the method 

 of preparing the iodizing solution. 



" Instead of being at the trouble of boiling rice, 

 preparing isinglass, adding sugar of milk and the 

 whites of eggs, &c., I simply take some milk quite 

 fresh, say that milked the same day, and add to it, 

 drop by drop, glacial acetic acid, in about the pro- 

 portion of one, or one and a half drachm, fluid 

 measure, to the quart, which will separate the 

 caseine, keeping the mixture well stirred with a 

 glass rod all the time ; I then boil it in a porcelain 

 vessel to throw down the remaining caseine not 

 previously coagulated, and also to drive off as 

 much as possible of the superfluous acid it may 

 contain. Of course any other acid would pre- 

 cipitate the caseine ; still I give the preference to 

 the acetic from the fact that it does not affect the 

 after-process of rendering the paper sensitive, that 

 acid entering into the composition of the sensitive 

 solution. 



" After boiling for five or ten minutes, the li- 

 quid should be allowed to cool, and then be 

 strained through a hair sieve or a piece of muslin, 

 to collect the caseine : when quite cold, the che- 

 micals are to be added. 



" The proportions I have found to yield the 

 best results are those recommended by Vicomte 

 Veguz, which I have somewhat modified, both as 

 regard quantities and the number of chemicals 

 employed. They are as follow : 



385 grains of iodide of potassium. 

 60 „ of bromide. 

 30 „ of cyanide. 

 20 „ of fluoride. 



10 „ of chloride of sodium in crystals. 

 1| „ of resubliraed iodine. 



" The above are dissolved in thirty-five ounces 

 of the strained liquid, and, after filtration through 

 white bibulous paper, the resulting fluid should 

 be perfectly clear and of a bright lemon colour. 



" The iodized solution is now ready for use, and 

 may be preserved, in well-stopped bottles, for any 

 length of time. 



" The waxed paper is laid in the solution, in a 

 flat porcelain or gutta percha tray, in the manner 

 described by M. Le Gray and others, and allowed 

 to remain there for from half an hour to an hour, 

 according to the thickness of the paper. It is 

 then taken out and hung up to dry, when it should 

 be of a light brown colour. All these operations 

 may be carried on in a light room, taking care 

 only that, during the latter part of the process, 



