132 THE A B C OF PHOTO - MICROGRAPHY 



through them, whilst other parts may be full 

 of detail though quite lacking in printing 

 density. It is manifestly impossible in such 

 cases to effect sufficient reduction in the 

 overly dense portions by chemical methods, 

 without obliterating details in the shadows, 

 making the last stage of the unfortunate 

 negative worse than the first. A method of 

 mechanical reduction, which may not be so 

 generally known as it deserves, has an- 

 swered so well in my own work that I feel 

 inclined to include it with these notes for the 

 benefit of those who may not be familiar with 

 it. The requisite materials are few and inex- 

 pensive : a little alcohol or methylated spirits, 

 a finger from an old kid glove, and patience. 

 The kid is to be simply wetted with the 

 spirits (its inner surface is the better), 

 stretched over the forefinger and the dense 

 spot gently rubbed with a rotary motion, 

 until the desired amount of reduction is ob- 

 tained. The process is a slow one, demand- 

 ing the exercise of care and patience. In 

 stubborn places, the wetting with alcohol may 

 have to be repeated several times. No por- 

 tion of the negative will be affected but the 

 spot that is rubbed. Should this be too small 

 for the finger to manipulate properly, the 



