KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



323 



starch, and sugar of milk. These possess 

 the power of making the nitrate of silver 

 give deep tones of black. 



Take of clean rice 1£ ounces, isinglass (not 

 gelatine) 80 grains, distilled water 1 pint. 

 Boil these together in a porcelain pan, but 

 only till the grains of rice begin to burst, as 

 after that stage the starch dissolves too freely. 

 Strain through fine muslin. 



Take of this rice-water 13 ounces, add to 

 it sugar of milk 240 grains, iodide of potas- 

 sium 80 grains, cyanide of potassium 4 grains. 

 When dissolved, filter this, also, through 

 muslin, and preserve for use in a. well-stop- 

 pered bottle. If exposed to the air, the 

 presence of organic matter causes speedy 

 decomposition. 



Put a quantity of this solution into a porce- 

 lain tray, and immerse as many sheets of 

 waxed paper as the liquid will conveniently 

 cover, taking care that no air bubbles are 

 between or underneath them. Allow them 

 to soak in this, — say from thirty minutes to 

 an hour. Then turn them right over, so that 

 the lowest may be uppermost. After a few 

 minutes, remove them, one by one ; first 

 allowing them to drain, and then pinning 

 them up by one corner to dry. When all 

 are removed, the solution should be filtered, 

 and may be kept for future use, as it will 

 serve any number of times. The paper should 

 now have a bluish or violet tint, and it will 

 keep at this stage for any length of time. 



To Excite the Iodised Paper. — Take 

 nitrate of silver, in the proportion of 30 

 grains, to distilled water 1 ounce, and when 

 dissolved add glacial acetic acid 30 grains. 

 Having put this solution into a porcelain 

 tray — float, by candle-light, or in the darkened 

 room, each waxed iodised sheet successively 

 upon it. See that all air- bells are expelled, 

 and allow it to remain till the blue tint has 

 disappeared. Then remove the paper, and 

 float on distilled water, in two separate vessels 

 one after the other, in order to remove all 

 the nitrate of silver adhering, which would 

 otherwise quickly become affected by light, 

 and stain the paper. Preserve this distilled 

 water, as it is used for the developing solution. 



Now drain, and dry between folds of 

 blotting paper. Manipulate each sheet in this 

 manner, and, when dry, preserve them in a 

 portfolio, away from light, where they will 

 keep good from three to four weeks, and 

 most probably longer. 



To Expose the Paper in the Camera. 

 — For the purpose of exposing paper to the 

 action of light, in the camera, a slightly dif- 

 ferent arrangement to that used for glass is 

 necessary. It is called a paper frame, and 

 may be had either double or single, according 

 as it is wished to insert the papers by one at 

 a time, or in pairs. The advantage of the 



latter way is, that one paper can be exposed, 

 and then another, without shifting the camera 

 or frame, which may be very useful upon 

 occasions. The time for exposure (of course) 

 varies much ; but about double that allowed 

 for Collodion pictures will be requisite. 

 When thought to be sufficiently exposed, the 

 paper may be again placed in the portfolio, 

 and the developing deferred till the operator 

 returns home. 



This is the admirable part of the waxed- 

 paper process, and all that need be taken to 

 the fields, are, — the camera and stand, and a 

 portfolio, with the prepared paper, which 

 also receives the sheets after exposure. How 

 different to the Collodion, which must be 

 exposed at once, after being excited, and 

 which must be developed immediately after 

 exposure ! Not that I mean to disparage 

 the latter, which, when performed at home, 

 or in the neighborhood of a house, is incom- 

 parable. 



To Develop the Picture. — Take gallic 

 acid 10 grains, of the distilled water that the 

 paper was washed in, after being excited half- 

 an-ounce, distilled water half-a-pint. Im- 

 merse the exposed paper in this solution. If 

 exposed the proper time, 10 minutes will 

 generally suffice to develop the picture ; 

 but it is a curious fact that, however short 

 the time of exposure, the picture will be 

 developed if left long enough in this solution. 

 When sufficiently brought out, wash the 

 paper well by running water over it. 



To Fix the Picture. — Take hyposul- 

 phite of soda half-an-ounce, filtered water 

 ten ounces, and immerse the picture therein ; 

 leaving it until the yellow iodide of silver is 

 completely dissolved. When this is done, 

 the paper should be put into a tray containing 

 clean water, where it should lie for twenty or 

 thirty minutes. It ought then to be hung up 

 to dry. It is now fixed, and ready to be 

 printed from. This is accomplished by super- 

 position ; in the same way as printing from 

 Collodion negatives. 



If the paper turn spotted, and only trans- 

 parent in parts, it should be wanned, placed 

 between blotting papers, and ironed. I 

 have now described the dry waxed-paper 

 process, and I hope that I have done so to 

 your readers' satisfaction. There still remains 

 the we^-waxed paper process, by which the 

 sensibility of the paper is much increased, 

 though its use is limited to those cases in 

 which Collodion may be employed. 



I propose to explain the rationale of this, 

 together with the method of printing from 

 engravings, or copying lace, ferns, &c. &c. 

 (which 1 inadvertently omitted to do last 

 month), when Our Journal shall again see 

 the light, i hope that will be at a very early 

 day. 



Glenelg. 



