242 



RECREATION. 



several successive thin coatings of stove 

 varnish. Two kinds are employed ; the am- 

 ber giving the harder film, while the copal 

 variety is the whiter. Each coat must be al- 

 lowed to dry thoroughly before the applica- 

 tion of the next. Moderate heat may be used 

 to facilitate the drying. Polish the surface 

 first with pumice powder, next with oil and 

 tripoli, and finally with .putty powder. This 

 should give a hard, brilliant surface. It 

 only remains to subject the article to a 

 temperature of 175-200 degrees for several 

 hours. An ordinary cook stove oven 

 answers every requirement. There is noth- 

 ing for an amateur with some knowledge 

 of the carbon process to fear in making 

 this beautiful style of pictures. 



Sulphite of soda, as a rule, contains a lit- 

 tle of the carbonate, and acts in a slight 

 degree as an addition to the alkali of the 

 original formula. Metabisulphite, on the 

 contrary, being an acid salt, neutralizes the 

 alkali to a certain extent. For instance, 

 every 10 grains of metabisulphite in a de- 

 veloper will neutralize 6 grains of potas- 

 sium carbonate or 13 grains of sodium car- 

 bonate crystals, according to which is 

 used as the alkali. Understanding this, 

 due allowance may be made and the re- 

 quired quantity of alkali added. As the 

 best crystallized sulphite of soda contains 

 only about 27 per cent of sulphur dioxide, 

 the active agent for the prevention of ox- 

 idation, while the metabisulphite contains 

 over 57 per cent, the latter is more than 

 twice as efficient a preservative, and 

 should be used in a correspondingly less 

 quantity. 



An acid fixing bath for developing pa- 

 pers has many points in its favor, and its 

 excellent keeping quality makes it less likely 

 to cause serious trouble. It is difficult to 

 judge when a bath has passed its useful- 

 ness, as we do not always remember the 

 number of prints fixed or the weeks or 

 months it has been in use. If it has become 

 exhausted it will no longer fix any prints ; 

 and the difficulty is that it is scarcely possi- 

 ble to judge whether a print is fixed by its 

 appearance. With a negative this is not 

 experienced, as we are not deceived by a 

 white and opaque ground. Therefore, by 

 occasionally fixing a negative in the acid 

 fixing bath for prints, and noting the time 

 it takes to fix, you have the necessary as- 

 surance that it will do further duty. 



For hardening gelatine or bromide prints 

 several other chemicals will serve equally 

 as well as the alum bath, if not better. 

 Chloride of aluminum, tannin, or formaline, 

 are all good for hardening bromide prints. 

 A weak solution only is required. One in 

 20 is about the right strength for the for- 

 maline batli. Too strong a bath will cause 

 blisters. 



Some simple scenes make attractive pic- 

 tures by photographing them almost direct- 

 ly against the light. In doing work of this 

 kind, a hood to protect the surface of the 

 lens from the direct rays of the sun is ad- 

 visable. Failing this, the slide, held so 

 that it shades the lens without cutting off 

 any of the view, is a good substitute* 



To intensify overtimed negatives rinse 

 each negative and immerse a few minutes 

 in the ordinary solio toning bath. Wash 

 again, place in the fixing bath, and treat as 

 usual. They can not be printed on carbon 

 velox. Use special printing paper. — West- 

 cm Camera Notes. 



TO WASH NEGATIVES QUICKLY. 



I have devised a washing system that I 

 have used nearly a year and I can wash 

 all negatives in 20 minutes by this process. 

 After washing I always test the plates by 

 permanganate of potash and carbonate of 

 soda solution, until the water from them 

 does not color. Then they are sufficiently 

 washed. 



This system is for those who have no 

 running water. 



Procure a large wooden bucket from a 

 grocer or confectioner. Give this 2 coats 

 of shellac, after closing all cracks with 

 painters' putty. Bore a hole in the side 

 about one-half inch above the bottom, and 

 one-half inch in diameter. Get a tinsmith 

 to make you a tin tube a little less than 

 one-half inch in diameter. Then get about 

 a foot of one-half inch rubber tubing. Fit 

 one end of the tin tube into the hole in 

 the bucket, nail it and putty up all cracks. 

 Then fit the other end of the tin tube into 

 the rubber tubing and twist a little thin 

 wire around it to keep it in place. This 

 bucket forms a reservoir, or tank. Twice 

 filled with water will be enough to wash 

 10 negatives 20 minutes. 



For the washing box get from your 

 grocer a clove or spice box, or any strong, 

 dovetailed wooden box. The one I have is 



7 inches long and 7^ inches wide. It was 



8 inches deep, but I sawed it off to 5^2 

 inches, inside measurement. This is 

 for 4x5 inch plates. A similar box of 

 larger size will serve for 5x7 inch or 

 larger plates. Then the opening -in the 

 bucket should be made larger, to allow a 

 sufficient flow of water. Bore a hole 

 one-half inch in diameter in the shortest 

 end of the box, one-half inch from the 

 bottom, and fit this with a tin tube similar 

 to the one in the tank, save that the rubber 

 tubing should fit into the tin tube instead 

 of the tin tube into the rubber, as in the 

 tank. This tube should not project far into 

 the box, but should be bent over and nailed. 



