AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHY. 153 
ing and fixing; it takes away any stain left 
by hypo or other developer; it instantly 
stops development, and clears the negative 
from the green fog that often appears. It is 
equally good for bromide paper, but must 
not be used for printing out paper. 
Always fix a plate 5 to 10 minutes after 
the white salt has disappeared. If it is 
taken out as soon as transparent, the silver 
bromide has only been converted into a 
double salt of silver and sodium thiosulphate, 
and this double salt, not having had time to 
dissolve in the hypo solution, is left in the 
film. No amount of washing will get it out, 
as it is insoluble in water; and under the 
action of light it changes to black silver sul- 
phide, thus ruining the negative. There is 
no cure for this, so prevent it in the first 
place by thorough fixing, preferably in an 
upright grooved vessel. 
In intensifying with mercury, it some- 
times happens that the plate blackens un- 
evenly on adding the ammonia or sulphite of 
soda. This is due to the presence of hypo 
in the film, or to insufficient washing be- 
tween the bleaching and blackening. There | 
are often queries respecting the granular ap- 
pearance of a negative intensified with mer- 
cury. The reason of this is not clear. On 
microscopic examination it is found that the 
particles of silver have been enlarged, thus 
causing an appearance of grain. The 
- stronger the solution of mercuric chloride 
used, the larger are these particles. So it is 
to some extent obviated by using weak 
solutions, and by using sulphite of soda solu- 
tion to blacken the negative instead of am- 
monia. This does not give such great inten- 
sification as the ammonia, but the grain is 
decidedly less. 
The following will be found a useful re- 
ducer: 
Potassium ferric oxalate...... vd mea re 
Sodium sulpisite .: oo. 7S ert 
VRC ETES Aad ie SASS ae a 8 oz 
Add 25 grains oxalic acid. Shake till 
green, and pour off from the crystals of acid 
that may remain, and make the solution 
measure 10 ounces. This can be used over 
and over again till it turns yellow. 
Graduated skies are not often seen, but are 
easily done and are very effective. They 
give the appearance of a hot, scorching day, 
and are suitable for photos taken in brilliant 
sunshine. Some views I have-recently seen 
of the Pyramids and other scenes in Egypt 
looked far more realistic with this effect than 
the cloud negative could have made them. 
To graduate a sky, take the print out of 
the frame and put it into another, with a 
piece of plain glass in front instead of a 
negative. Then curl a piece of cardboard 
up, about the external size of the printing 
frame, and place the cardboard against the 
frame with the curled end covering the sky 
and the flat end the landscape. Expose the 
frame to weak daylight and move the card- 
board up and down, bringing it farther down 
each time. With a little care most beautiful 
effects may be produced. 
In using matt paper I have found the best 
method of obtaining the tones I want is to 
fix the print first, and after thorough wash- 
ing, proceed to tone them in the usual bath 
employed, but with the addition of 1 grain 
of gold chloride per ounce of the bath. I 
find that the fixing alters the tone of matt 
prints far more than of the glossy. I tone 
afterward till the tone is slightly warmer 
than I want (to allow for drying), and then 
put the prints into a bath of bromide of 
potassium, I ounce to water 8 ounces. This 
stops toning at once. A solution of salt, of- 
ten used for this purpose, is not nearly so 
efficient. I am in this way sure of the final 
tone, and have succeeded in getting most 
artistic results on matt paper, which could 
not be compared with the tones I used to 
get, and have seen others get, by using the 
ordinary method. It entails only a little 
more washing. It will be found that differ- 
ent tones are obtained according to whether 
the print is washed or not before fixing. 
For brown tones it is better not to wash it; 
but red tones are much more easily obtained 
if it be washed first, as usual, for 15 minutes. 
If Bartolozzi red tones are desired, the print 
should be washed first, and a weak toning 
bath used, diluted with twice the quantity 
of water. This color is most effective on the 
dull surface print. 
The following is an effective way of 
mounting matt surface prints—especially 
brown toned ones. Get some thick toned 
etching paper—as rough as possible. This 
may be procured from any stationer or 
dealer in artists’ goods. Tear it roughly to 
the desired size; mount the print on it; 
then place it on a piece of blotting paper 
and rule a margin round the print with a 
piece of ebonite, or the smooth end of a 
glass rod. This will make a sort of plate- 
sunk mark, which will be deeper the harder 
you press on the ebonite. The mounted 
photo looks exactly like a toned etching. 
Mahogany may be ebonized as follows: 
Coat the wood, previously smoothed, with a 
solution of ferrous sulphate, followed by ene 
of gallic acid. French polish the wood when- 
this process has made it dark enough. It 
may be continued several times, getting 
darker each time. 
In printing it is by no means seldom that 
the print gets stained in patches. The stains 
are mainly caused in 3 ways: (1) By touch- 
ing the print with moist fingers—the perspi- 
ration left on the gelatine prevents the action 

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