246 



RECREATION. 



exactly what it is; anyway, it's no good for 

 mounting photographs that you care to 

 keep. Use good paste. If the prepared 

 kind is not handy, make a cream of corn- 

 starch in lukewarm water, throw in red hot 

 boiling water and stir until a good paste is 

 obtained. When cool, squeeze through 

 coarse cotton cloth and it is ready to use. 



Why do you put a year's subscription to 

 Recreation in the last place in your list 

 of prizes? Truly, it seems to me that I'd 

 rather have your magazine than most of 

 the articles of 10 times its subscription 

 price in value. This is not blarney, but 

 straight talk. 



Dr. C. P. Robbins, Louisville, Ky. 



I save the best of the wine for the last 

 of the feast. Editor. 



I had the misfortune to drop my 8x10 

 camera in a river some time ago, but the 

 only damage done was to my plate-holders, 

 which are Perfection Jr.'s; the heavy pa- 

 per partitions got wet; they dried full of 

 bulges and wrinkles, and when I try to use 

 them with kits the slides will not go in. 

 Can you suggest a way to restore the par- 

 titions to their former shape? 



Jas. R. White, Kalispell, Mont. 



ANSWER. 



I do not believe this can be done. You 

 would better order new holders. — Editor. 



Please tell me how long to expose an 

 Eastman film to electric light out of doors 

 at night. I wish to take some snow scenes, 

 but have no idea how long to expose. 



R. L. Wood, Brooklyn, N. Y. 



ANSWER. 



All exposure of 5 to 20 minutes is nec- 

 essary under such circumstances. If the 

 lens is a poor one the time should be at 

 least treble. 



Some plates have a strong tendency to 

 frill, even in the developer, especially in 

 hot weather. The subsequent alum bath is 

 then too late to prevent the mischief. Keep 

 a wax candle handy in the dark room and 

 before development run it once around the 

 sharp edge of the plate. There will be no 

 sign of frill, and the alum bath may be dis- 

 pensed with. 



Amateurs annoyed by guttering candles 

 in their dark room lanterns may remedy 

 the defect, says the Photo-Gazette, by im- 

 mersing the candles in a solution composed 

 c f: 



Magnesium Sulphate 15 grains 



Dextrine 5 grains 



Water 500 minims 



I )- n't use hypo the minute it is made, 



The addition of the hypo cools the water 

 considerably. If a plate is introduced into 

 freshly made hypo right after developing, 

 it may blister or cut up any sort of shine 

 on account of the change in temperature. 

 Let the hypo stand at least 15 minutes be- 

 fore using. 



HINTS TO BEGINNERS. 



i. Have patience. 



2. Do not snap recklessly. 



3. Use a finder accurately centered and 

 marked. 



4. Do not work the shutter at a higher 

 rate of speed than necessary, but rather 

 stop the lens. 



Do you know that rocking the tray or 

 not doing so makes a great deal of differ- 

 ence in the negative? Well, it does. If you 

 rock the tray constantly the negative will 

 have splendid strength, and if you do not 

 it will be thin, full of detail, but lacking in 

 pluck and crispness. That's a fact! Try it. 



Platinotype prints that have become yel- 

 low may be r- tored by placing in a 10 per 

 cent, solution of common chloride of lime. 

 First soak the prints in water, then in the 

 lime solution till the yellow color is 

 bleached; remove and wash well; place in 

 a weak solution of hydrochloric acid; wash 

 again and dry. 



Formula for a developer in powder form: 

 Powder A — Metol, 15 grammes; hydro- 

 chin on, 40 gr. ; eikonogen, 25 gr. ; pow- 

 dered boracic acid, 10 gr. Powder B — Sul- 

 phite of soda, 100 gr. ; borax, 25 gr. ; milk 

 sugar, 25 gr. For use mix 2 parts of A and 

 4 parts of B in 100 parts of water. 



Are the screens used in color photog- 

 raphy on the market? If so, what is the 

 price? A. E. M. 



ANSWER. 



No. The system has not yet been per- 

 fected, and it is doubtful if it ever will be. 



Will some of your readers please give 

 their experience in properly washing prints, 

 and describe and explain any devices they 

 may have invented or heard cf -for keeping 

 prints separated and water changing with- 

 out doing all by hand? 



F. R: Woodward, Lowell, Mass. 



I should like to hear from readers who 

 have taken moonlight photos. I have 

 taken photos successfully by daylight, 

 flashlight, moonlight and electric light. 

 R. W. McBride, Waterloo, Ind. 



Keep your developer, fixer and wash 

 water at the same temperature and thereby 

 avoid bubbles and blisters, 



