490 



RECREATION. 



to take y 2 drachm of atnrnonia citrate of 

 iron, of equal strength, and add to one 

 ounce of acetic acid and one ounce of 

 water. The washing and drying was the 

 same as with uranium toning, and modifi- 

 cations by the use of a brush dipped in 

 weak ammonia water could be easily 

 made. — The Professional Photographer. 



FOR THE TYRO. 



Various guides to photography advise 

 the marking of trays and bottles holding 

 chemicals with something that will be per- 

 manent, yet none tell just what to use. I 

 thought of oil paints, but had none at 

 hand, and finally solved the difficulty by 

 using some gold paint I chanced to have. 

 It shows up plainly in the half light, and 

 withstands the action of chemicals. Experi- 

 ence has taught me that besides a thorough 

 cleaning of trays when put away, it is 

 wise to clean them again just before using. 

 Salt does this well and quickly ; rub it over 

 dry, scouring briskly with a cloth, and the 

 changed color of the salt will show the 

 efficacy of its use. Another use for salt 

 is after toning prints. Those who use the 

 combined toning and fixing bath will find 

 an after bath composed of one ounce of 

 salt to 30 ounces of water will give added 

 depth of tone, and, what is more, insure 

 permanency. 



If your camera takes 2 sizes of pictures 

 and you can afford only one printing frame, 

 by all means get the larger size. You can 

 use it for smaller negatives by first putting 

 in a piece of clear glass, a spoiled plate, 

 cleaned, will do. Lay your small negative 

 on that and print as usual. 



Spoiled plates are easily cleaned by let- 

 ting them stand a while in a pan of warm 

 water, then wipe them dry and clean with 

 a soft cloth. Someone advises the use of 

 bichromate of potash, ^4 pound, and sul- 

 phuric acid, one ounce, to one gallon of 

 water, for cleaning spoiled negatives, allow- 

 ing them to stand all night in the mixture. 

 That is unnecessary trouble and expense. 

 Besides, it is nasty stuff to use. The clear 

 hot water will act as effectually and more 

 quickly. 



Backed plates are almost a necessity in 

 outdoor work, preventing halation, gen- 

 eral haziness, and chalky contrasts 

 in the finished picture. Of course backed 

 plates may be purchased, but are somewhat 

 expensive. A photographic authority ad- 

 vises the amateur to back his own 

 plates. This is done with fresco painter's 

 black, or distemper color, which is mixed to 

 a smooth paste with absolute alcohol and 

 honey, and applied with a swab of cotton 

 just as the plates are put into the holders. 

 When about to develop the plates wipe 



them off with a soft cloth. If the backing 

 sticks in spots it will do no harm. 



If, however, the amateur hesitates to un- 

 dertake that process a good substitute may 

 be found in the black paper used for pack- 

 ing between plates. This, being just the 

 size of the plate, is ready for use. Put it 

 first into the plate holder, the plate next, 

 with smooth side to paper. The paper can 

 be used again and again, and there is no 

 possibility of a mistake in trying it. 



Maude E. Hymers, Pontiac, Mich. 



L TONING OF BROMIDE PRINTS. 



It is often desirable to change the tone 

 of bromide prints, and a number of pro- 

 cesses have been devised for accomplishing 

 this. One of the best is that recently de- 

 scribed by Mr. Ferguson in a cotximunica- 

 tion to the Royal Photographic society. 

 Mr. Ferguson has been experimenting in 

 this direction ever since 1895, and has at 

 last perfected a process which is claimed to 

 give fine results with bromide paper or 

 glass transparencies. In this process the 

 toning action is brought about by the use 

 of ferricyanide of copper ; this is formed by 

 adding 75 parts by weight of sulphate of 

 copper to 66 parts of ferricyanide of po- 

 tassium, both having been dissolved sepa- 

 rately. On adding the 2 solutions a green- 

 ish-gray precipitate is formed, which, how- 

 ever, is not very stable and is difficult to 

 separate by filtering. It is best separated 

 by decanting the liquid and washing with 

 water. After several changes of water, 

 most of the remaining sulphate of potas- 

 sium solution is removed. 



The ferricyanide of copper is now to be 

 dissolved in order to form the toning bath. 

 Mr. Ferguson, after a number of experi- 

 ments, found that citrate of potassium was 

 by far the best solvent, although the oxa- 

 late may also be used. To make the ton- 

 ing bath, 10 per cent, solutions of neutral 

 citrate of potassium, sulphate of copper and 

 ferricyanide of potassium are made; it is 

 best to use distilled water. The solutions 

 are mixed in the following proportions : 



Citrate of potassium, 10 per cent. 



solution 250 parts 



Sulphate of copper, 10 per cent. 



solution 35 " 



Ferricyanide of potassium ; 10 



per cent, solution. 30 " 



Acid the sulphate to the citrate, mix, and 

 add the ferricyanide, when the ferricyanide 

 of copper formed remains in solution. 

 The solution may be used in various 

 strengths, but it is preferable to dilute it to 

 1-20. The prints, which have been de- 

 veloped somewhat stronger than usual, are 

 washed carefully after fixing, and placed in 

 the bath, being kept in movement. In a 

 short time a warm black is obtained, which 



