AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHY. 



405 



makes it of greatest value to the amateur. 

 The majority of negatives made by ama- 

 teurs arc under exposed and consequently 

 thin, but is it surprising what good prints 

 can be made from these thin pyro negatives 

 in comparison with the blue black negative 

 of little density made with almost any of 

 the newer agents. 



The behavior of the negative in the fix- 

 ing bath is also to be considered. How 

 much of the density is going to fix out? 

 With pyro very little, but with some of 

 the other developers, edinol, for example, 

 much of the density 'will afterward dis- 

 appear, so that' it is necessary apparently 

 to over develop. This guessing at how much 

 to over develop does not lead to uniformity 

 of results. Advertisers tell us to use metol 

 for a soft working developer, hydroquinone 

 for the reverse, and ortol for a little of both 

 and not too mlich of either effect. Pyro is 

 hard or soft working, contrasty or not, ac- 

 cording to the way it is handled. Concen- 

 trate your developer enough and you can 

 get a cast iron negative ; weaken it and all 

 the softness required can be obtained. This 

 flexibility is a great convenience, doing 

 away with a multiplicity of solutions. 



Pyro is almost universal in its applica- 

 tion, with the exception of the developing 

 papers, and some special uses, such as 

 process work, etc. If a 3 solution developer 

 is used it can be varied at will to fit the 

 formula given for any make of dry plates. 

 It is best to settle on one developer and 

 then learn how to manage it so as to ob- 

 tain the best and most uniform results. 



Pyro is cheap. One ounce of pyro costs 

 15 to 25 cents and will make 166 ounces 

 of developer of 3 grains of pyro to the 

 ounce. One ounce of metol, ortol, glycin 

 or edinol will cost 60 to 75" cents,' and will 

 make 100 to 200 ounces of developer. I 

 hear someone, say that he can use pyro 

 only once and these others can be" used 

 over and over. True, but the negatives 

 show a correspondingly increasing ap- 

 parent under exposure for each additional 

 time the solution is used. 



The response- to potassium bromide add- 

 ed in cases of known over exposure is defi- 

 nite and satisfactory with pyro. With 

 some of the other, reducing agents it works 

 most actively, while with others, metol for 

 instance, little- response is obtained. 



The chief objection I have heard to pyro 

 is the staining of the hands, and it does do 

 this most beautifully. I find that using 

 citric or tartaric acid, or sodium sulphite 

 and sulphuric acid, immediately on finish- 

 ing development, removes the greater part 

 of the stains. Rubber gloves and finger 

 cots can now be found so thin that the 

 sense of touch is little interfered with, 

 and by their use no stains, are , possible, 



so this greatly talked of objection can 

 be obviated. To my mind there is no com- 

 parison between a good negative and 

 stained hands, and a miserable, washed out 

 piece of glass and hands which would de- 

 light the latest debutante. 

 R. L. Wadhams, M. D., Wilkesbarre, Pa. 



DO IT YOURSELF, 



The beginner in photography soon finds 

 that it is an expensive amusement, the 

 more so if he belongs to the army of but- 

 ton pushers who are content to let some 

 one else do the rest. 



If the amateur will take the trouble to 

 keep a memorandum of his expenditures 

 for a month or 2 he will find that the 

 cost of plates to him alone is a small 

 part of the total amount, and that the 

 greater part of his outlay goes to the man 

 who does his developing and printing. 



For the beginner it is perhaps as well at 

 first to call on the professional finisher for 

 help in this part of the work, for the prob- 

 lems of exposure, lighting, etc., will give 

 plenty of material for thought and study 

 without troubling with the equally impor- 

 tant subjects of ' development and printing. 

 But as soon as the tyro has learned what 

 to expect of his camera, what may be taken 

 and what can not be secured, by all means 

 let him learn to do the rest. 



By this means not only will greater enjoy- 



■ ment be gained from the hobby, but what 



is equally or perhaps more important to 



most of us, the cost of the amusement will 



be greatly reduced. 



Lack of equipment need not trouble one, 

 for if you are really in earnest you will 

 find some way of providing the necessary 

 utensils and a place in which to use and 

 keep them. The kitchen or bathroom will 

 serve as a dark room if used only at night, 

 and the necessary trays and ruby light will 

 cost little. 



As to the latter, I have found that the 

 most satisfactory light is obtained by plac- 

 ing a small kerosene lamp inside a good 

 sized wooden box in one side of- which is 

 set an 8x10 light of ruby glass. The 

 box should be about one foot square and 18 

 inches high, and should have a door on one 

 side large enough to admit the lamp. Holes 

 bored in top and bottom, over which pieces 

 of tin are loosely placed, allow a circulation 

 of air through the box without allowing 

 any light to escape. I advise you to buy 

 the necessary chemicals and mix your own 

 developer, v fixing bath, and all the other 

 solutions which you may need. 



You will need to invest in a pair of small 

 scales and a measuring glass, but the money 

 expended for these articles will soon be 

 saved by compounding your own solutions. 

 No expert knowledge of chemistry is re- 



