Platinum/palladium printing resources
DISCLAIMER: Users are responsible for informing themselves about the risks, and to take appropriate precautions in the handling of all equipment and materials listed here.
The author(s) deny all liability for any sickness, injury, damage or loss resulting from the use of the chemicals and equipment listed below.
THIS LIST is a work in progress and presented as a set of guidelines for assembling materials and equipment to make print-out platinum/palladium prints (the ‘Ammonium’ system or the ‘Malde-Ware process’). It is not definitive, and links to retailers are offered as suggestions. Please use the comments section below to offer updates, corrections or ideas, and I will fold these into the list at my discretion. Pradip Malde, June, 2019
Archival
Supplies
Gaylord
for boards, boxes, sleeves
Archival Methods
for matt boards, frames, enclosures, sleeves
Aztek
for optically clear mylar film to interleave between negatives and sensitized paper
Museum Services Corporation
for boards, batting paper, optically clear acetate, tissue paper, non-woven polyester fabric
McMaster Carr
Just about all specialty hardware and project material, optically clear mylar film
Guidelines & References
American Institute for Conservation’s (AIC) Book and Paper Group (BPG) Wiki:
“BPG Materials, Equipment, and Tools“
Printing Data Sheet
Books, Readings, Workshops
McCabe, Constance (ed). “Platinum and Palladium Photographs: Technical History, Connoisseurship, and Preservation“, Washington D.C., 2017. A definitive and broad ranging collection of scientific and humanistic articles about the process, and richly illustrated.
Ware, Mike. “Platinomicon: A Technical Account of Photographic Printing in Platinum and Palladium“, Buxton, 2017. An astonishing and comprehensive account, generously made available for free by the author.
Print-out platinum-palladium and PiezoDN Workshop with Pradip Malde – July 29- August 1, 2019 at Cone Editions, Vermont
Chemicals
Note: Some suppliers only fulfill institutional orders, but some will take personal credit cards–shop around. When possible, set up an account as it helps establish track record and leads to easier ordering.
Ammonium iron(III) oxalate
(NH4)3[Fe(C2O4)3].3H2O aka ferric ammonium oxalate; ammonium ferrioxalate
from Alfa Aesar and Inkjet Mall
Ammonium tetrachloroplatinate(II)
(NH4)2[PtCl4]
aka ammonium chloroplatinite from Inkjet Mall
Ammonium tetrachloropalladate(II)
(NH4)2[PdCl4]
aka ammonium chloropalladite from Inkjet Mall
Tween 20
aka polysorbate 20
Glycerin
EDTA disodium
Sodium sulfite
sodium metabisulfite may also be used, but it tends to irritate respiratory systems for some people
or use Kodak Hypo Clearing Agent, at working strength dilutions indicated on packet
EDTA tetrasodium
Environmental
Air Quality
All work, from the preparation of sensitizers to print drying, should be carried out in a well ventilated room that has 10 or more exchanges of air per hour. The air should be free of particulate matter. Most domestic HVAC systems generate this sort of airflow in the regular ‘night cooling’ mode. Special attention, however, must be paid to the direction of airflow when mixing solutions from solids. Wear a respirator of at least N95 filtration, and ensure that the airflow direction is across the preparation area and away from people.
Disposal
Light
Temperature
Ventilation
Water
Equipment
Essential
Drying unit for sensitized paper
make your own cheaply with gaffer tape, rigid foam board or a large cooler, a hair dryer and a temperature controller with thermostat switch
Food dehydrator – Excalibur 5-tray unit, solid color, no timer, 15×15 inch trays
Paper for sensitizing
type is followed by batch/make numbers that are known to produce good results
Arches Platine, 145 or 310 gsm [145gsm, S201015 1795209] [310gsm, S104617 1795169]
Revere Platinum, 320 gsm [VOR160425 15014781]
Reich CT Clear (a.k.a. vellum) 48# NB: thinner versions work, but require much more careful handling [S99-RPT320WH2230]
most of these papers are also available from InkjetMall
Measuring beaker, low form 1 to 2L
Syringes
Luer slip tip, not lock tip and no needle – at least 4, calibrated, 1 cc, 3 cc
Adjustable Micropipettes
are also very useful for accurate and repeatable measurements of small volumes. The 100-1000µl is good for extremely small volumes such as those needed for adding Tween and/or Glycerin to the sensitizer, and 1000-5000µl sizes may be most appropriate for volumes for areas up to 11×14 inches. Slip tips will be needed for each size, but only a few – they last a long time.
Mixing vessel
small liqueur or ‘shot’ glass for mixing the sensitizer
Clear bottles, approx. 50ml x 2
for storing diluted solutions of Tween/Glycerin
Coating the sensitizer
Glass plate
for coating – at least 1/4″thick, ‘pencil polished’ edge and rounded corners
Glass coating rod
Level tool
Blue tape, weights or clips
Hydration boxes
See this video for instructions about how to make hydration boxes / chambers. The dimensions below are to make a box large enough for a 20×24″ sheet of paper. If making 8×10″ prints on 11×14″ paper, it will be more economical in terms of space and cost to build a 16×20″ hydration box
photo/hypo tray
storage trays or similar – these should be plastic, opaque and with a level lip wide enough to adhere weather strip. The tray’s opening, in this case 20×24″, should be at least 2″ smaller than the ‘lid’ as illustrated in the manual
EPDM Cellular (a.k.a. ‘closed cell’) Rubber Weather-Strip Tape
protective grid
suspended light ceiling panel -optional, and if used, cut it down to fit inside the tray, suspended about half-way down
lid
with one 26-gauge (or thinner) zinc-plated sheet metal, 24×30″
sandwiched between two glass sheets, 24×30″
1.5 to 2″ wide gaffer or masking tape to bind and edge the sandwich
paper holders with magnetic pins
Hygrometer/Thermometer, with interior/exterior probes
Contact Print frame – hinged-back, with steel springs
(do not get this type)
UV printing unit
Edwards Engineered Products
Arista UV Lightsource
PPM-2 Meter with External Long-UV-Wavelength Sensor – not essential but very helpful
Paper towel
Timer – for iPhones: MultiTimer
Processing trays (5)
Tongs or strong plastic gloves
Wash system
five gentle changes of water at 68F ± 5 degrees every 5 minutes, or in gentle running water for 20-25 minutes with something like the Kodak Automatic Tray Siphon
Draining surface
Vertical glass or plexiglass sheet for draining washed prints
Blotting tablets with blotting paper
Print drying racks or more blotting paper
Dry mounting press
or pressing boards for print flattening
Non-woven polyester sheet, marketed as Holytex: for supporting very thin paper during wet processing, and flat-drying translucent papers.
*Essential only if preparing the sensitizer solutions, in addition to the above list
Pyrex/Corning glass beakers
3 50mL and 1 100mL (Amazon sells multi-size packs, and may be most economical to get to or more packs)
Measuring cylinder, very accurate
50 cc (a set lets you double check and establish one of the pieces as your ‘standard’)
Scales or chemical balance sensitive to 0.1 g
Glass stirring rods
Conical filter funnel ca. 5-6 cm diameter
Filter paper Whatman Grade #1 ca. 8-10 cm diameter
Brown glass bottles 3 x 50 cc or amber PET bottles and labels
Hotplate/Stirrer (or bath of very hot water)
Thermometer, range 10C to 50C at least
Other Stuff
Loupe
6x or 10x Light Gathering Loupe is good for looking at details in a print
Please comment to update links or suggest items
Hey Pradip! How the devil are you? Just a quick note, looking over your list of materials / equipment . . . You do know all your links take visitors away from your site, rather than opening in another tab/window, yes? Just that you can keep visitors on your site if you adjust that setting, rather than have them disappear down the rabbit hole after you’ve sent them elsewhere. Maybe no big deal, but anyway . . . . I had been thinking about you just recently, not least because I stalk you on Facebook – but in a nice way. Anyhow, I was thinking about building some new contact frames for Martha, or buying some and I was curious why you say NOT to buy the type you had a link to? Poor quality, inappropriate materials? Just curious. Anyway old fruit, it’d be good to hear from you if you have a minute. Love to you and yours. M&H.
Hello Harry (and Martha!) – so good to hear from you. I am not too worried about the target not being a new window… but I can see how it can be irksome. May change that later.
About the frames – pressure being applied along the sides often creates a zone of reduced contact in the center – precisely where one want the maximum contact. Of course, this can be compensated for by using some arrangement of varying pad thickness. And I prefer sprung steelier wooden battens because of durability. However, nothing wrong with the latter, especially if you have a very pliable but strong wood like yew, or some kind of laminate. Hope it works.
Hugs and love back, and hope we can see each other some day, somehow – the two of you were my guardians and minders at a crucial time of my life and I have never forgotten that!
Pradip! The large metal piece on the wall at Cone Editions where we viewed our prints (and placed them with magnets after they were dried) – where can that metal be purchased? I know you told us, but I don’t have it in my notes. Thanks! Betz xx
Update: Take a look at this ‘porcelain steel’ board. Even though it is not specified as such, it is magnetic and works well with magnetic pegs. Here is alternative supplier for the magnetic porcelain steel board
Earlier: Hi Bets! Strange that you asked… Skip Klein is visiting me right now and has the same question. I’ll post details about it on the discussion site later today or tomorrow morning. Hope all is well. hugs, P
If I want to make my Tween – what is the polysorbate 20 and distilled water ratio? Do I need anything else?
Hello Jeffrey – see this portion of the instructions on my web site: https://pradipmalde.com/pt-pd-printing/#V_Addition_of_surfactant_and_humectant_to_Sensitizer
Thanks!
Pradip
Hello Pradip
after years of making Pt-Pd-Au prints, I’ve only just viewed your hydration chamber movie. Why has it taken me so long I wonder. It’s really useful, but amazing how closely ‘my’ method (a result of natural selection) looks like your pro version. Thank you!
But I learned how slurry-like the salt ‘solution’ should be. I’ll add more salt right now.
Do you sometimes put an RH probe in the chamber to check?
Best wishes
Robert
Hello Robert! I am glad this was helpful. Yes, I actually leave a temp / RH probe in each of my hydration chambers. One should expect to see the readings change as lids are flipped, but then return to a fairly stable reading within 30 minutes. Leaving a print in the unit for at least an hour ensures thorough equilibriumization. You may see equilibrium RH readings that are not exactly as predicted per salt, but don’t worry about that: so long as there is a consistent method all will be well. The variance is usually due to the instrument. Hydrometers can be recalibrated but these usually cost a lot more.