DIY Cyanotypie?

ForenSeil · Joined: 15 Apr 2011 Posts: 2726 Location: Kiel, Germany.

I have a recipe for making photo-paper from comparable easy to get (pharmacy etc.) and non-toxic chemicals

Do you have any experience with that or similar techniques, effective ISO with uncoated (high UV transmission) lenses etc.?
Do you have any tips for improvments?
Does anyone know how to apply it on glas or plastic sheets instead of paper?

My Recipe:

Solution A
25 g Ammonium iron(III) citrate
Dissolved light in 70 mL dest. water and filled up to 100 mL
(25% m/V) *use subdued tungsten- or red light while doing this* *above 26% solution gets unstable*

Solution B
10 g Potassium hexacyanoferrate(III)
Dissolved in 70 ML dest. water and filled up to 100 mL
(10% m/V) *other recipes use 16% - I have no clue what's better*

Especially Solution A should be stored in darkness (wrapped in alu foil etc.) - in contact with light it decomposes and releases Fe(II) ions which react with hexacyanoferrate from solution B to form stable and insolouble "prussian blue" dye

After mixing solution A and B 1:1 by volume you get the photo-senstive working solution. You can add a drop of a detergent (washing-up liquid like Fairy, Tween 20 etc.) for easier and more even application on paper etc.
The working solution is only sensitive to blueish/UV-light, so can be easily handled under red or maybe even under subdued tungsten light etc. for a short time - as long as the light has only a very low UV content.
It can be easily applied with a kitchen-sponge to paper etc.

In contact with light the stuff gets blue instead of black like silver based emulsion.
There is no developer necessary - it gets directly blue in contact with light!
After exposure the paper can be easily fixed be washing with tap water.

Contrast can be enhance with thinned hydrogen peroxide (10-20 mL 3% per liter is enough)
I also read somewhere that it can be enhanced with citric acid or cat urine instead of hydrogen peroxide Very Happy

PS: I know alternative recipes using iron(III)chloride, aq. ammonia, citric acid and potassium hexacyanoferrate(III) - let me know if you want them.

TrueLoveOne · Expire: 2013-12-24

It sounds like something i would really want to try in the future, since i am just about to start developing and printing my own b/w stuff...

But i am completely blank on chemicals, even if they are "easy to get and non-toxic" like you call them. For me those two ingredients sound completely exotic. What is it and where can we get it?
Ammonium ferric citrate comes out (google) as E381 for use in food, but still i have no clue where to get such an ingredient....

Can you please shine a light on availabilty and/or a "normal" productname?

Thanks a lot!!

GeorgeSalt · Joined: 09 Feb 2013 Posts: 336 Location: Norfolk, UK

ForenSeil · Joined: 15 Apr 2011 Posts: 2726 Location: Kiel, Germany.

I found some stunning samples and now I really have to try that Smile

For example
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pixelwelten/6257244215/
I have no good negs ready though, so I could only use it as negative which means exposure times of several minutes and post processing to get a positive Sad

Ask in a pharmacy. At least here in Germany they would order some for you or might give you a hint were to get it.
Or check yellow pages for nearest chemical seller, teaching material supplier,... or google for inline chemical shops - I know several in here but I guess they all won't deliver outside Germany.
You might be also able to find it on Ebay - but names of these chemicals differ, especially from country to country.
I don't know the dutch names of these chemicals.

In some photo shops you can also buy cyanotypie kits for 25-50€ - very expensive for the low amount of chemicals inside. But it might be a good start for chemistry-newbies anyway.

ForenSeil · Joined: 15 Apr 2011 Posts: 2726 Location: Kiel, Germany.

Found that in the meanwhile.
http://www.ebay.de/itm/0-5-kg-rotes-Blutlaugensalz-Blutlaugensalz-rot-Kaliumhexacyanoferrat-3-/111047016009?pt=Labor_Zubeh%C3%B6r&hash=item19daeafe49
(Kaliumhexacyanoferrat(III) is the German name for the stuff for solution B)
Not cheap but enough for many liters emulsion so many thousand prints Wink

It should be cheaper to buy ~200g etc. in a pharmany

I also found some ammonium iron citrate only but comparable slightly expensive... about 7€/100g
They don't sell outside Germany though.
But I know that it's possible to get it much cheaper

hemmo · Expire: 2016-12-17

Very intresting! Big thanks ForenSeil for starting this thread and thanks for the recipe sharing!

ForenSeil · Joined: 15 Apr 2011 Posts: 2726 Location: Kiel, Germany.

If some people are interested I would order a few kg of the necessary chemicals and resell them here in the forum for a fair price in usable amounts

kds315* · Expire: 2021-03-09

Well, before doing that, I would recommend to get the whole process chain solved.
The chemicals are the smallest issue...

ForenSeil · Joined: 15 Apr 2011 Posts: 2726 Location: Kiel, Germany.

kds315* · Expire: 2021-03-09

Nope, I mean the UV enlarging process... see other thread (threat, more precisely).

Lloydy · Expire: 2022-01-01

Linda McCartney published a book 'Sun Prints' which has a lot of very good and interesting images, done with a cyanotype process - from what I read anyway, I have no darkroom knowledge.
The book is ISBN 0-8212-2737-8

There is a bit of technical description in the book, so it might be worth a look ?

mmelvis · Expire: 2015-05-09

This link will help you with Cyanotype on glass or clear plastic, http://www.apug.org/forums/forum42/93625-cyanotype-glass.html .Purchasing one of the kits for $25 will get you many prints, around 50 70 70 4x5 contact prints. The nice thing about the kits it the mixture is in 2 parts and keeps for a very long period. The formula that I have worked with is the Mike Ware formula. The solution is different from the the normal solution and is considered fast for development times. Understand 7 minutes is considered fast for Cyanotpe for contact printing. This link will give you a good time frame for in camera cyanotypes, http://www.alternativephotography.com/wp/processes/cyanotype/in-camera-cyanotype-negative-prints.

A real important factor in producing a good resolution cyanotype is the paper that you use. Many modern papers will have buffers in the paper that will react with the cyanotype chemicals when you go to develop the print. The best paper to use is a cotton based paper with no additional chemicals added. Link for paper to use with different alternate photography processes http://www.alternativephotography.com/wp/paper/big-paper-survey-results. My best results have come from using a paper from a company in the USA called Twin Rocker. They make a cotton based paper that works very well the process.

Enjoy the process, it is just as addictive as lenses.