Page 78 - The Wellington photographic handbook

occurred. In such cases the following bath will be found of great
service. It should be applied after fixing and washing, the prints
being immersed until the desired clearing has taken place, and
then removed and well washed.
CLEARING SOLUTION.*
Thiocarbamide 20 grains 2 grammes
Citric Acid 10 „ 1 gramme
Water to 10 ounces 400 c.c.
This bath will not work unless all traces of hypo have been
removed from the print.

BRIGHT PRINTS FROM VERY WEAK NEGATIVES.
Every photographer at some time or another will find himself
with a very thin, weak negative, which will not by any ordinary
method give him a bright and vigorous print. The following
method will be found to do so when every other means has failed.
A piece of Bromide paper is exposed in the usual way, and
then developed for as long as there seems to be any increase what-
ever in depth, any discoloration of the high-lights being ignored.
It must in fact be over-developed. After fixing and washing it
is immersed in the following reducing solution until it is seen to be
considerably lighter. It is then removed at once to clean hypo
for a few minutes, and then washed and dried. If it is still not
light enough the reduction may be repeated, until it is clear that
any further action will make the deepest shadows grey instead
of black. In this way a good print may often be obtained from a
negative otherwise quite useless.
REDUCING BATH.*
Potassium Iodide 30 grains 2 grammes
Water to 10 ounces 300 c.c.
Iodine 3 grains 0-2 gramme
In this bath the whites of the print will assume a dark blue
tint, owing to the formation of iodide of starch due to the sizing
of the paper ; this disappears immediately upon placing the print
in the hypo solution.
* Before making up any formula, read the notes on pages 125, 126 and 134.
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