[45] Silver paper is coated first with albumen and then with silver.
To make a contact silver print first put a finely veined leaf, the filmy wing of a butterfly, a piece of delicate lace or any other thin, translucent object on the glass in the printing frame, lay a sheet of solio, or silver paper over it, then put the back in the frame and fix the springs.
Set the frame so that the sunlight will fall full on the glass side of it. From time to time open half of the hinged back and see how the print is coming on; make the print a couple of shades darker than you want it when finished, but be careful not to overexpose it for silver paper prints much quicker than blue paper.
To Tone and Fix the Picture.
—To tone a silver print means to change its color and give it more brilliancy and this is done by putting it in a chemical solution made of chloride of gold, or toning bath as it is called.
To fix a print means to treat it so that the light will no longer act upon it and this is done with a solution of hyposulphite of soda or just hypo as it is called for short.
The easiest way to tone and fix your silver prints is to buy a bottle of solio toning solution[46] which is a combined toning and fixing bath. Take the print from the frame and do not wash it but put it into a tray in which you have mixed 2 ounces of solio toning solution and 4 ounces of cold water.
[46] It can be bought at any store where photographic materials are sold or you can make it yourself from the [formula] given on this page.
When the print takes on the proper color put it into another tray containing a solution made of 1 ounce of salt and 32 ounces of water; let it stay in this bath for 5 minutes to stop the toning. Now put the print into another tray and wash it in 16 changes of water or in running water for an hour. If you make a half or a dozen prints at once you can tone and fix them at the same time.