THE SILVERING ROOM.
The silvering room may be also used for other manipulations in the process, such as fuming the paper and washing the prints, and should be furnished with all the conveniences for such work, which consist of
- Nitrate of Silver.
- Albumenized and plain paper.
- A flat dish to hold the silver solution, of the size of the largest paper to be floated.
- A fuming box.
- A bottle of concentrated Ammonia.
- A gas or oil stove for drying the paper.
- A dozen or more of Lockwood's patent photo clips. Bi-Carbonate of Soda.
- An Argento meter.
- A 16 oz. Graduate.
- A clock.
- One agate evaporating dish, and 2 or 3 wide-mouth glass bottles, that will hold the full quantity of silver solution in use.
THE SILVER SOLUTION FOR PAPER.
A plain silver solution, of a strength of 30 grains of nitrate of silver to the ounce of water in hot weather, increasing to 60 grains in the coldest, with enough bi-carbonate of soda added from time to time to keep a small sediment of carbonate of silver in the bottom of p73 the bottle or dish, is all that can be desired as a silvering solution for albumen paper. It only needs to be kept up to the proper strength by the addition of silver nitrate and water, when required; and when it shows signs of discoloration a little more soda and an hour's sunlight will keep it in good order the year round.
TO SILVER THE PAPER.
Albumen paper is sensitized by being floated for a time on the surface of this silver solution, albumen side down. For this purpose it is necessary that the solution should be held in a flat dish, like a tray, with sides from 1½ to 2 inches high, and of a size suitable to the size of the sheet of paper to be floated; if a full sheet, then the dish should be 19×24, and may be of porcelain, agate ware, hard rubber, or any other kind that will resist the corrosive action of the silver solution.
Pour the silver solution into the dish; there should be enough to give a depth of at least half an inch. If there is any scum or dust on the surface after the air bubbles have subsided, take a long strip of tissue paper and draw the edge over the surface of the solution, which will remove the scum or any floating dust or air bells that may remain.
Place your paper on a bench or table, albumen up, and with a large tuft of cotton rub the surface, using a light friction over the whole; then turn the sheet of paper over and take between the thumb and first finger of each hand opposite corners diagonally across the paper, holding the corners up and near together; let the sag of the paper sink one end first, until it touches the solution, which can be plainly seen; then let the hands fall until the other end has reached the p74 surface of the silver; then lower the corners gradually, until the paper lies flat on the solution, care being taken that none of the silver solution runs over the edge of the paper to the back.
The corners of the paper may now be gently raised to see if any air bubbles have attached themselves to the surface of the paper; if so, remove them and let the paper fall again to the solution. It will now be seen that the edges of the sides of the paper will begin to curl back, as if repelled from the solution. This may be permitted to a certain extent, but not so far as that the wet surface shall curl over against the back of the sheet. After a short time this action ceases and the rolled edges unroll and fall again upon the solution, which, when they have reached and lie flat, may be taken as an indication that the paper is sufficiently silvered, when it should be removed. With a small pointed stick raise the left corner farthest from you from the solution, take it between the thumb and first finger of the left hand and raise it very slowly, until the right hand far corner is off the solution. Take that corner between the right hand thumb and finger and continue to raise the paper, still very slowly, until it is clear of the solution; then hang it up to dry in a moderately dark place, or better still, place it face down, on a sheet of clean blotting paper, put another sheet over it and on that the next sheet that is silvered, and so on alternate sheets, until you have floated as many sheets as may be needed.