My wax-paper negative, much to my disappointment, occasionally exhibits, more or less, a speckled appearance by transmitted light, which frequently, in deep painting, impresses the positive with an unsightly spotted character, somewhat similar to that of a bad lithograph taken from a worn-out stone. I should wish my wax-paper negative to be similar in appearance to that of a good calotype one, or to show by transmitted light, as my vexatious specimen does when viewed on its right side by reflected light. As the most lucid description must fall far short of a sight of the article itself, I purpose enclosing you a specimen of my failure, a portion of one of the negatives in question. Would immersion, instead of floating on the gallo-nitrate solution, remedy the evil? Or should the impressed sheet be entirely immersed in the developing fluid in place of being floated? And if in the affirmative, of what strength should it be? I have thus far tried both plans in vain.
Henry H. Hele.
[The defects described by our correspondent are so frequent with manipulators in the wax-paper process, and which Dr. Mansell has called so aptly a "gravelly appearance," that we shall be glad to receive communications from those of our numerous correspondents who are so fortunate as to avoid it.]
The New Waxed-paper, or Céroléine Process.—The following process, communicated to the French paper Cosmos by M. Stephane Geoffroy, and copied into La Lumière, appears to possess many of the advantages of the wax-paper, while it gets rid of those blemishes of which so many complain. I have therefore thought it deserving the attention of English photographers, and so send a translation of it to '"N. & Q." As I have preserved the French measures—the litre and the gramme—I may remind those who think proper to repeat M. Geoffroy's experiments, that the former is equal to about 2 pints and 2 ounces of our measure; and that the gramme is equal to 15.438 grains, nearly 15½.
Anon.
I send you a complete description of a method for either wet or dry paper, which has many advantages over that of Mr. Le Gray.
I assure you it is excellent; and its results are always produced in a manner so easy, so simple, and so certain, that I think I am doing great service to photographers in publishing it.
1st. I introduce 500 grammes of yellow or white wax into 1 litre of spirits of wine, of the strength usually sold, in a glass retort. I boil the alcohol till the wax is completely dissolved (first taking care to place at the end of my retort an apparatus, by means of which I can collect all the produce of the distillation). I pour into a measure the mixture which remains in the retort while liquid; while it is getting cool, the myricine and the cerine harden or solidify, and the céroléine remains alone in solution in the alcohol. I separate this liquid by straining it through fine linen; and by a last operation, I filter it through a paper in a glass funnel, after having mixed with it the alcohol resulting the distillation. I keep in reserve this liquor in a stopper-bottle, and make use of it as I want it, after having mixed it in the following manner.
2nd. Next I dissolve, in 150 grammes of alcohol, of 36 degrees of strength, 20 grammes of iodide of ammonium (or, of potassium), 1 gramme of bromide of ammonium or potassium, 1 gramme of fluoride of potassium or ammonium.
I then pour, drop by drop, upon about 1 gramme of fresh-made iodide of silver a concentrated solution of cyanide of potassium, only just sufficient to dissolve it.