Figures 6.1–6.6. Headwaters series, 6″ × 6″ each © Emma Boardman 2018. “The Missouri Headwaters is a part of America’s westward discovery and continues to play a role of sanctuary and historical evidence to this day. As you wander through the state park, you find yourself being guided by the three ever-bending and ever-flowing mighty rivers that create the Missouri. The Gallatin, the Madison, and the Jefferson entice all who pass by with either adventure or solace. These cyanotype prints accentuate the intimate details within this land and simplify the space into something that is felt deeply, as if for the first time. These prints are made with new cyanotype diluted to 200 ml on Arches Platine paper. Toning proceeded with a water soak, a 7–10 second ammonia bath, a water rinse, and a 2–3 minute tannic acid bath, followed by another water rinse of several minutes. This created a split-toned effect with deep dark blues, silver midtones, and pink highlights.”
Emma Boardman (b. Washington) is a photographer and printmaker residing in Bozeman, Montana who prints a variety of19th century processes such as palladium, cyanotype, and gum bichromate. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Film and Photography at Montana State University, Bozeman (2018). To see more of her work, visit emmaprints.com.
Figure 6.7. Roman Temple, The Asclepion, Kos, from an original 6 x 9 cm negative scanned and printed digitally with an Epson Photo R2880, 408 x 284 mm © Mike Ware 2008. “The blue of the Aegean sea and sky is the national colour of Greece. It’s also the colour of sacredness, decorating Greek Orthodox churches. So the Prussian blue of my new cyanotype process seems fitting to render the images that I made in the Dodecanese islands of Tilos, Symi, Patmos, and especially Kos, the home of Hippocrates, the founder of medicine in Western culture. He gave us the Hippocratic Oath, the earliest expression of medical ethics, still sworn by qualifying physicians. The Asclepion of Kos is a sanctuary that he dedicated to the Greek and Roman god of medicine and healing, Asclepius. The marble Corinthian columns of the Roman temple make a counterpoint with the dark conifers of the surrounding sacred wood.”
In 1994 a new cyanotype formula was invented by Dr. Mike Ware wherein he replaced the ferric ammonium citrate with ferric ammonium oxalate (FAO). This formula is referred to as new cyanotype, cyanotype II, or Ware’s cyanotype. New cyanotype (NC) is a single solution formula and its original formula, to my knowledge, has remained exactly the same; one formula to learn, one solution to mix.1
There were precursors to new cyanotype’s use of ferric ammonium oxalate,2 though none of these formulas became mainstream. This is because when ammonium ferric oxalate and potassium ferricyanide are mixed, they create a not-very soluble salt, potassium ferric oxalate, which crystallizes out of solution.3 Not only does it produce a crystallized effect in the print, but the overall Dmax is low and the color a pale washed out blue with a lot of wash off in the water bath. I know; I tried it. It wasn’t until Dr. Ware figured out how to get ferric ammonium oxalate and potassium ferricyanide to happily work together that it became an excellent alternative to classic cyanotype for the reasons stated in this chapter. Ware solved the problem by mixing an initial excess of chemistry in a smaller amount of water, using heat during preparation, and forcing the potassium ferric oxalate to drop out of solution early on so it can be filtered out and tossed. The remaining chemistry is ammonium ferric oxalate and ammonium ferricyanide which together produce a deep blue and a very fast solution.
New cyanotype is an excellent improvement for the following reasons:
• FAO is a consistent chemical, eliminating the inconsistent character of FAC
• New cyanotype is faster to expose, by as much as 2–3 stops which is ⅛ the exposure time. This is the most incredible benefit to NC
• New cyanotype produces a deep navy blue, so if Dmax is your thing, this formula is for you
• New cyanotype doesn’t mold
• New cyanotype is more resistant to alkalis
• New cyanotype prints a long and gradual exposure scale
• New cyanotype doesn’t bleed
• New cyanotype is ultra-smooth and grainless
• New cyanotype absorbs into the paper fibers better so there is no pooling when coating and less wash off during development.
There are a few reasons why classic cyanotype has not been completely replaced by new cyanotype. They are “practice adjustments” rather than drawbacks to my way of thinking.
• New cyanotype is more exacting to mix. You can’t really throw together two chemicals and come out OK like you can with classic cyanotype. If mixing chemistry is not for you, Fotospeed sells new cyanotype in 50 ml bottles
• New cyanotype requires heat and a thermometer to mix (a stove or hot plate works great but buy a dedicated thermometer)
• New cyanotype involves more toxic chemistry
• New cyanotype is expensive to buy readymade; at the time of this writing it is $36 for 50 ml, enough for 30 prints. Compare this to mixing it from scratch, though! It is only slightly more expensive to make than classic cyanotype—$2.12 for 100 ml versus $1.71 for 100 ml of cc—and an extra 41¢ spread out among fifty prints is hardly breaking anybody’s bank
• It is definitely more paper-picky, and when that happens it results in an unpleasant brown, gray, blue, or pink fog; however, pre-acidifying an unsuitable paper or adding citric acid to the formula at time of coating solves a multitude of paper-picky problems and besides, even if there are fewer good papers for NC compared to cc, following is a list of 39 papers that work “out of the box” and another 20 that probably just need a bit of citric acid in the formula
• New cyanotype prints detail so sharply, and is used so thinly, that it can show brush stroke marks so you may want to invest in a 2″ synthetic bristle brush with really soft, smooth bristles
• It works best with a stronger acid development bath than cc; using no acid or even vinegar both result in various shades of yellow to brown on many papers, even suitable ones, so stick with citric or sulfamic acid. The tonal range when using stronger acids is worth it.
New cyanotype is a perfect litmus test for unsuitable, alkaline, buffered papers. Mark Nelson once referred to it as “the canary in the gold mine.” Unsuitable papers show their true colors right after coating with solution. The paper while drying will turn various shades of blue, some quite dark, within an hour, which results in fogging of the print’s highlights.
There are three ways to deal with an unsuitable paper: don’t use it; pre-acidify it with a sulfamic acid bath; or add drops of citric acid to the coating solution just before coating. The sulfamic acid bath is described in the Papers for Cyanotype chapter. The addition of citric acid to the coating solution is outlined below in the new cyanotype formula directions.
Figure 6.8. Entwined Trees, Polis, Cyprus, from an original 6 × 9 cm negative scanned and printed digitally with an Epson Photo R2880 408 × 284 cm © Mike Ware 2008
Following is a list of trouble-free papers for new cyanotype that do not require pre-acidification or citric acid added to the coating solution. Try one sheet at a time from the paper store and request that they label each sheet; you’ll soon find your favorites. Refer to the Papers for Cyanotype chapter for paper descriptions. Although this list contains the usual suspects, unbuffered papers made specifically for alt, there are most likely a few papers that you have not yet tried.
• Arches Lavis Fidelis
• Arches Platine 145 gsm
• Arches Platine 300 gsm
• Bergger Cot 160
• Bergger Cot 320
• Bienfang 360
• Canson Mi-Teintes
• Canson Montval
• Canson Opalux Vellum
• Canson Pro Layout Marker
• Canson Vidalon Vellum
• Clearprint 1020H Vellum
• Fabriano Tiziano
• GarzaPapel Drawing
• GarzaPapel Ink-Pen
• Hahnemühle Platinum Rag
• Hahnemühle Sumi-e
• Japanese Mulberry/Heavyweight Kozo
• Khadi Cotton Rag Lightweight
• Legion Goyu
• Legion Masa
• Legion Parchtone
• Legion Revere Platinum
• Legion Rising Drawing Bristol
• Magnani Revere Book
• Pergamenata Parchment
• Ruscombe Mill Herschel Platinotype
Figure 6.9. Cemented Timber, Castellana Sicula, Sicily, from an original 6 × 9 cm negative scanned and printed digitally with an Epson Photo R2880 408 × 284 cm © Mike Ware 2009
• St. Armand Colors
• St. Armand Old Masters (Frobisher white)
• St. Armand White Rag
• Twinrocker Bone (T, HT, LA)
• Twinrocker Da Vinci (T, HT, LA)
• Velke Losiny Moldau
• Velke Losiny Moravia
• Velke Losiny Prague
• Wyndstone Vellum
• Zerkall Frankfurt
• Zerkall German Ingres
• Zerkall Nideggen
Following is a list of more papers that are almost there, probably only needing a drop or two of citric acid added to the coating solution to prevent fogging. In general I have had excellent luck with all Twinrocker papers, so the ones mentioned below that slightly fogged may or may not need citric acid:
• Arches Aquarelle
• Arches Text Wove
• Hahnemühle Cézanne
• Hahnemühle Turner
• Khadi Cotton and Plant Paper
• Khadi Cotton Rag
• Legion Domestic Etching
• Magnani Pescia
• Rives BFK Heavyweight 175 gsm
• Rives Lightweight 115 gsm
• Schut Noblesse
• Twinrocker B-Buff (T, HT, LA)
• Twinrocker Biscuit (T, HT, LA)
• Twinrocker Cream (T, HT, LA)
• Twinrocker Dickenson (T, HT, LA)
• Twinrocker May Linen (T, HT, LA)
• Twinrocker Oyster (T, HT, LA)
• Twinrocker White Cotton Rag (T, HT, LA)
• Twinrocker Yale (T, HT, LA)
• Zerkall Book
Download and read the MSDS sheets at ScienceLab.com before using all chemicals. Exercise caution in the handling of all photographic chemicals. Use of any such chemicals constitutes some risk, and some are poisonous. The workplace should be well ventilated. Chemicals should be mixed only in the manner described. Avoid contact between the chemicals and eyes, skin, clothing, and furniture. Do not eat or drink while using chemicals. Keep them away from pets and children. Wear protective eye wear and gloves if necessary. In short, be mindful of all safety procedures for yourself and others.
10 g potassium ferricyanide (2 level teaspoons) 30 g ferric ammonium oxalate (2 level tablespoons)
0.1 g ammonium dichromate (optional) Distilled water to make 100 ml
1. Under low room light, place 10 g of potassium ferricyanide in a 100 ml beaker and add 20 ml water. Heat until about 160°F/70°C. Keep hot.
2. Dissolve 30 g ferric ammonium oxalate (FAO) in a separate 100 ml beaker in 30 ml distilled water and heat to 120°F/50°C until dissolved. Add the 0.1 g ammonium dichromate. [Note: dichromate may be omitted, but it helps with contrast and shelf life of the sensitizer. If dichromate is omitted, the solution lasts 6–12 months; if included, 2–3 years.5 If there is no scale accurate enough, make a 20% solution by mixing 5 g ammonium dichromate in 20 ml distilled water, and then add ½ ml of this to the solution.]
3. While hot, add the potassium ferricyanide solution to the ferric ammonium oxalate solution and stir vigorously.
4. Let set in a dark place to cool to room temperature and crystallize, about 2 hours or overnight. I recommend overnight.
5. Filter the solution through a coffee filter. Weigh the crystals and observe the remaining volume of solution; there should be approximately 15 g crystals left in the filter, and about 62 ml formula remaining. If this is the case, you have done everything correctly. The crystals can be thrown.
6. Add water for a total volume of 100 ml. If desiring a less intense blue, or if you find that the solution splotches (see Troubleshooting Cyanotype), you can dilute the solution with an equal amount of distilled water.6 I generally prefer it at 150 or 200 ml.
7. At time of use: Measure out a scant 2 ml of solution for an 8″ × 10″, a scant 4 ml for an 11″ × 14″, but use a few ml extra to account for the initial brush absorption. If necessary, add the following to the sensitizer as needed:
• 1 drop of 40% citric acid per ml of sensitizer7 to make coated paper last longer, and to help with paper incompatibility. It also makes clearing easier.8 Citric acid cannot be added to the stock solution because it’ll shorten the shelf life of the solution.
• 1 drop of 5% Tween (5 ml Tween in a total volume of 100 ml) per ml of sensitizer to help the solution absorb into the paper better. Tween is a surfactant that enables the solution to penetrate the paper fibers. Do not mix this into the stock solution, but in the coating solution at time of use because it does not keep well in solution.9 I often use Tween with new cyanotype because it helps more solution to penetrate the paper, less solution to wash off, and can result in a greater Dmax (how dark the darkest darks will get). This is especially important when using the 100 ml dilution on hard-sized papers.
Endnotes
1. Ware, Mike. Cyanomicon II, History, Science and Art of Cyanotype: photographic printing in Prussian blue. Buxton: self-published, 2016, pp. 204–205. http://www.mikeware.co.uk/mikeware_downloads.html
2. Wall, E. J. Photographic Facts and Formulas. Boston: American Photographic Publishing Co., 1924, p. 259; Neblette, C. B. Photography, Its Principles and Practice, 4th ed. NY: Van Nostrand Co., Inc, 1946, p. 699.
3. Ware, p. 97.
4. Ware, Mike. New Cyanotype, Siderotype Workshop Notes. Buxton: self-published, 2009, p. 6. http://www.mikeware.co.uk/mikeware/downloads.html
5. Ware, Cyanomicon II, p. 210.
6. Barnier, John. Coming into Focus, a Step-by-Step Guide to Alternative Photographic Printing Processes. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2000, p. 205.
7. Ware, Cyanomicon II, p. 216.
8. Barnier, p. 207.
9. Ibid., p. 206.