Our' notes under the above heading in the Magazine Section of Sunday last contained a reference to the desirability, shall we say absolute necessity, of doing one's own work, viz, the developing operation, "To execute this process of photography, the ao called dark while being a great convenience, even in the. clement tages, is not. absolutely. essential modern methods of developing re-be done with extra advantages by the man in the city, though he may only have a room large enough to stand up in. A cupboard throe four feet square will suffice.
To proceed, transfer plates from plateholder to. tank, pour developer, open door and leave cupboard, returning occasionally to rock tank, and eventually shut oneself in again, having prepared the necossary fixing solution inva jug. Pour off developer into a spare receptacle, rinse plates in wrack in a clean bucket of water, replace into tank and pour in fixer, open up cupboard again but stop on the job to ensure constant moving of the fixing solution.
The above rougily outlines what can be done. However, we shall Niustrating the original OF the negative, the uneven eas of the positive result. the assume that a slightly larger room is available, a bathroom for preference, water being handy. The bare requirements for the best work are:—a table four feet by two feet, a very small washing sink, say two feet square, and a length of rubber hose to connect with the utensils. Bearing in mind that we are at the moment dealing only with two operations, landing the camera' and later development, we shall do wisely if we omit the usual red lamp. Start off right and trem your sense of touch to load your camera in absolute darkness. The fingers rapidly, or rather one may say quite naturally, perform such an operation with-afterwards considerably intensified time. jout'a blunder n'a short. space of [the efficacy of such being appreciate jed when one visualizes the handling such cargo passes through before reaching this country.
The Agta system of packing is also highly efficient, the plate being packed in two separate half dozens, teach package containing three pairs, jthe pairs being emulsion sealed at the edges, slight rubbing of emulsion faces being thus rendered impossible. In loading these plates they must be handied in pairs, gripped at opposite edges between thumb and forefinger, a very slight contracting Pressure only being necessary to release one plate from the other. The foregoing notes may seem tedious even to the beginner. One will, however, have so be excused {for drawing attention to important details, this article being written from a knowledge gained by experience and purporting to deal matters often omitted from the usual text books. the'bath twice or three times as long as it takes first to clear the back of your plate.
Washing we have noted above, next we have to dry the plates, Having taken every precaution to ensure absolute cleanliness, freedom from dust, sand and iron' particles position will cause the fluid to creep diagonally over the surface of the plates and, if done correctly,~ will positively assure the absence of air bubbles. The latter, if they exis! entirely arrest and prevent development of the the exposed silver in the emulsion, resulting later in Having loaded up—and it is to bbe hoped that four plates only have been loaded—wrap up the balance of your plates first in the box and then wrap in grease-proof paper, noting on the outside the number of plates remaining and the date, Store in a dry cupboard.
Later we return to our dark room having exposed one or more plates with the hope and possibly the confidence that they have been correctly exposed, the journey home being occupied by continual reasoning and re-reckoning, alternating with doubt Jand depression, not in reality daring to hope for success. Now to complete jour work, taking the photograph aces Brenan Road—an opportune moment seized combining light, shadow and interest. The picture was taken in the late afternoon in winter, aperture 112.5, exposure one sixtieth of a second, distance previously gauged on a parallel with the tree on the right, Plate: Iford Auto-filter, speed 400 H, & D. the water, we have to be extreme. ly careful in drying the emulsion, the latter being extremely sticky The system recommended is both simple and foolproof, eliminating transparent spots similar in_appearance to a position of the plate where reaction to light has been nil, appearing on the print later in the form of black spots. being only half of the job, we want te gee what has been done and Dra: the emulsion before itis dry. 'The nes fany' possibfivy of dust adhering win dollars worth of 6 4 and {he fower portion reduced, We will assume that a packet lown Judgment and resulting in"almost but not. quit individuality, 2000" &&Nk referred to above has a)... ites ordered by the Bank of containing a dozen Iiford plates bottom emptying cock which can be aval treatment in the enlarger expression of the latter being the Communications from America have 'The photograph was taken' ona to be opened. First see that your regulated, for the purpose of empty-supreme objective in art of any arrived in Shanghai, says the Chi-Agta" Special Re te, supeed plateholders are free from dust. ing the tank. The plates remain in ture £2 The Ilford box contains three black the tank, the cock being so adjusted nese. press, posure, Development:- Do not experiment Paper packets of four plates each, to permit a very gradual lower-TWO LONDON nereis or mess about with various To load up one of these packets wed ing of qvater level, slow enough in relapers, particularly those wrap-descent to allow sufficient time for an ug a room which is dark but proceed thus:—unfold tissue and ped only in paper packets etc., etc. not of necessity fitted up with the usual paraphernalia—red, orange black paper but leave the-whole fat on the table, lift the first plate care-
Get a standard, well-known make and for preference Burroughs the exposed emulsion surface to dry.
The development, fixing, washing Rembrandt and other lamps, washing trays, ete. ete, Excellent negatives in every tense of the word have been produced in the interior of China and other countries where the modern conditions of cities do not exist, fully by its edges, dust off the under side (emulsion side) with an old piece of washed out silk, place into holder. For the second plate remove with ente the strip packing which holds plates one and two tightly Jand drying processes being now Wellcome Tabloid Rytol. Do not complete, store away your negatives worry at this stage whether you and clean @p your workroom, tanks should use Rytol or Tancol; and all other apparatus in use. Keep ahead and use one only. Having your measuring glasses full of previously purchased B. & W.'s little water, this to prevent dust settling green book, you will have discovered their bottoms, removal of which the proportions of tabloid and water at a Jater date is both tedious and for the particular requirement on hand, vis, sufficient fluid to ensure complete covering of the plates to Now we come to an examination be treated. Follow the instructions of the negative result, but of this given by the green book minutely later, when we have actually ex-ented with regard to temperature time posed a plate. Do not accuse the Bov"and ea ramming wale, nie and never omit any precaution that writer of putting the cart before HOTEL REMDRANDT, South Kono may assist in the cleanliness of your the horse, go ahead and prepare ington ting the Vietrla and. Albert work. Carefully filter the developer as to do justice to your outdoor work INA. Muckioeham Palace after mixing; see that your tank is if you would succeed. In conclusion faeing Buckingham Tale, clean and free from dust; use only 1a few reasons are appended in sup-Tarif on Application to Manager. fitered water for rinsing between port of the theories or rather development ind fixing; filter your Practices noted above, fixing salts or hypo as it is commonly Absence of illumination in dark Jealled; and last of all tie two or room—later requirements: When Hthree layers of fine linen over the using panchromatic or any colour
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.