Halo-Chrome tones black-and-white prints pure silver by fusing the black grains of colloidal silver into solid metallic silver. It can be used several ways:

Silver image with white background. Example: a black tree against a white sky becomes a silver tree against a white sky. • Prepare the bleach solution by adding the entire contents of the small bottle of green copper bleach to one quart (1 liter) of water. Add one tablespoonful (approx. 1 oz.) of table salt. Store this solution in a glass or plastic bottle marked "Bleach." Do not use stainless steel or other metals, as the bleach is corrosive.

• Choose a high-contrast negative. Expose normally onto paper, either fiber-base or RC. Develop with paper developer such as Dektol, and fix with Kodak Fixer (or other hypo-based fixer. Avoid rapid or liquid fixers, which may fade the image.) Wash the print thoroughly to remove all fixer.

• The remaining steps can be done under room light. Immerse the washed print in the bleach solution until only a yellow ghost-image remains. Rinse the print. The bleach can be re-used.

• Make up a fresh working solution of Halo-Chrome by mixing one part of concen- trate with 7 parts of cool water. (Use the same day). Pour enough solution to cover the print in a tray and immerse the print with constant agitation until silvering is complete. (A second print can be toned immediately after.) Rinse the toned print and put back in fixer for a few seconds, until any stains disappear. Wash 5 minutes and dry.

Silver image with color background. Example: a silver tree against a white sky becomes a silver tree against a blue sky. • The finished silver-on-white print can be made silver-on-color by immersing it in Rockland Printint solution of a selected color.

Black image with silver background. Example: a black tree against a white sky becomes a black tree against a silver sky. • This procedure does not require bleach. Make up a fresh working solution of Halo-Chrome by mixing one part of concentrate with 7 parts of cool water. (Use the same day). Choose a high-contrast negative. Expose the print for twice the normal time. Develop the print in paper developer, but do not shortstop or fix.

• Pour enough Halo-Chrome solution to cover the print in a tray. Rinse the developed print one minute in running water, drain and immerse in the Halo-Chrome solution with vigorous agitation until silvering is complete. Rinse the toned print and fix for one minute. Wash and dry like a normal print.

Silver image with process color. This process is described in FAQ.

Halo-Chrome-A

This formula is designed for use outside the U.S. and does not contain ammonia. Processing is the same as with Halo-Chrome except that you will need some "household ammonia". This can be obtained in the "cleaning materials" section of a grocery store. Dilute the ammonia with an equal part of tap water. Store in a bottle marked "Activator".

When making-up the Halo-Chrome solution, use Activator instead of water; i.e., when the instructions call for one part Halo-Chrome to 7 parts of water, use 7 parts of Activator instead. © Rockland Colloid Corp.

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Printint® Colorants

1. Add tap water to blending concentrate (large bottle) to make 1 gallon (4000 cc's) of blending solution. Or dilute as needed, one part of concentrate with 25 parts of water.

2. Measure out enough blending solution to cover the bottom of a tray (about 4 ounces or 120 cc's for an 8x10 print). To every 4 ounces of this solutiom, add a total of 10 drops of color concentrate, combining colors as necessary. Example: For green, add 5 drops of yellow plus 5 drops of blue. For purple, add 8 drops of red plus 2 drops of blue. A little experimentation will determine the correct proportions.

3. Immerse the print with agitation for one minute or longer, then rinse only a few seconds and blot dry with a paper towel. The solution can be used repeatedly, and if the colors lighten, add a few drops more of the color concentrates.

4. Deepen hues by increasing immersion time. Lighten them by adding more blending solution. 5. Color can be removed by soaking the print in dilute washing soda (sodium carbonate) for a few minutes, using one tablespoon soda per gallon of water. Rinse well.

5. If desired to combine colors, use a masking agent such as liquid frisket or rubber cement, both sold in art stores. Apply frisket to the areas not to be colored, dip print, rub off frisket, dip again, etc.

7. For a spectacular silver-on-color print, use Printint Colorants together with prints toned with Rockland Halo-Chrome Silver Toner. © Rockland Colloid Corp.

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Polytoner® Color Toner

Polytoner can be used either as a color developer, or as a toner after processing. If the former is used, multiple exposures and colors can be built up in a single print.

Polytoner Color Toner For all black-and-white papers and graphic films, and Liquid Light and Ag-Plus photographic emulsions.

Preparation:

Developer: Dissolve the contents of the black packet in water at 125ºF (52ºC) to make 16 ounces (500 cc's). Add 16 ounces of rubbing alcohol, available at drug stores or denatured alcohol, sold in hardware stores. Pour into a one quart (1L) bottle marked "Developer." Store in a cool, dark location.

Activator: Dissolve the contents of the clear packet in water at 125ºF to make one quart (32 ounces). Store in a bottle marked “Activator”.

Color-couplers: Blue, yellow and red color-couplers are in the dropper bottles. (If bottles are less than half-full due to evaporation, fill with acetone or MEK, available at paint or hardware stores.)

Bleach: Empty the small (half-ounce) bottle of concentrate into one pint (16 oz.) of water. Add approximately 20 grams (one-half teaspoon) of table salt. Store in a plastic or glass container, not in stainless steel or other metal.

Just before use, add to a clean dry container in the order given:
Developer 1½ ounces (45 cc's)
Color-coupler 2½ cc's (one capful)
Activator 1½ ounces
Water to 16 ounces (500 cc's)

Processing:

Expose the print normally. Rinse one minute. Develop in just enough Polytoner to cover the print. (The amount above is sufficient for 3 or more 8x10 prints.) Develop for 2-3 minutes at 70º to 75ºF (20º to 25ºC). Agitate frequently. Rinse one minute then fix in Kodak Fixer, and wash. Discard used developer after each print.

Note: Several images and colors can be combined in a single print by re-exposing with a new image and re-developing in a new color. Each subsequent exposure should be twice as long as the previous. When the final color has been developed, fix and wash the print as described above.

Bleaching: After developing with Polytoner, prints consist of a combined color and black image. For brighter color, the black image can be eliminated by bleach solution. Follow bleaching by rinsing and fixing in Kodak Fixer or other non-rapid fixer.

Toning: Polytoner can also be used as a color toner following normal black-and-white development. Bleach the processed black-and-white print, rinse, and tone in Polytoner under room light until the desired color is reached. To brighten after toning: bleach, fix and wash as described above.

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ProcessII® Monobath

Process II is a combined developer and fixer for Type II and Type III photographic papers. All prints given the same exposure will be processed identically. To prepare a working solution, add the contents of the black bottle to tap water at room temperature to make one-half gallon (2000 cc's) of working solution. (Caution: Contains Sodium Hydroxide, a caustic. Use rubber gloves and eye protection. Observe proper precautions.)

Use only with Type II and Type III papers, such as Polycontrast II. These are papers with built-in developer. Develop prints with continuous agitation at 75 deg. F (slightly warmer than normal developing temperature) for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Follow by washing for 10 minutes, and dry like a normal print. © Rockland Colloid Corp.

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Tintype Parlor® Kit and Bulk Tintype Kit

YOU NEED:
1. A location away from white light, either a darkroom or other space that excludes daylight and artificial light. Use an amber or red safelight. A standard 7-watt mini red bulb can be used close-up, or a 25-watt red or amber bulb if it is not allowed to shine directly on the emulsion.

2. Two small shallow trays made of glass, plastic or stainless steel, for the tintype developer and fixer.

3. A pair of scissors or a paper cutter to cut the tintype plates to fit inside your camera (be careful not to scratch the film holder.)

CHEMICAL PREPARATION:
1. The developer is in the bottle and should be used undiluted. Pour into the developer tray. The developer can be re-used for a period of 2 weeks if stored in a cool place. Squeeze the bottle to remove air.

2. Dissolve the clear packet containing powdered fixer in 1/2 pint (250 cc’s) of cool water. Pour into the fixer tray. Fixer can be re-used and should be stored in a plastic or glass container. (Note: the bottle of developer holds 1/2 pint and can be used to measure water for the fixer.)

Bulk Kit Only:
To make one gallon of tintype developer: Dissolve the Kodak Dektol in 3000 cc's (3 quarts) of warm water (preferably water that has been distilled, deionized, or boiled at least 5 minutes) then add the contents of the silver package. Cool to room temperature. Add the bottle of liquid plus water to make one gallon or 4000cc's of working solution. A small amount of ammonia vapor will be given off.  Allow to sit overnight hours before use. To make one gallon of fixer: Dissolve the powder in 3000 cc's (3 quarts) of warm tap water and add more water to make one gallon or 4000 cc's of working solution.

COATING:
The photographic emulsion in the small bottle is a solid gel at room temperature. Under safelight, place it in a container of hot water until the contents become liquid. Pour some onto a black plate (the side to coat is the side facing the paper interleaf). Spread the emulsion quickly over the plate using a fingernail while tilting the plate, then pour the surplus off a corner and back into the emulsion bottle.

Put the plate on a level surface until the emulsion sets-up or becomes sticky. It can then be stood on end and drying speeded with an electric fan. With the correct coating thickness, plates will appear from dark white to light gray when dry with some variation between plates. Store well-dried plates in total darkness until needed.

3. LOADING THE CAMERA:
1. Under safelight, cut a dry sensitized plate to fit into your camera. Use an old negative or contact print as a guide to cutting.

2. Put the plate in the camera with the emulsion-coated side toward the lens. Check to be sure the plate is sitting firmly on the film plane of the camera. Use a piece of masking tape if necessary to hold the plate in place. Close the camera carefully so not to damage it.

EXPOSING TINTYPES:
Take the camera outside and place it on a tripod or other steady support. Use a cable shutter-release if available. Trial exposures are as follows:

• Bright sun on subject: f/16@½ second
• Cloudy-bright: f/8 @½ second
• Open shade: f/5.6@½ second

2. With an enlarger, you can project a positive color transparency or black-and-white transparency onto the sensitized tintype plate. A trial exposure of 20 seconds at full aperture can be given for a black-and-white transparency, and twice that for a color transparency.

3. Contact miniatures can be made by laying a 35mm color positive transparency or other film positive on the tintype plate and using a 40-watt bulb at least 4 feet away as a point light source. Expose 1 second.

4.. Contact tintypes from old prints: Lay the paper print emulsion side down, onto a tintype plate and lock it into a printing frame, or a piece of glass to hold the emulsion of the print tightly in contact with the tintype plate. Use a point light source as described in #3.

PROCESSING PROCEDURE:
1. In the darkroom, remove the tintype plate and develop it face up at 68° to 71°F (20°C) for 1 to 1½ minutes with frequent agitation. It is natural if portions of the plate turn gray during development The image may emerge very faintly, if at all.

2. Without rinsing, place the plate in fixer for 2 to 3 minutes with occasional agitation, at which time the room lights can be turned on. If any chalky areas remain, continue fixing until they disappear. The fixer should also harden the emulsion, so that it becomes tough and leathery to the touch.

3. Rinse the tintypes for 2 minutes in cool running water.

TROUBLE-SHOOTING
1. The correct exposure is a balance of light and dark areas. If the tintype plate is nearly all black, the remedy is to increase the exposure. If it is too light with no black areas to provide contrast, the exposure should be decreased.

2. A bluish developed image indicates that the emulsion has been coated too thinly or that the developer is exhausted...If the emulsion slides off the plate during development, it is because the wrong side of the plate is coated. Be sure the side coated with emulsion is solid black with no shiny or silvery areas.

3. To check that the developer and plates are performing correctly, coat two postage-stamp size areas with emulsion. Expose one area to room light a few seconds and the other only to darkroom light. Develop and fix both simultaneously. The unexposed area should be black and the exposed area yellow-brown. (Reclaim the plate by rinsing off the emulsion with hot water.)

AMBROTYPES:
These are a variation on tintypes, using glass plate backed with black cloth instead of a black metal plate. Coat the glass with Ag-Plus emulsion, let it dry, and expose it in a camera like a tintype plate. After processing, the glass plate is backed with a piece of black cloth to create contrast, and mounted so that the image is viewed through the glass. (To obtain the best adhesion of emulsion to glass, refer back to instructions for "Subbing" procedure.) © Rockland Colloid Corp.

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Gelatin Precoat (Subbing)

This is a traditional process for making photographic emulsions like Liquid Light and Ag-Plus stick to glass and glazed ceramics. It consists of an extremely thin layer of gelatin coated on chemically-cleaned glass. Liquid Light bonds to this thin layer, fusing with the glass so that the image seems to be virtually embedded in the glass or ceramic surface. Is it worth the extra effort?

Subbing is more time-consuming than using glossy varnish. However, the materials for the process are easily available at grocery stores, and the extra effort pays off with the enhanced appearance of the print.

What materials should be "subbed"? The process is only for vitreous materials like glass, glazed ceramics, fired porcelain, natural rocks, marble, etc. On glass-resembling plastics like Lucite and Plexiglas, as well as on highly-porous materials like unglazed ceramics and plaster, do not use subbing; use glossy polyurethane varnish, following the instructions enclosed with Liquid Light.

Materials needed:
You will need some unflavored gelatin such as Knox, sold at grocery stores, plus some powdered laundry detergent (do not use soap or dishwasher detergent, which leave a waxy film). Sprinkle one level teaspoon (approx. 3 grams) of gelatin onto the surface of one pint (450 cc's) of cold water in a saucepan. Let it stand 15 minutes to swell the gelatin, then heat with stirring until the gelatin is dissolved (140º-160º F or 45º-56º C.)

Procedure:
Scrub and rinse the glass or ceramic (wearing rubber gloves) until the rinse water does not bead up as it drains off the glass but leaves a uniform, nearly- invisible film. Pour some of the hot gelatin mixture onto the glass, drain well and dry overnight in a warm place with low humidity and circulating air. (The remainder of the gelatin-water solution can be discarded.)

Coating with emulsion:
The glass is now "subbed" and can be coated with emulsion. Pour a surplus of Liquid Light on the glass, tilt to spread, and pour the surplus back in the bottle. Set the glass or ceramic on a level surface with cool circulating air to speed setting and drying. The glass can be exposed while the Liquid Light is still damp or dried thoroughly and saved for future use.

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Rockland Bleach/ Reducer

For Liquid Light and Ag-Plus emulsions and all black-and-white papers.

To make a working solution, add the contents of the black bottle to enough cool tap water to make 2 quarts (2 liters) of solution. Add one tablespoon, more or less, of common table salt. This working solution requires no special handling, but should be stored in glass or plastic bottles away from direct sun. Do not store in metal containers, including stainless steel. The working solution can be used repeatedly until it loses its effectiveness.

AS A BLEACH: Use as a bleach to temporarly lighten black & white prints for re-development with a color toner. Wash fully-processed prints thoroughly to remove all fixer (preferably a hypo-based hardening fixer like Kodak Fixer, not a rapid fixer.) Bleach in the working solution under room light until only a ghost image remains. Rinse briefly in cool water and tone with polytoner toner or other color toner or intensifier until the desired effect is achieved.

AFTER TONING: After color toning, the print will contain a residue of colloidal silver that will darken the color. This can be corrected, if desired, by returning the toned print to the bleach solution then fixing it for a few seconds to remove the residual silver. AS A REDUCER: Use as a reducer to permanently lighten black & white prints. Process the print as described above. Under room light, place in the bleach solution only as long as is necessary. Follow the bleach bath with a short rinse and immerse the print in fixer. Be careful not to over-bleach if only partial lightening of the print is desired , as prints that have been bleached and then fixed (reduced) cannot be restored to their original density.

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Rockland Blueprint (Cyanotype)

General Information: Rockland's Blueprint is a classic process for producing a blue image on paper or cloth. The process requires a source of bright blue or actinic light for exposure such as sunlight, arc lamps or mercury vapor lamps, plus a full-size negative.

It is very easy to expose and develop bleprint paper. You do not need a darkroom. The blueprint solution is coated on the paper in dim room light by dipping, brush, or spray. The wet surface can be dried with a hair dryer, also in room light. A photographic negative is then laid over it, or a drawing in black ink on clear plastic or tracing paper can be used in place of a negative).

Obtaining a full-size negative: Obtaining a full-size negative: A convenient way to make a full-size negative is with Rockland Liquid Light or Ag-Plus photographic emulsion on glass or prepared acetate. Another method is with Kodalith film, by developing it in standard paper developer instead of Kodalith developer. The easiest method is by scanning or using a digital camera, then reversing the image with the proprietary software that comes with the scanner or camera, and printing a full-size transparency with an inkjet or laser printer. Many photocopiers are also capable of reversing images and printing them on transparency stock, or you can order a negative transparency from an office-service store like OfficeMaster or Kinko's.

To prepare the stock solutions: Rockland Blueprint consists of 2 parts-- iron salts in one bottle and activator in the other.The stock solutions should be stored in their original containers. Keep all containers out of the reach of children.

Preparation: Under amber or red darkroom safelight (or dim incandescent light, but not fluorescent or daylight), mix equal quantities of the iron and activator solutions to make a sensitizing solution. Mix only as much as you will need for a period of several weeks, as the shelf life is limited after the stock solutions are mixed together (kept in separate bottles, the stock solutions can be stored indefinitely). If convenient, let the made-up sensitizing solution season by aging overnight to 24 hours, to improve the contrast.

Coating: Use with any absorbent paper or with cloth. Saturate the material with the made-up sensitizer solution, blot away excess solution and dry in a dark place, preferably with a fan to circulate the air.

Exposure: Expose with sunlight, sunlamp or other actinic light source, using a full-size negative held in contact with the sensitized surface by a pane of single-weight window glass. The Blueprint chemicals respond to ultra-violet light. Standard tungsten light bulbs lack ultra-violet radiation and are far less effective.

The length of exposure determines how light or dark the tones of the blueprint will be. The longer the solution is exposed to light, the darker it gets. Five minutes of bright sunlight in the middle of the day should yield a strong, rich print. On the other hand, a 500 watt photoflood bulb may have to be only 18 inches away for as long as half an hour to become a rich blue (using caution because of the heat produced).

You can see the tones of the print become darker as exposure proceeds. It is generally a good idea to let the print become darker than you ultimately want it, for the washing process will make the print paler and weaker.

Washing: Running tap water is all that is needed to fix the blueprint image. The exposed print is washed until the yellow solution that remains has been washed away and the print is pure blueiand white. The fabric or paper can then be dried and pressed, if necessary, with a warm iron.

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