TWO hours' washing by the method advocated for albumen prints should be quite sufficient for prints upon gelatino chloride paper ; if this time is exceeded, the gelatinous film becomes soft, a,nd interferes with the " squee-geeing " process when it is resorted to. After Nvashing, the prints may be either allowed to dry spontaneously, or squeegeed down to polished glass, or ground glass, according to the effect Nvhich is desired in the finished print. If allowed to dry without further treatment, a, surfa,ce a little more glossy than that of an ordinary silver print will be obtained. Squeegeeing to polished glass, or ebonite, will give a fine enamel surface, while squeegeeing to ground glass will produce a matt or dead surface like an engraving. We must bear in mind that we are dealing with a gelatinous, or, in other words, a " gluey " surface, and therefore Nve must not attempt to dry the prints between blotting-paper, or they would stick together and be spoilt. The method I adopt is to procure a packet of very small pins, and pin each print by its four corners to a flat piece of board—a, drawing-board answers the purpose admirably. Theiy should not be interfered with until they are dry, when the pins may be removed, and the prints packed flat under pressure until they are wanted for mounting. When a highly-glazed surface is required, the prints upon removal from tbe Nvashing water should be placed in an alum bath, composed of a saturated solution of alum 2 oz., water 1 pint, and allowed to remain therein for about ten minutes, after which they should be again Nvashed in several changes of clean Neater. A piece of very clea,n polished glass, or ferrotype plate, preferably the latter, Nvhich is obtainable at any photographic stores, is then taken, and the print lifted. from the Nvashing water, and laid smoothly upon the surface of the plate, picture side doNvnwards; a piece of clean letter paper is then superimposed, and a roller squeegee applied firmly, but lightly, to remove the superfluous water, and ensure contact. The note-paper backing is then ca,refully removed, and the plate reaTed up on end in a warm room to dry. Artificial
heat must on no account be applied. The prints will detach themselve,s Nvhen they are dry, a,nd will present a very high gloss. If it is desired to mount the glazed prints, the procedure will be slightly different. Squeegee down as above directed, and cut some pieces of black enamel paper (obtainable from Fallowfield & Co.) a quarter of an inch smaller than the prints ; paste the white side, and stick it carefully on to the back of the squeegeed print, leaving a white margin of print all round, about an eighth of an inch deep ; squeegee well down, and leave to dry spontaneously. When it is dry the print will fall off the plate. It may then be trimmed and mounted in the ordinary way, the backing preventing any loss of glaze through the paste used in mounting.
I have already referred to a few of the advantages of this process, but it possesses some others which may well be noticed. Not the least of these is its probable permanence, though in this respect it has yet to stand the test of time. Air. Barker, to whom the credit of first introducing the paper is due, states that prints which had been exposed under glass, to all weathers, for a period of two years, did not show any visible signs of fading or deterioration ; and I have prints in my own possession which have been most carelessly kept lying loose in a drawer in my dark-room, exposed to the fumes of both gas and chemicals, but which are, notwithstanding, as bright and fresh as when first printed. These prints were produced on Herr Liesegang's A ristotype paper.
Another advantage is that decent results can often be obtained from negatives which are too thin to yield a good print upon ordinary albumenised paper. To the question of surface I have already adverted, but the paper possesses the additional advantage that almost any effect of colour, ranging from bright red to black, can be obtained, which, in itself, is a matter of some importance to a photographer blessed with artistic proclivities. Upon the whole, there fore, I consider the gelatino-chloride printing-out process the very best that the beginner who wishes to print in silver can take up.