It may often happen that it is not convenient to burnish prints the same day they- are mounted, in which case they can be subse quently moistened safely in the following way: Set a developing tray filled with water in the bottom of the filming box previously described, and upon the perforated pasteboard lay the mounted prints, on edge, so that they do not touch each other, and close the door tight. In a few hours they will become sufficiently moist to burnish.
If it is desired to have the prints polished without mounting it can be done in the following way: Procure one or two sheets of highly polished rubber and lay the wet prints face down on these, putting on as many at a time as the rubber will hold; then all the water should be squeezed out of the prints with a rubber roller, and after that the surplus moisture should be soaked up from the back of the prints with blotting paper, the prints being firmly and smoothly pressed into contact with the rubber. They will dry in half an hour or so, when they can be easily removed from the rubber, and will be found to come out perfectly flat and with a beautiful, brilliant polish.
Every amateur should have a large album for his workroom, and paste in it one print from each negative made. Above this should be marked the number of the negative, and below it something like the following: Carbutt B.-6—f32-10 B. May 10, 1890.
This shows the kind of plate used, the number of seconds of exposure, the size of stop, the time of day, whether bright or cloudy, and the date.
This will be a reference book, showing at a glance whether the time and stop were correct for such a view—a helpful guide for future work.
To mount quite large photographs we dampen a piece of thick blotting paper, cut to the exact size of the print, and lay this upon the back of the card for about ten minutes previous to the mounting. When the print is pasted on the other side both sides of the card will dry at the same time and remain flat.
Albumen prints have a tendency to curl very much in drying, which can be prevented by soaking them, after the final washing, one by one for a few minutes in a solution of pure glycerine and distilled water, mixed in the proportion of one part glycerine to five parts water. When removed from this the superfluous moisture should be absorbed by gentle pressure between sheets of clean, white blotting paper. After this they should be laid out flat to dry, when they will become soft and smooth. At any subsequent time they can be mounted dry, using paste or gelatine, and burnished.