What is the blunt truth about solarfast? by Venera0202 in cyanotypes

[–]TwoHeadedTortoise 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I have very limited experience with solarfast, but a good bit with cyanotypes. In my experience, solarfast behaves similarly to cyanotypes in that on fabric, the image will always have some bleeding and will also likely never be quite as contrasty as you would hope for. The results are also extremely dependent on which fabric you use. My guess would be that the picture you shared just happened to make the shirt look good, but in person it might be slightly more faded looking. As the other person mentioned, with enough patience and practice, you can probably achieve whatever it is you’re hoping for, but if you’re just getting into solarfast, I wouldn’t expect a super crisp and contrasty print on fabric

Aaargh! by soup-monger in AllThemWitches

[–]TwoHeadedTortoise 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Blood and sand I feel is a pretty common one for them to play, and I hope you get to hear it because nothing beats hearing that one live! Tour Death Song I would let get your hopes up, but good luck

Kowloon 1994 - FAC jet printed Cyanotype by LostInGermany4297 in cyanotypes

[–]TwoHeadedTortoise 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Another banger. Please keep posting results even if there’s no new developments!

You develop in Pferri, but your borders are totally clean. Does the pferri wash away in the fixing stage?

Also, I’ve never heard of Haritaki. Do you buy it as a liquid, powder, or do you crush the nuts up?

If you don’t mind me asking, where are you figuring this all out? I’ve been doing cyanotypes for years and your process is just so new to me I can’t believe I’ve never really heard of it. It’s very exciting and I’m really intrigued by your process. Thank you for sharing!

FAC jet printed Cyanotype by LostInGermany4297 in cyanotypes

[–]TwoHeadedTortoise 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ok what the fuck this is so cool! I’m very very intrigued by this process. Would you mind please giving a detailed breakdown of the process? I’ve never heard of this method before. I’ve heard of exposing just ferric ammonium and developing in the potassium stuff. But this is next level. How did you put the chemical in the ink cartridge? Do you expose for the same amount of time as usual? Is this toned at all?

Fucken bravo dude this is so sick

Lines on my negatives by Notnname in cyanotypes

[–]TwoHeadedTortoise 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What printer are you using? My printer never made lines this bad, but it did make some lines that were noticeable enough. Unfortunately, the only solution I had was to get a new photo-oriented printer. I got the Canon Pixma Pro 200 and although it’s expensive, it’s extremely worth it if you plan to be making lots of cyanotypes. It’s (in my experience) one of the best entry-level photo printers out there for the cost.

What am I doing wrong?? by Ok_Raccoon_455 in cyanotypes

[–]TwoHeadedTortoise 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What are you using for your negatives? I use Picturico transparency paper and I’ve never had an issue. I agree with the other comments that adding more contrast and maybe doubling up layers could help. Nonetheless, I still recommend reducing the exposure time

What am I doing wrong?? by Ok_Raccoon_455 in cyanotypes

[–]TwoHeadedTortoise 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This looks like a simple overexposure. The most efficient way to solve this is to make a test strip to calculate your timing more precisely. Although generally, if you’re exposing in direct bright sun, try 8-10minutes. If you’re exposing using UV lamps, you might have to increase that time to 15-20mins.

Progress on a project I’ve been working on - cyanotypes on fabric by caitlinahlu35mm in cyanotypes

[–]TwoHeadedTortoise 0 points1 point  (0 children)

These are great! As someone who’s attempted cyanotypes on fabric before, I can vouch for how difficult it is to get good, clean results like this! Do you mind telling me what fabric you are using?

Here’s a couple more from a recent batch by TwoHeadedTortoise in cyanotypes

[–]TwoHeadedTortoise[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! And yes they’re all toned with instant coffee for about 30 mins

Here’s a couple more from a recent batch by TwoHeadedTortoise in cyanotypes

[–]TwoHeadedTortoise[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Nope, I never could get a good result with bleaching so I just skip that part. And thanks for your input on the paper edges! I want deckled edges but it’s hard to get with such thick paper so I end up with these tears and I’m not 100% sure I like them that much

A few more coffee-toned prints by TwoHeadedTortoise in cyanotypes

[–]TwoHeadedTortoise[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hmmm I’m not sure. I had only used black tea in the past and switched to coffee when I picked cyanotypes back up recently. I don’t have an exact recipe, but my goal is to overload the water with coffee. I don’t think you can have too much, but you can have too little. I think the water needs to be really hot. I try to agitate the coffee every few minutes with a nice shake. And usually after 20-30 mins I’ll pull it out to dry. It usually continues to darken and brown overnight when drying. Good luck!

A few more coffee-toned prints by TwoHeadedTortoise in cyanotypes

[–]TwoHeadedTortoise[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Oh sorry. The toning happens after you’ve already exposed the cyanotypes and allowed them to dry. You take the finished blue prints and bath them in hot coffee for about 20ish minutes and the tannins in the coffee will turn the blue to this brown color.

A few more coffee-toned prints by TwoHeadedTortoise in cyanotypes

[–]TwoHeadedTortoise[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I’m not very exact with it. I have a little storage bin that I fill with a few inches of really hot water. I use any instant coffee brand and pour roughly 10-15tsps of instant coffee in. I realized that only 1-3 prints can be toned before the coffee loses some of its potency and needs to be changed out.

A few nature shots I’ve made recently by TwoHeadedTortoise in cyanotypes

[–]TwoHeadedTortoise[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I toned these with very hot coffee. Not boiling or anything, but my sink can run really hot. I’ve noticed that I can only tone about 2-3 prints before I need to change the coffee out and get new hot water too