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What went wrong?

My Van Dyke brown or kallitype print fades or loses density in the fix or wash

Alternative processes

What you're seeing

A rich brown image goes weak and pale in the fixer or wash, highlights go off-white, or prints fade later.

Check this first

Check this first

Check what fixer you used. Van Dyke needs plain sodium thiosulphate much weaker than paper strength, not full-strength paper fixer.

Likely causes, most common first

  1. 01

    Fixer too strong

    Common
    How to tell
    The image bleaches noticeably in the fixer. Sarah Van Keuren says full-strength paper fixer bleaches the very fine silver of a Van Dyke print.
    Test it
    Fix two halves of a test print, one in your usual fixer and one in a much weaker plain sodium thiosulphate bath, and compare when dry.
    The fix
    Use a weak plain thiosulphate fixer and replace it often, as it exhausts quickly. For kallitype, Sandy King uses 50 g sodium thiosulphate, 10 g sodium carbonate and 2 g sodium sulphite per litre, for 4 minutes or two baths of 2 minutes.

    Sources Sarah Van Keuren (reproduced on AlternativePhotography.com), A Non-Silver Manual: Vandyke brown; Sandy King / AlternativePhotography.com, The Kallitype Process

  2. 02

    Untoned kallitype bleaching in the fix

    Common
    How to tell
    Kallitypes lose density in the fixer and untoned ones fade later. Sandy King says bleaching of the silver is the main reason for image loss during fixing.
    Test it
    Tone half of a test print before fixing and leave the other half untoned, then fix both together.
    The fix
    Tone with gold, platinum or palladium before fixing. Sandy King says toned prints will not fade in the fixer and most untoned kallitypes fade within a relatively short time.

    Source Sandy King / AlternativePhotography.com, The Kallitype Process

  3. 03

    Trays or wash water contaminated by other processes

    Occasional
    How to tell
    Weak, washed-out tone after sharing trays or brushes with cyanotype or gum printing. Van Keuren warns traces of potassium ferricyanide or dichromate weaken the print.
    Test it
    Process a test print in new or thoroughly cleaned trays with fresh water.
    The fix
    Keep dedicated trays and brushes for Van Dyke and kallitype.

    Source Sarah Van Keuren (reproduced on AlternativePhotography.com), A Non-Silver Manual: Vandyke brown

  4. 04

    Iron salts left in the highlights

    Occasional
    How to tell
    Highlights that were clean go off-white later, or masked coated margins never quite match the bare paper.
    Test it
    Compare the coated, unexposed margin with uncoated paper after processing.
    The fix
    Clear thoroughly. Sandy King clears kallitypes in citric acid, two baths of about five minutes, and warns an alkaline first rinse can make clearing difficult. He rejects papers that won't clear in about 4 to 5 minutes.

    Sources Sarah Van Keuren (reproduced on AlternativePhotography.com), A Non-Silver Manual: Vandyke brown; Sandy King / AlternativePhotography.com, The Kallitype Process

Avoiding it next time

  • Use weak, fresh fixer for Van Dyke prints.
  • Tone kallitypes before fixing.
  • Keep separate trays and brushes for each process.

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