A Manual Of Photography

234 PRACTICE OF PHOTOGRAPHY. “1st. Select old and thin English paper—I prefer Whatman’s: cut it in such a manner that the sheet shall he the sixteenth of an inch smaller than the glass of the paper-holder on every side, and leave two ends at diagonal corners to the sheet by which to handle it. “ 2ndly. Prepare the following solution: “ Saturated solution of iodide of potassium 2| fluid drachms: pure iodide 9 grains : dissolve. “ Then add, distilled water 11^ ounces, iodide of potassium 4 drachms, bromide of potassium 10 grains, and mix. Now, filter tills solution into a shallow porcelain vessel somewhat larger than the sheet of paper to be prepared. Take a piece by the two diagonal ends, and gently place the end of the marked side nearest to you, upon the surface of the bath; then carefully incline the surface of the sheet to the liquid, and allow it to rest two minutes ; if French paper, one minute, or until the back of the paper (not wetted) becomes tinted uniformly by the action of the dark-coloured solution. Halse it up by means of the two ends occasionally, in order to chase away any air-bubbles, which would be indicated by white spots on the back, showing that the solution in these parts has not been absorbed. Hold the paper by one of the ends for a minute or so, in order that the super- fluous moisture may run off, then hang up to dry, by pinning the one end to a string run across a room, and let the excess drop off at the diagonal corner. When dry the paper is ready for use and quite tinted with iodine on both sides. It will keep any length of time, and is much improved by age. “ 3rdly. I will presume that four sheets are to be excited for the camera, and that the operator has two double paper-holders, made without a wooden partition, the interior capacity of which is sufficiently large to admit of three glasses, all moveable. The third, as will be seen, is to prevent the two pieces of excited paper coming in contact with each other. " Prepare the following solution: "Take nitrate of silver 2| drachms; acetic-acid 4| drachms; distilled water 3| ounces: mix and dissolve. “Now take four of the glasses of the paper-holders perfectly clean, and place eacli upon a piece of common blotting-paper to absorb any little excess of liquid. Pour about 1| drachms, or rather more of the solution just prepared, into a small glass funnel, into which a filter of white bibulous paper has been placed, and let the solution filter drop by drop upon glass No. 1, until about 1I drachms have been filtered in detached drops, regularly placed upon its surface; then, with a slip of paper, cause the liquid to be diffused over the whole surface of the