Ferric Oxalate

[Jorge]

I buy mine from Artcraftchemicals. While it is possible to make your own, at some point you will have some pretty concentrated acid, either as a by product or an ingredient. Even as a chemist I dont want to have that stuff in my DR. If you absolutely have to make your own, look at Perez's site, he has a pretty good method. If you figure the cost of buying the raw materials, the time spent doing it and the possible hazards, buying it in powder form is way more efficient and safer.

[Ole]

Would it be safer/easier to produce the Ferri oxalate in solution? There is no real need to make a dry powder through a particularly nasty process, when the end result is to be dissolved? All it would take is a way to either make Ferrioxalate solution of a known concentration, or a good way of measuring the concentration.

Just a thought...

[Jorge]

Would it be safer/easier to produce the Ferri oxalate in solution? There is no real need to make a dry powder through a particularly nasty process, when the end result is to be dissolved? All it would take is a way to either make Ferrioxalate solution of a known concentration, or a good way of measuring the concentration.

Just a thought...

From what I have read, the process of making the powder is an acid/base reaction or a salt/acid precipitation, either way even in solution some acid is present that has be washed off to be able to use the solution. I dont know if neutralizing would put the ferric oxalate back in solution, but either way I think there would be some ingredients left that would make printing difficult. I dont know, but for me, buying it is far easier than dealing with all the hassle.....

[roy]

[QUOTE=Jorge] buying it is far easier than dealing with all the hassle

That is what I shall do. Thank you all for your input.

[philsweeney]

I have purchased mine from artcraft.

[philsweeney]

Would it be safer/easier to produce the Ferri oxalate in solution? There is no real need to make a dry powder through a particularly nasty process, when the end result is to be dissolved? All it would take is a way to either make Ferrioxalate solution of a known concentration, or a good way of measuring the concentration.

Just a thought...

In Dick Steven's book all three methods for making FO are for making it in liguid form.

[Ole]

In Dick Steven's book all three methods for making FO are for making it in liguid form.

Which book is that? It's one I don't have, at least. FO is unobtainable in Norway, and takes a very long time to have shipped from anywhere - so long that it would be too old by the time I got it.

And lack of that one ingredient is what has stopped me from attempting Pd/Pt printing - I have everything else.

I do not particularly care for fumigating my entire garden (and the neighbor's garden as well) with fumes from nitric acid, which is a byproduct of the only process I've seen described.

[sanking]

Which book is that? It's one I don't have, at least. FO is unobtainable in Norway, and takes a very long time to have shipped from anywhere - so long that it would be too old by the time I got it.

The book mentioned is Dick Stevens, Making Kallitypes: A Definitive Guide, Focal Press, 1993. I think it is out of print at this time but you can find copies on amazon.com. This book has a lot of interesting experimental results and anyone really seriously interested in kallitypes would probably find it useful for that reason. Not so good as a working manual, howver.

Ferric oxalate in powder form, which is available from several sources in the US, incluiding Artcraft, Bostick and Sullivan and Formulary, is very long lasting and not terribly expensive. When the powder is mixed with water, however, it slowly degrades over a period of several months.

Sandy

[roy]

[QUOTE=Ole] FO is unobtainable in Norway, and takes a very long time to have shipped from anywhere - so long that it would be too old by the time I got it.


Unless I have misunderstood the pricing, FO from B&S is sold by the gm, while that from Artcraft is sold by the ml in powder form for water to be added to produce a given quantity of liquid. On this basis Ole, if I am correct, the time factor should not prevent you from importing it and producing some nice prints for us all to see !

[Ole]

Well - I just ordered the book from amazon.co.uk.

I'll need to buy more chemicals soon, I'm running out of Pot. Ferri and silver nitrate from all this playing about with alt. processes! The available chemicals will be bought locally, but I'll think hard about FO from the USA. Need to get some gold chloride as well, come to think of it. I've started toning my van Dykes in it.