Half fill with protosulphate of iron a wide mouth 64 oz. bottle,
fill up full with water, set aside to dissolve, shaking the bottle
once in awhile, so that the water may become saturated. Put a small
glass funnel on a stand, so that you can place under it a 16 oz.
bottle; fill the 16 oz. bottle with water and enough of the strong
iron solution to make a twenty grain to the ounce solution, add one
ounce of acetic acid, pour all into the filter and place the bottle
beneath the funnel to receive it. This filtered solution is the
developer for negatives.
Some experience is necessary to enable one to develope a negative
properly and secure the best results.
Holding the plate in the left hand, take the developer bottle in the
right, hold it over the plate near the left hand, let the first
finger of the right hand rest against the edge of the plate, tilt
the bottle so that the developer will run on the plate; at the same
time move [p035] the right hand toward the other end of the plate
rather quickly, letting the developer run in a steady, but not
copious stream; deflect the plate with the left hand at the same
time, so that the solution will flow from you in such a manner that
the whole surface of the plate may be covered with the liquid at
nearly the same time as possible. Now set down the bottle and keep
the plate in motion, so as to cause the solution to have an equal
action on every part of the surface. Very soon the image will appear
and brighten, until every part of the detail comes out, and when it
begins to look as if fading away or becoming less distinct the
development is finished.
This can be ascertained with more certainty at this time by holding
the plate so as to be able to look through it toward the light, so
as to examine its density, remembering that the high lights should
be quite dense and the medium shadows be full of detail. One very
soon learns to know the proper density.
The plate should be now very thoroughly washed, to free the surface
from the iron before fixing.
Great care should be taken in this manipulation to cover the plate
quickly with the solution, holding it all on the plate. As the
development is made by the precipitation of the free silver on the
surface of the film upon the latent image, none of the free silver
should be washed from the plate by a flood of developing solution
carrying it off the surface.