Digital BW, The Print

Thank you Eric.  I think I am understanding you to say that the 
yellow on the glass plate is due to bad fixing and the aging gelatin 
due to acidic environmental conditions while storing the plates. Is 
that a correct interpretation?  

For the 1st half of the century or so, the plates were left lying 
around (at least they were found that way in the old house).  They 
were picked up and put in a crate and put in the attic of a barn in 
Northern Michigan.  The barn has a metal roof.  It freezes up there 
in the winter and is hot and humid in the summer.  About fifteen 
years ago, someone "rescued" the plates and put them into 5x7 
envelopes with glued flaps.  They went back into the barn.  So, 
condiiions have been very undesirable for the preservation of the 
plates.  When I am through with the project, I am tryingt to talk the 
current owners of the collection to lend or donate them to a historic 
society in the area.

BTW, I looked at your web site and liked your work, esp the Platinum 
images.  That is what I want to learn how to do next.  Maybe 
we will meet at a workshop.  Nancy


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Eric Neilsen" 
<e.neilsen2@...> wrote:
>
> Yellow on a glass plate? Aging gelatin? Bad fixing. Acid 
environmental
> storage of plates.



> Does anyone know about what causes the yellow cast on the glass 
> plates? Could it be some toning that the photographer himself used?
> It doesn't seem it affect the quality of the image itself, although 
I 
> have yet to compare it with a negative I consider to be a good 
dense 
> black one.
> 
> Nancy
>