I am very interested in alternative processes and I am getting the stuff together to work with them again now that I have a working 4x5 camera. Just wondering if anyone else uses alternatives such as Vandyke Brown, Cyanotype, Gum Printing

One of the enjoyable things about the alternative processes is that the images are contact printed in sunlight or strong UV and developed, for the most part, in running water.

If anyone else is interested the following is a very good website, this is the company I used in college 20 years ago and they are still apparently going strong!

http://www.photoformulary.com/

good light

Kim

Photographer's formulary is a very good source of chemicals for those that not only want Alt photo, but to expand their darkroom skills. Another is Bostick and Sullivan http://www.bostick-sullivan.com/

They also have a very nice Alt photo list serve and the first bellows patch kit I've seen that still allows the bellows to close.

Thanks for that website Les.
It looks very interesting!

Kim

I have made Van Dykes and Cyanotypes. I bought the chemicals from a supply house (don't believe Photo formulary was in business then). I coated them on rag paper I also made myself.

It was a lot of work, kind of messy, and some odd smells at times, but fun. The only trouble I had was when my cyanotype paper was still a bit damp and it bleached out the 8x10 negative I was printing. Same chemicals as Farmers Reducer.

I'm also interested in alternative (or Historical) printing processes. Especially those that don't require a darkroom. I plan to make some salted-paper contact prints when I get a Neg I'm happy with.
I read a article in a British Photo mag (I'll look it up if anyone is interested) about a guy (bloke?) in England who makes huge cyanotypes by drum-scanning large (8x10) negs, then printing them out (still as negatives) on huge sheets of acetate, and then contact printing the acetate. Expensive process,(probably more than $300 just in scanning and inkjet costs) but the outcome looks fabulous. He had to custom build a UV lightbox as well.
Also, for anyone interested, http://www.Rockaloid.com sells a kit that allows you to take 4x5 tintypes, but you have to have a darkroom. Look for the tintype parlor kit. The instructions are also available for download on the same site, so you can see what you're getting yourself into before you buy it.
-Keith