Ongoing Rhodiotype Agon
Saturday, May 7 2016. I drove to the art store and bought 1 sheet of Strathmore 500 Board Bristol Vellum finish, one same with Bristol Plate finish, 1 each of Fabriano Artistico 140 gsm bright and natural hot press, and a sheet of Fabriano Artistico 300 gsm natural hot press. Also, a packet of union square rag cotton watercolor paper, smooth finish, and an aquaboard brand watercolor panel. Results of tests: slight print out on the aquaboard and the Union Square. (Everything tests fine for printing with gold, however...)
Intuition tells me it is not the paper, but the rhodium chloride solution failing. My successful print out earlier this week was almost certainly a small amount of gold and/or palladium on the brush, and was probably affected by the high relative humidity with all the thunderstorm activity this past week. The Sullivan lithium palladium print out process only works (sometimes) if you heavily hydrate the paper. All of the Ware - Sullivan processes are derived directly from Pizzighelli's print out paper of the 1880s. That failed commercially because of its inconsistency.
Think: in the fall of 2014 when I successfully printed out rhodium on Revere Platinum, the paper was 2-3 years old and the rhodium chloride solution was three months old. This week, the rhodium chloride was one week old and the paper around 4 to 6 months old. Next two attempts: (1) soak the new paper that is the same as the paper from the earlier this week's print out in water and mostly dry it. (2) soak a sheet of the paper in 2% oxalic acid (1) artificially ages and humidifies the paper in a controlled, repeatable way and (2) oxalic acid may aid in precipitation of the rhodium.