LIGHT SENSITIVE COFFEE

[sol bol]

I started a career in photography in 1975.
My research in PHOTOCHEMISTRY more than 40 years ago.
During those years I worked out many new ways and processes using coffee liquid and dry forms.

In 1992 two of these methods were documented live and seen by more than
100 million people in latin america and the USA.
(filmed in Sabados Gigantes/ Don Francisco)

In 1993 some of my coffee Art works won medals and awards in the USA international northwest exhibition of photography.

In 1995 I disclosed in the US patent office a new way of making edible and drinkable images using
100% coffee as a coloring matter.
there in the same year I also registered "CAFEGRAFIA"
as trademark for making photographic images with coffee in several different ways.

My last major exhibit was in 1995 in the the Art gallery of congress of Costa Rica
where 30x40 inch large format coffee prints were exhibited.

I discovered in 1989 coffee as developing agent. My Research lab was surrounded by coffee fields.
This was filmed and shown in in the main Television channels of Costa Rica.

I found that the extracts of the leaves of the coffee plants and not roasted coffee seeds were a more
potent reducing agent than the beverage of roasted beans. In all of them the principal reducing agent was:
3,4-Di-Hydrocinnamic Acid , which I isolated and crystallized.

I also found the this reducing acid is a tanning agent in the presence of gelatin.

In 1996 I invented a printing process that yielded 100% coffee photographic images in chemically
pure filter paper that could be drank.

Around the 1999 I made a photographic silver chloride paper that after being developed with coffee;
its image could be TRANSFERRED to any support , metal, glass, wood, stones, etc
This paper could be FIXED IN PURE WATER instead of the traditional hypo o thiosulphate fixer.

Thus this paper was ecological, it did away with the irritating developer agents used at the time.
I also found that slaked lime was the ideal activating agent than the usual alkali sodium carbonate,
It yields high contrast and very clean image and is not caustic on the skin when neutralized by the caffeic acid.
I also found out in that year that silver chloride emulsion could be fixed with kitchen salt instead of the hypo fixer,
and also that coffee was an excellent toning agent.

all of this and many other of my discoveries were new.

2005 wrote a book: HOW TO MAKE PHOTOGRAPHIC PLATES AND PAPER. with more than 300 illustrations of my authorship,
in it, formulas of My Panchromatic and Orthochromatic ultra rapid negative emulsions were given yielding ISO 32.

My ECOLOGICAL WORK continued 20 more years.

I built in 2010 the first coffee art museum exhibiting more than 500 of my artworks.
there I imparted, for 5 years workshops for students and artists.

In the year 2024
one of my most ecological process was completed, it made coffee sensitive to light.

A fadeless print made directly on this photographic coffee paper will last for centuries and can be developed
and fixed in plain water in less than 2 minutes.
It is absolutely non toxic, the fingers only touch water and coffee.

It is so easy and simple to work that even children without a darkroom can work it.
In tune with the sustainable spirit of Costa Rica, I have called it: "ECO-PAPER"

more in

Light Sensitive Coffee

Make Fadeless in 2 Minutes Coffee PICTURES in two steps. NON TOXIC Only Water is Touched .

cafedesaul.com

 

[koraks]

Welcome aboard @sol bol ! Your work has popped up on several forums from time to time. I heard of it only a few months ago. It's nice to see you join our community!

Being curious, I found some of your old work archived here: https://web.archive.org/web/20070407145158/http://costaricacoffeeart.com/index.php It goes into a little more depth on some of the things you mention above.

Are you planning on offering the Cafegrafia technology as a commercial product? In that case, you may want to consider offering it in the Classifieds section, which is the appropriate place for commercial offerings.

 

[Don_ih]

A fadeless print made directly on this photographic coffee paper will last for centuries and can be developed
and fixed in plain water in less than 2 minutes.
It is absolutely non toxic, the fingers only touch water and coffee.

I'm sure lots of people would like to try that.

 

[pentaxuser]

Was that a picture of a U.S. president dissolving into a cup of water that can be then be drunk thus leaving no trace of the president?

Now that certainly might be attractive in the near future The customer chooses which president in the world that he wants to dissolve

OK the above comment was just a joke but now can I ask some serious questions?

While I can understand that some of these processes might be a secret, can you say anything about why fixer is unnecessary in both the negative and print processes? It looks as if something in your printing process leaves the prints having a brown colour

Caffeic acid is known for a long time to have properties that can be used for film developers and does leave the negatives with a brown stain but presumably whatever produces this brown look is incorporated into you paper and it is this that makes the paper prints develop without any print developer

Can I ask about the permanency of 200 years? Has this been tested? Obviously your papers have not bee around for 200 years but have they been subject to a scientific accelerated ageing process and if so what was this ageing test

If the picture on the paper dissolves in water then how long does a drop of water spilled accidentally onto the paper take to act? In other words how long do you have to wipe off the drop of water before it affects the print's permanency?

Are you already producing these products including the paper on which you print in your own factory and where can anyone buy them or as koraks has asked, are the products not yet in production?


Thanks

pentaxuser

 

[Horatio]

I'd certainly be interested in trying some of this paper, @sol bol if available to purchase.

 

[sol bol]

Was that a picture of a U.S. president dissolving into a cup of water that can be then be drunk thus leaving no trace of the president?

Now that certainly might be attractive in the near future The customer chooses which president in the world that he wants to dissolve

OK the above comment was just a joke but now can I ask some serious questions?

While I can understand that some of these processes might be a secret, can you say anything about why fixer is unnecessary in both the negative and print processes? It looks as if something in your printing process leaves the prints having a brown colour

Caffeic acid is known for a long time to have properties that can be used for film developers and does leave the negatives with a brown stain but presumably whatever produces this brown look is incorporated into you paper and it is this that makes the paper prints develop without any print developer

Can I ask about the permanency of 200 years? Has this been tested? Obviously your papers have not bee around for 200 years but have they been subject to a scientific accelerated ageing process and if so what was this ageing test

If the picture on the paper dissolves in water then how long does a drop of water spilled accidentally onto the paper take to act? In other words how long do you have to wipe off the drop of water before it affects the print's permanency?

Are you already producing these products including the paper on which you print in your own factory and where can anyone buy them or as koraks has asked, are the products not yet in production?


Thanks

pentaxuser

PENTAX USER
YOU ASK:
If the picture on the paper dissolves in water then how long does a drop of water spilled accidentally onto the paper take to act? In other words how long do you have to wipe off the drop of water before it affects the print's permanency?

I ANSWER:

The picture areas of the exposed to light under contact with a negative ARE COMPLETELY INSOLUBLE IN WATER, therefore the areas composing the image; -After the developed and fixed in pure water permanent picture is dried

are not affected in any way by even by boiling water. Also it is not affected by light, because of roasted coffee has been "carbonized" Carbon is one of the most stable element of the planet.

In Reality the Permanency of the coffee image depends on the substance or substrate the image is produced upon.
My light sensitive coffee "ECO-PAPER" is "MULTI-USE" as shown in the following examples.
EXAMPLE 1
IMAGE DEVELOPED DIRECTLY ON THE PAPER:

if the image is developed and fixed directly on the LIGHT SENSITIVE paper as it comes, its so easy and un-complicated that children ages of 6 years and above can use it, have a permanent pictures in 2 minutes developing in pure water with no toxic chemicals at all.

This image will not be affected by water or light and will last as long as the "fiber" paper it is developed on will last. Of course the paper being combustible will be destroyed by fire.

EXAMPLE 2
IMAGE DEVELOPED ON OTHER SUPPORTS:

The light sensitive coffee "ECO-PAPER" after exposure to light under a negative, instead of developing the image in pure water directly on paper itself as in EXAMPLE: 1;

In this example: 2, the exposed sensitive side is transferred faced down by pressure on to any other insoluble not absorbent support, like glass, metal, plastics, ceramics, varnished wood or resin coated paper, painting canvases.

Immediately after transferring on any of the above mentioned supports, the combination of the exposed paper adhered by simple pressure to the support; it is then immerse under water, the paper will come off the support and it is discarded,

the light sensitive coffee emulsion will be left evenly on the insoluble support and is further washed with water until the full image appears AND is shown with its long scales, details and the highlights, middle tones and strong shadow just like in the carbon process.

Naturally if the image is transferred and developed on refractory material like clay, glass and ceramics, these substrates will not be burned by fire and the final image is more permanent.
In interiors under roof will last unaltered for many many centuries.
As said before this "ECO-PAPER" is "MULTI-USE" example:2
however is not as easy for children under 6 years old. But the following example 3, it is.

EXAMPLE: 3
IMAGE OF PAPER EXPOSED pressed in contact on self adhesive
plastic Sheet.
The exposed paper is just made wet and placed in contact with the adhesive side of the plastic sheet. Then the exposed paper adhered of the plastic sheet is immersed under water, the paper comes off by itself and further washed with water until the image corresponding to the negative fully appears on the plastic sheet itself.
The image It will be seen by transmitted light like a transparency, and after drying the areas corresponding to the whites or transparent parts where ther is no image, will regain its stickiness and can be glued by itself to any solid support like a normal sticker.
If the plastic sheet is made of Vinyl, polyester, acrylic , PVC,
or else, then it will not biodegrade in 400 years.

YOU ASK:
Can I ask about the permanency of 200 years? Has this been tested? Obviously your papers have not bee around for 200 years but have they been subject to a scientific accelerated ageing process and if so what was this ageing test

MY ANSWER:

See the picture attached:
It was transferred to glass as in EXAMPLE 2.
After developing and drying the image was painted white and backed with another glass. So it is protected from the front and the back with 6 mm thick glass.
Its edges were sealed with silicon, and on the silicon edged also with construction cement.
I have kept it for 3 years out side under sun and tropical rain for 3 years.

It is as good as fresh, if rain water entered its edges it will not look good but it will not affect the image and the water leaked will disappear as soon it takes some hours of sun heat because the vapor will scape by the same way the water entered.
This is a severe test. I am convinced of its permanency.

YOU ASK:

Are you already producing these products including the paper on which you print in your own factory and where can anyone buy them or as koraks has asked, are the products not yet in production?

MY ANSWER:
about 10 years ago
With Many of my previous inventions, I gave workshops to high school students which use these nobel processes to demonstrate in scientific fairs in their schools in my country.

Many amazed judges
gave some of these students awards for those coffee processes.

It took me 11 years to complete this new LIGHT SENSITIVE COFFEE "Eco Paper".
The goal was to simplified and do away with as many steps as possible in order for children in first grade to conduct this ECO non toxic process. Am happy I have accomplished the purpose.

I will be making available this ECO PAPER when the time comes to some primary schools teachers where I live, probably at the end of this year 2025.
At this time I have no plans to sell it internationally.

I posted for the first time in this forum mainly to let this community know, that analog and alternative photography is not dead.

Research in Sustainable Clean and Permanent Photography goes on.

 

[koraks]

I posted for the first time in this forum mainly to let this community know, that analog and alternative photography is not dead.

And thank you for doing so, @sol bol!
It really sounds almost like magic, but being familiar with the carbon transfer process, your claims regarding permanency do not strike me as odd in particular.
I'd love to hear more about how this process actually works. Is this something you intend to publish at a later stage?

 

[sol bol]

And thank you for doing so, @sol bol!
It really sounds almost like magic, but being familiar with the carbon transfer process, your claims regarding permanency do not strike me as odd in particular.
I'd love to hear more about how this process actually works. Is this something you intend to publish at a later stage?

KORAKS
YOU WRITE:

It really sounds almost like magic, but being familiar with the carbon transfer process, your claims regarding permanency do not strike me as odd in particular.
I'd love to hear more about how this process actually works. Is this something you intend to publish at a later stage?

I ANSWER:

"PHOTO-MAGIC"
Photography is my Natural Religion. The Religion of Light.
Just make a picture of any scene illuminated by the sun with a box without a lens through hole with a plate that has been coated with just asphalt. The result is Magic.


"ECO PAPER" with Light Sensitive Coffee, it is also "PHOTO-MAGIC"
For the last 20 years I worked to make new photographic methods
that do away with:
1) DARKROOMS
2) MANY STEPS.
3) TOXIC CHEMICALS
4) APPARATUSES and GADGETS.

Around 1990 I extracted COFFEE OIL from the roasted coffee bean and made it by unknown means more than 50 times more light sensitive than asphalt.

On the other hand It was only necessary to burn coffee beans until they turned into carbon, grind the coffee carbon to a powder and mix it as pigment with the light sensitive coffee oil,

and thus I had a light sensitive coffee emulsion or paint coated on paper.
It hardened rapidly and selectively on parts exposed to light.
It was developed in a natural soap solution, which dissolved the unhardened oil and not the hardened by light oil.

That was my first "LIGHT SENSITIVE COFFEE" Eco Paper.

It was, like many other of my findings, never disclosed to the public or press.
I made notes and did not pursue this process further because I was too busy with other original research in my labs.

My labs by the way are in a rain forest in Costa Rica with lots of exotic vegetation, plants some of which I researched for its reducing properties and light sensitivity.

I found some roots extremely light sensitive, much more than chlorophyll.

Nature has its secrets, it is the purpose of the alchemists to discover them and put them to a practical use and become a "MAGICIAN".

The new "ECO PAPER

" can produce a PERMANENT photographic image in just "ONE STEP" and in "1 MINUTE"

this single step is simply immersion of the previously exposed ECO PAPER in water.
Thus, in less than "1 minute" the full absolutely permanent image will appear if sprayed with water or if agitation is continual under the water.

This one step: "MAGIC"
-will never cease to amaze the spectators.


"ONE STEP" I say,
because the ECO LIGHT SENSITIVE COFFEE PAPER
can be pre-exposed to light under a negative, months BEFORE it is immersed in plain water for developing its image on a show.

In demonstrations to the public,
The spectators do not have to witness that first step, which is exposure of the coffee Eco paper under a negative.

The LATENT exposed image will endure in the undeveloped in water paper Eco Paper for more than 1 year.

The new "ECO-PAPER" It is also extremely stable. The coated unexposed to light paper will remain light sensitive and good for use at any time; for many years,

not like papers sensitized with Di-chromates, Diazo compounds, iron or other known sensitizers.

YOU ASKED ?
Is this something you intend to publish at a later stage?

I ANSWER:
MAYBE, Nothing belongs to you, even your experience you sooner or later forgeat. All there is, finally belongs to the world.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I posted for the first time in this forum mainly to let this community know, that analog and alternative photography is not dead.

This community has known that for decades...

 

[koraks]

Thanks for your additional explanation @sol bol - the coffee oil sounds very intriguing indeed!
Your lab must be a truly magical place, if only for its location! And yes, there's so much in the rainforest that we don't know about. It's mesmerizing.

 

[cliveh]

I understand how coffee could be used as a developing agent. But what are you adding to the coffee to make it light sensitive, but still non-toxic?

 

[sol bol]

Thanks for your additional explanation @sol bol - the coffee oil sounds very intriguing indeed!
Your lab must be a truly magical place, if only for its location! And yes, there's so much in the rainforest that we don't know about. It's mesmerizing.

This book below was published 20 years ago.
It is not a sum total of all my research and experience of gelatin silver halide chemistry because it has become too vast and diverse with many nobel inventions after 40 years research.

It was not given to the public but only to my friends
and was much appreciated by beginners
as well to very advanced artist and scientist.

I made a "HTML" version long time ago and is totally "FREE".
It may be overwhelming for some,
it has more than 40.000 words, 300 images in 14 chapters.

But If read carefully
it is a valuable tools with data not found anywhere else.

Directions are given to make ULTRA RAPID negative emulsions
of ISO 32 that can be pushed to ISO 64.
I am told this is the most friendly version of silver halide chemistry written in this century.

At the time of this writing it can be seen here:

Light Sensitive Coffee

Make Fadeless in 2 Minutes Coffee PICTURES in two steps. NON TOXIC Only Water is Touched .

cafedesaul.com

 

[cliveh]

For 1999 you say -

"I also found out in that year that silver chloride emulsion could be
fixed with kitchen salt instead of the hypo fixer, and also that coffee was an excellent toning agent. all of this and many other of my discoveries were new."

I think you will find that Fox Talbot discovered that silver chloride emulsion could be
fixed with kitchen salt 165 years before you.

 

[sol bol]

For 1999 you say -

"I also found out in that year that silver chloride emulsion could be
fixed with kitchen salt instead of the hypo fixer, and also that coffee was an excellent toning agent. all of this and many other of my discoveries were new."

I think you will find that Fox Talbot discovered that silver chloride emulsion could be
fixed with kitchen salt 165 years before you.

You are right.
Talbot salted plain paper, then bathed it in a silver nitrate bath to make it light sensitive. He exposed the paper to light and later immersed the silver chloride image in kitchen salt in an attempt to fix it,

that is so light will no longer act on the residual light sensitive silver that remained in the paper.

But this paper had to be kept under subdued light, the "FIXING" was not perfect.
the remaining silver would eventually darken under the action of light.

it was later found in those years that a potassium iodide bath made a more efficient fixer for plain salted paper made with excess silver, but it stained the whites yellow, as "yellow "SILVER IODIDE WAS FORMED.

All the above applies for plain silver chloride salted paper.

But silver chloride embedded or emulsified in a gelatin, of which my post refers, is a gelatin emulsion fabricated with excess chloride as is usual for gelatin silver emulsions for development.

and these CAN NOT be fixed in a salt solution, that is the reason why sodium thiosulphate (hypo) was always historically used for that purpose.

It would have been nice instead to fix this silver chloride paper in a non toxic, ecological item found in all kitchens. kitchen salt (sodium chloride)

My research made this gelatin silver chloride gelatin emulsion perfectly fixed in solutions of kitchen salt, after exposure to light and development.

The exposed and developed images on this silver chloride gelatin emulsion fixed with salt was exposed days under the sun without darkening.

it was perfectly fixed

 

[koraks]

That's another very fascinating claim. I'd love to learn what makes this possible.

 

[cliveh]

If you read Talbot’s notebooks P and Q you will see that he also found that permanent fixation as opposed to stabilisation could occur with the correct ratio of AgNo3 dilution to salt concentration. The reason he didn’t bother to stay with that process is because it moved on to the use of sodium thiosulphate as fixer. Therefore, it is not your new discovery in 1999.

 

[pentaxuser]

A question for Saul( the author of this thread) and/or the other participants. I mention the others as it may be obvious to them what the answer is and if so excuse my uncertainty but ít sounds as if the light in question has to be UV only and not the kind that enlargers use?.

So if this is the case then the process of developing resembles that of an alternative process requiring UV light be that sunlight or a UV lamp indoors. So if you want other than a very small print then you need either an LF camera for a bigger negative or you make a larger digital negative via a scanner and inkjet printer?

As I say excuse my ignorance when, what I have asked confirmation of, may be very obvious to others

Thanks

pentaxuser

 

[MattKing]

Therefore, it is not your new discovery in 1999.

It certainly could have been new to him in 1999.

 

[sol bol]

If you read Talbot’s notebooks P and Q you will see that he also found that permanent fixation as opposed to stabilisation could occur with the correct ratio of AgNo3 dilution to salt concentration. The reason he didn’t bother to stay with that process is because it moved on to the use of sodium thiosulphate as fixer. Therefore, it is not your new discovery in 1999.

YOU WRITE:
If you read Talbot’s notebooks P and Q you will see that he also found that permanent fixation as opposed to stabilisation could occur with the correct ratio of AgNo3 dilution to salt concentration.
The reason he didn’t bother to stay with that process is because it moved on to the use of sodium thiosulphate as fixer.
Therefore, it is not your new discovery in 1999.
MY ANSWER:
Any doubts about the true facts of our conversations can be very easy be settled thus:
1)
I invite you to expose and developed as usual an image in a paper of a silver chloride gelatin emulsion of your own making or of any commercially available silver chloride paper, if any.

2)
now try to fix it in a solution of kitchen salt, for 1 hour, 24 hours or 3 days. The exposed and developed image on the said silver chloride gelatin emulsion paper: "WILL NOT FIX".

3)
Now expose and developed according to my directions, my special paper of a silver chloride gelatin emulsion made for fixing in plain kitchen salt on paper:
" IT WILL FIX IN KITCHEN SALT SOLUTION IN 10 MINUTES ! "

Now, I am not interested in marketing this my "new to the world" silver chloride paper because it is "OBSOLETE" for me.

It can be shown however "LIVE" documented in television or shown to experts and students in my gallery as usual.

This process is "OBSOLETE" as are all of my previous inventions many of which I have never published or will never be posted in this forum.

All Are "OBSOLETE" because All My attention is now focused in a more sustainable, cheaper, simpler and ecological and 1000% clean photographic process:

"LIGHT SENSITIVE COFFEE"
non toxic, ecological Permanent Pictures

"in 1 Step" which requires for the user only one resource available in all households: "WATER".

Friendly to children and senior citizen that are the most vulnerable people of the planet.

 

[cliveh]

I have experimented with this process in the early 1990's and obtained a stable silver chloride print. You sir are ***** (critical comment edited by moderator). Incidentally, I like your reference to 1000%

Moderator note: temperate language please.

 

[Daniela]

Bienvenido, Saul! Fascinating stuff!

 

[koraks]

Now expose and developed according to my directions, my special paper of a silver chloride gelatin emulsion made for fixing in plain kitchen salt on paper:
" IT WILL FIX IN KITCHEN SALT SOLUTION IN 10 MINUTES ! "

Now, I am not interested in marketing this my "new to the world" silver chloride paper because it is "OBSOLETE" for me.

OK, but with all due respect, what you're telling us is that the proof of your method hides safely with you and is not accessible to anyone else. At the same time, you argue that you have no interest in marketing the silver chloride paper since it's obsolete, but you also don't provide details of what makes it fixable with kitchen salt.

Surely, if you're concerned by the safety of people, it would be a logical course of action to give the world population access to your innovation. That way, it can actually make a difference.

 

[sol bol]

I have experimented with this process in the early 1990's and obtained a stable silver chloride print. You sir are ***** (critical comment edited by moderator). Incidentally, I like your reference to 1000%

Moderator note: temperate language please.

What I mentioned in the beginning of this thread was that around 1999
I found that silver chloride gelatin emulsion could be fixed with kitchen salt instead of the hypo fixer.

But now,
because it is relevant to this particular post I may not waste my energy if I also add that:

1) Not only can I make gelatin silver chloride emulsions that can be fixed in kitchen salt, by unknown means, but also:

2) that in the year 2023 I also found that gelatin SILVER "BROMIDE" Positive or Negative emulsions coated on "ANY SUPPORT" can be fixed in ordinary kitchen salt solutions using my directions and original methods sustained by my discoveries.

This fact was not found by accident, it was the result of very careful tests of previous observed facts I had discovered before in previous years in my research pertaining to silver halides.

These tests in the end of the year 2023 were made only for the sole purpose of confirming my previous findings, because I intented to move away from silver halides, to other directions in my experiments.

I had however pending answers to questions about silver that I had not before resolved and I was moving to the year 2024 to completely dedicate my time and effort to my research of:
LIGHT SENSITIVE COFFEE.

With these last experiments that were successful in 2023 on gelatin silver halide photography; I proved myself I was not wrong:

"Silver bromide as well as silver chloride can be fixed by my means in ordinary kitchen salt".
I see no sense or purpose to convince others that I am right.

fame, money or glory have never distracted me before from my objectives. Even less those, at my age, will affect me now.

by the way, about silver:

totally free to the world is my book:
"HOW TO MAKE PHOTOGRAPHIC PLATES AND PAPER"
with more than 40.000 words and 300 images,

this "HTML" book in 14 chapters will direct any one step by step of how to make "ULTRA RAPID NEGATIVE SILVER EMULSIONS" to be used in the camera

as well as how to make and coat on any substrate; -Positive gelatin SILVER CHLORIDE o BROMIDE emulsions to be used with or without a darkroom.

You will find there also how to make your own silver nitrate sensitizer and sodium thiosulphate fixer. In the tradition of old alchemist
I make almost all photographic salts in my chemical lab.

All of the formulas in that book you will not find some where else, they are original of my research.

Light Sensitive Coffee

Make Fadeless in 2 Minutes Coffee PICTURES in two steps. NON TOXIC Only Water is Touched .

cafedesaul.com

 

[koraks]

totally free to the world is my book:
"HOW TO MAKE PHOTOGRAPHIC PLATES AND PAPER"
with more than 40.000 words and 300 images,

How can interested readers obtain or access this book, please?
The page you've linked to does not contain any link to it, nor any information of how to obtain the information.

 

[sol bol]

How can interested readers obtain or access this book, please?
The page you've linked to does not contain any link to it, nor any information of how to obtain the information.

Light Sensitive Coffee

Make Fadeless in 2 Minutes Coffee PICTURES in two steps. NON TOXIC Only Water is Touched .

cafedesaul.com

I will fix the problem in a few minutes
thank you