RE: Gum Humidity Question
Tom Sobota mentions a problem that I find most problematic about a drier environment: the tendency of dry paper to gulp down emulsion faster than it can be applied. For what it is worth, I thought I would pass along a short description of my own procedure when working with paper. I have a pretty anarchistic approach to gum printing. I can tolerate most kinds of mistakes and screw-up and have been known to employ belt sanders and propane torches to remove gum in drastic situations and STILL end up with a satisfactory print. However the own thing that I *cannot* tolerate is lack of registration, and paper tends to shrink and expand dramatically depending upon humidity. I have placed a small mist vaporizer in a box where I keep my paper when I am working on it. Before I coat any emulsion, the paper goes in this box until it gets as relaxed as a piece of over-cooked pappardelle. Really really damp. The emulsion goes on with no problems. Then the paper goes into my tiny darkroom which is constantly dried by means of a dehumidifier. It turns bone dry quickly - and shrinks nearly a centimeter in the process. Then is goes BACK into this rainforest of a box to get soggy again, expand, and I usually make the exposure while the paper is still quite damp. This highly humid paper clears more consistently than paper under drier conditions. I've left coated paper in this box for a day with no ill effects. Keith www.gumphoto.com
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