Re: VDB metal bleed in water bath

[Sandy King <sanking@clemson.edu>]

Title: Re: VDB metal bleed in water bath

I really understand your problem with humidity in Toronto this time of year. Mark Nelson and I did a Pt./Pd. workshop up there a couple of weeks ago and the low humidity was a major problem.

Humidity is important just prior to exposure and during exposure, but if you coat and dry in a humid room and then immediately expose in a room with less humidity you may be ok. But you need to work fast, because a room with very low humidity, say 20% or less, will really suck the moisture out of the paper.

In lieu of Tween you might try a spirt called Everclear, adding just a drop or two per ml of coating solution. Everclear is a pure grain alcohol about 190 proof and I use it from time to time with some papers and it seems to help give a more even coating.

Sandy

At 8:34 AM -0500 12/22/06, david drake wrote:

> thanks for your replies Loris and
> Judy.
> If I can get a hold of some, it seems
> that Tween 20 is the best plan of  action. I also came across
> some good info on Mike Ware's website in regards to the Argyrotype
> process:

        "If there is any 'bleeding' of colloidal silver metal, indicated by a red-brown stain running off dense areas of the image, then the paper fibres are failing to trap the colloidal silver particles, and it is likely that insufficient Tween has been used or the paper is unsuitable"

>
> I have two questions:
> - I have been attempting to coat the
> paper in a higher humidity environment (it's very dry up here in
> canada) and have almost 50% RH, but I am exposing and processing at a
> different location. Is humidity also important just prior to and at
> the exposure stage?
> - Would Photoflo work just as well as
> Tween? How much Photoflo would one add to the coating solution? Mike
> Ware includes Tween in his Argyrotype recipe at the amount of .2 cc in
> 100 cc solution.
> - any idea where on would find Tween 20
> other than ordering from B&S? I'm in Toronto, for anyone reading
> from this neck of the woods. (oh, I'm sorry, that's three questions
> :)
>
> Mike Ware's website Argyrotype
> page:
> http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:gOeGORrqpPcJ:www.mikeware.co.uk/mikeware/Argyrotype_Process.html+Van+dyke+printing+staining+problem&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=9&client=safari
>
> thanks very much,
> david
>
>
>
>
> On 21-Dec-06, at 2:56 AM, Loris Medici
> wrote:
> > You can try to use some Tween (or Ilfotol
> > or Photoflo) in the coating
> > solution (additionally; try to humify the
> > paper before coating) - it
> > seems you have coating solution
> > absorbtion problems. I also occasionally
> > got bleeding w/ double coated Vandyke but
> > not staining (I mean on a
> > perceptible / disturbing scale).
> > Agitating more vigorously may help too.
> > You can switch to another paper with a
> > better sizing or size before
> > using. (BTW, Sandy can provide you useful
> > information about Stonehenge
> > and iron-silver processes; IIRC, he
> > uses/used that paper extensively for
> > Kallitypes.)
> >
> > Regards,
> > Loris.
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: david drake [mailto:daviddrakephoto@sympatico.ca]
> > Sent: 21 Aralžk 2006 Pers¸embe
> > 06:44
> > To: alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca
> > Subject: VDB metal bleed in water
> > bath
> >
> >
> > hello
> >
> >
> > Processing some VanDykes today, a number
> > of them started 'bleeding'
> > from the masked borders. This bleeding 
> > developed into stains. I tried
> > both leaving the print image size down in
> > the initial water bath (with
> > very little agitation) and ,at the same
> > time, not adding citric acid to
> > the water bath. This did work, for the
> > most part . I'm thinking that it
> > was probably the inversion of the print
> > which helped;  but,  could the
> > citric acid play a part in this problem? 
> > If the initial water bath was
> > too acidic  could it cause
> > bleediing?
> > I should also say that I was printing on
> > Stonehenge and the paper was
> > double coated.
> > I have found very little information
> > about this staining problem and was
> > hoping that someone might have some
> > answers or at least a better remedy.
> > I also really like the look of stonehenge
> > with palladium toned VDB and
> > am hesitant to switching
> > papers.
> >
> >
> > thanks
> > david
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > david drake photography
> > www.daviddrakephotography.com
>
> david drake photography
> www.daviddrakephotography.com