Re: Types of Gum? Dyes instead of pigments?

[Keith Gerling <keith.gerling@gmail.com>]

I've had considerable success using fish glue as my colloid, although I've found the results to be rather unpredictable.   Tragacanth I've found to be totally useless: it won't dissolve completely (it's odd: almost as if it were two gums put together - one that dissolves and the other that just floats around in flakes.  I keep meaning to see if I can't somehow separate them...)  Guar (or is it tara? - it's been awhile) will harden fine with dichromates, but the unhardened gum won't wash away!  It just sits there on the surface of the print, all "gummy".  One can remove it carefully, but why bother.  In any event, I've tried several gums looking for a holy grail, and keep coming back to plain ole gum arabic.

As for dyes, the biggest problem I've found is that they stain.  Meaning that if you put some on paper, it won't wash out.  On glass and metal, though, they work OK.

Keith

www.gumphoto.com

On 10/16/07, Don Sweet <don@sweetlegal.co.nz> wrote:

This chap is experimenting to see whether the plant dyes used in anthotypes
are reasonably permanent.
http://www.alternativephotography.com/articles/art098.html

Don Sweet

----- Original Message -----
From: "Christina Z. Anderson" <zphoto@montana.net>
To: < alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca>
Sent: Wednesday, October 17, 2007 2:40 AM
Subject: Re: Types of Gum? Dyes instead of pigments?


> Nope, and nope, Jacek.
>
> However, there are a number on this list doing Temperaprint, or using
> gloy...and, of course, gelatin as in carbon printing.  Also albumen.
>
> I don't know why plant dyes wouldn't work if they could be suspended in
the
> gum, but you'd want to worry about archival colors.  Could you test it and
> tell us what happens?
> Chris
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jacek" <gonsaj@iinet.net.au>
> To: < alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca>
> Sent: Sunday, October 14, 2007 9:13 PM
> Subject: Types of Gum? Dyes instead of pigments?
>
>
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I was wondering if anyone used another form of a binder in Gum
Bichromate
> > printing. Most of the sources I've read have all used Gum Arabic, though
> > there are many other that exist Gum tragacanth,Guar Gum, Locust Bean
Gum,
> > Tara Gum, Xanthan Gum etc.
> > Perhaps a different gum might hold more pigment or give another
aesthetic
> > result?
> >
> > Other than using watercolour pigments, has anyone tried using dyes? I
> > presume that a pigment is a insoluble powder, when using gum and
exposing
> > to light the pigment is trapped, where a dye used perhaps the gum can't
> > trap the soluble liquid? Though is it possible to take a dye and make it
> > into a pigment? Silly question perhaps? :) I had this idea to use plant
> > dyes for my colours, wondering if its feasible or not?
> >
> > Cheers
> > Jacek
> >
>