Re: VDB

[Ryuji Suzuki <rs@silvergrain.org>]

From: Jordan Wosnick <jwosnick@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: VDB
Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2007 22:40:39 -0500

> Sandy -- My system is nowhere near as intricate as yours. I
> am in an apartment and just use a corner of the kitchen for
> all my photographic work (no dedicated space for
> photography, regrettably). I put a pot of water on the stove
> and keep it at a very low simmer for the duration of the
> printing session. When the kitchen door is closed, this
> produces a fairly stable RH of 50% or so. Low-tech, but it
> does make my VDB results much better. I coat and print in
> this environment.

I boil water too but that's for tea and it's also outside of
darkroom...

Why don't you use some mild humectant like glycols and sugar
derivatives in your coating solution so that the moisture is
retained even at a low RH? In low humidity season I usually
use a bit more triethylene glycol... but glycerol works as
well. Glycols and glycerols wash off into processing
water/solution so there is no harm in finished work as long as
you pick a compound compatible with the process.

--
Ryuji Suzuki
http://silvergrain.org
"I'm as mad as hell and I am not going to take this any more."
(Peter Finch as Howard Beale, Network, 1976)