Katharine,
I looked back and the Lake was the only example in the last portfolio. I had some more for this round, but it has not gotten off the ground yet. The scans in the prtfolio are a bit flat and dull looking. Because of the high pigment concentration the gum layer is matt and dark, not a typical gloss look associated with gum.
Marek
> Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:59:13 -0800 > From: kthayer@pacifier.com > Subject: Re: The Fresson/Arvel Process > To: alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca > > > On Nov 27, 2007, at 1:52 PM, Marek Matusz wrote: > > > Very interesting thread. I was in the Big Bend NP hiking and taking > > pictures, happy without a computer or cel phone for a few days. I > > only got to read some of the emails now. > > Here is my comment from the practical standpoint of a gum printer. > > My one coat gum prints have eveloved to a practice that gives > > maximum darks and long (relative) tonal range of the final print > > (not to be confused with long negative density range). Some of my > > prints were included in the travelling portfolio last time around. > > Hi Marek; I was curious to see examples of this. The latest > traveling portfolio that I see online is 2006; that one as far as I > can tell includes one print treated this way: Louisiana Lake. Are > there others in that portfolio, or/and is there another later > portfolio that has more examples? > > In some simple tests of gum hardening, I found that while boiling > water or dilute acid didn't dissolve exposed (crosslinked) > dichromated gum, a drop of standard strength household bleach > dissolved it instantly. I've speculated from that observation that > the bleach undoes the crosslinking somehow, although I don't know > that for sure. I can see how overexposure and diluting the bleach > would be useful to ensure dissolving some of the hardened gum without > dissolving it all, and I can see how it would take some finesse to > dissolve enough of the shadows in heavily overexposed gum to open > them up without dissolving the highlights. It's an interesting idea > and looks like you've learned to use it with skill. > katharine > > > > > Here is a description of my pratice. > > Coat the paper with gelatine / harden it. > > FOr the gum layer I prefer highly pigmented carbon black. > > Use longer exposure (3 to 5 times normal exposures). I really have > > not tried to push it even further. > > Soak in water to remove dichromate. > > Develop in a weak chlorox solution. My dilution is about 20 cc/ > > liter of water. Could be as little as 10cc if I want slow action or > > as much as 40 to 50. Once the print starts bleeding the pigment I > > place it in water and watch for a few minutes following the > > development. If the development is slow, dip back in chlorox for a > > few minutes. The reason for moving it back and forth is that the > > action of chlorox continues for a few minutes and it is easy to > > just wash the gum layer completely. > > Actually I use this method a lot for my tricolor gum prints as well.
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