Sandy,
From
my own practical experience the making off a successful Direct Carbon paper
is, by far, much less of a demanding project than making Carbon Transfer
Tissue. I feel that your beliefs are rather overestimating what,
exactly, is required to make a successful Direct Carbon paper. As you
point out, your belief is that Art Chakalis has ,
'' plenty of technical expertise'', in these matters and
, after all, he did buy a patent to prove it. To me, his images
look pretty good altho' I have only seen them on monitor screen.
I have never, as yet, even in his books, seen a
reproduction of a Direct Carbon Fresson print by Luis Nadeau. But
the work of Jose Ortiz Echague is entirely another matter.
It would be difficult to disagree that there was something viable
going in that direction ?
I have made Carbon Transfer Tissue, myself, and so have had a fair chance
of comparing the effort and ''complications'' involved in producing both types
of carbon coated papers. The results I have satisfy my own desires just as
your work satisfies Dick and paying customers, your followers and
yourself . So, that's OK, isnt it ?
It
is my belief that the actual formulae for ''Fresson Type''
Direct Carbon paper emulsions is what differs, drastically, from many of the
other D/C papers marketed around the end of the 19 C. Also, the
bleach method of development for Arvel Fresson paper was
unique. This Arvel paper was made and marketed for fifteen years prior to
World War Two so that, I guess, was finacially viable, over that
period, for them.
There are a burgeoning number of
photo artists making Gum prints because the knowledge
and materials are readily available. With potential Direct Carbon
printers it is another matter. The knowledge is missing and it is this
information that is really viable .
Whether Direct Carbon paper will ever be manufactured, again, commercially,
remains to be seen. Visualizing who would buy this proprietory product is not
difficult :-
Universities and art colleges/schools with photo
faculties, photo printers working for photographers in the field of fine
art who have knowledge of both digital and trad, basically. And, not
forgetting the domestic hobbyist, to name a few.
There is some financial potential in writing about
how pointless it is to consider the viability of making Direct Carbon
paper.
''Use what you've got and use what you ain't got, too.''
( Seymour Krim .
'' Making It ! The Beat Scene''
1 9 6 0 )
Best wishes in your endeavours.
John - Photographist - London - UK.
...........................................................................................
Sandy King wrote : -
John,
I simply don't believe that making a good quality direct carbon paper
requires a great deal of technical expertise. Back in the early 20th century
there were literally dozens of such papers on the market, most made by fairly
low tech operations. Based on my own knowledge of the way some of these papers
were made the technical aspects don't appear any more complicated than making a
good quality carbon tissue for carbon transfer.
My own belief is that Dick Sullivan and a number of other people, including
Luis Nadeau and Art Chaklis, have plenty of technical expertise to produce
such a paper if they thought it would make money. The fact that it ain't
happening tells me all I need to know.
Sandy King
At 3:27 PM +0000 1/12/08, John Grocott wrote:
I feel sure that if Dick
Sullivan had the know how and technical expertise to make and market a Direct
Carbon paper which would respond exactly as described in many published
accounts of the development procedure, including that which is in Philippe's
expensive book, Dick would risk investing in it.
But that is Dick's
business, and as my Grandfather always said, ''Mind your
own business and you will have a business to
mind.''
The correspondence on this
List, by now, must be reaching many thousands, if not millions, of readers
including educators, students, entrepreneurs, gallery owners, museum curators,
art photo investors, hobbyists, photo journalists and technical authors and
publishers, not to mention w/s organizers of photo alternatives, so the
potential money making aspect of such a highly secret process seems to be
quite viable.
Think
on.
Optimistically.
John - Photographist -
London - UK