Re: Fresson = Echague Look.

[Sandy King <sanking@clemson.edu>]

My understanding on this, and I could be wrong, is that Ortiz Echague 
did not buy an actual machine, but engineering information and 
drawings that allowed him to make his own machine.

There could well have been multiple coating machines. Bear in mind 
that this is a very low tech process that could be carried out in 
several different ways as is true with making carbon transfer tissue. 
In the old days most carbon tissue was made with the pick-up method 
in which a roll of paper was passed over a warm vat of gelatin 
solution. This is how B&S makes the tissue, or at least I believe 
they make it this way. It is also possible to make tissue by pouring 
the tissue on top of the paper, evening it out with a rod or blade.

In any event there is nothing complicated about any of this, though 
for good results consistent working procedures are absolutely 
essential. For example, making carbon tissue when the working 
conditions are 75F is a totally different proposition than working at 
65F.

For an individual interested in making relatively small amounts of 
carbon tissue the pour on method is by far the easiest and takes up 
the least amount of space. Using a leveled table that measures about 
32" X 35" I am able to pour between 10-12 sheets of 26" X 32" carbon 
tissue in less than a couple of hours, allowing about 10 minutes at 
70F for the sheets to set before moving them to a drying rack. The 
same procedures would work just as well, IMO, for making a direct 
carbon paper.


Sandy King





At 5:19 PM +0100 1/16/08, Tom Sobota wrote:
> John,
>
> I remember reading somewhere that in the 1960's there were several 
> Fressons who were descendants of the inventor of the method. One of 
> them sold the patent to Ortiz. The others are still active with the 
> process at the Atelier Fresson. Probably at that time there existed 
> two or more machines.
>
> Tom Sobota
> Madrid, Spain
>
> John Grocott wrote:
> > Hi All,
> >              Jose Ortiz Echague, undoubtedly,  though the galactic 
> > amount of  successful prints he made by Fresson methods,  has 
> > become almost synonymous with this Direct Carbon process.
> >                 Other  well known photographers such as Sheila 
> > Metzner had their pictures made by the Fressons. Echague, himself, 
> > worked with the Direct Carbon paper which was sold to him.  The 
> > Fressons gave Echague the formulae for the emulsions together with 
> > the machine to mass produce the paper for himself  since they 
> > discontinued making it for commercial sales.  One wonders how  the 
> > Fressons continued to make the paper, as they still do to this very 
> > day for their own use, if they never had another  machine or 
> > alternative method standing by..............
> >  I am dabbling with plans to make a machine tho' most of my  Direct 
> > Carbon coating methods have so far been successfully  done, by 
> > hand, without a machine.  Marek seems to be achieving good results, 
> > also,  without a machine.
> >  Hey Ho. The quest goes on +on + on + on + on.............
> >  John - Photographist - London - UK