Re: Gumming big

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

As I was using 60" rolls of lith film I made some negatives at
60"x60", but I never got around to making a tray that big, so I
"developed" some pictures with a garden hose with mixed results.  My
tray size is 48x48", so printing on a 48" substrate, the biggest
actual image size was about 36" square.  They were actually pretty
easy to make.   The process I described works very well.  As the time
I was using a ratio of 1 part gum to 1 part saturates Pot Dich.  By
diluting it further and putting the water right onto the surface of
the print, the gum emulsion is very manageable.  In fact, I used to
dry it with a hair drier as I was smoothing it out with a brush.
Space was a problem.  I used to coat, dry and develop out of doors in
the morning.  The biggest issues I had were wind catching the prints
as they hung on a clothesline, debris flying into them, and cats
walking all over them as they lay in the grass.  At present I am very
content with printing at smaller sizes.

On Thu, Apr 3, 2008 at 10:00 AM,  <john@johnbrewerphotography.com> wrote:
> Hi Keith
>
>  What is the largest size you print at? The largest gums I do are 8x10 and I
>  coat as you do and sometimes as Clay does with a roller. Gumming at 44x30
>  though must be a real challenge.
>
>  John.
>
>  -----Original Message-----
>  From: Keith Gerling [mailto:keith.gerling@gmail.com]
>  Sent: 03 April 2008 16:14
>  To: alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca
>  Subject: Re: SPE and alt update
>
>  Whether large or small, I coat with a foam brush and smooth with a
>  cheap soft-bristle brush.  One issue with coating gum is to get the
>  emulsion even before it dries - and this can be a big problem with
>  large areas.  One trick that works with many papers and alternative
>  substrates such as gessoed wood and aluminum (but unfortunately not,
>  for me at least, the Masa paper I am using at present) is to heavily
>  mist the surface with water, brush it even, and let it sit for a
>  moment.
>
>
>  On Thu, Apr 3, 2008 at 7:48 AM, Clay Harmon <wcharmon@wt.net> wrote:
>  > I use a dense foam roller.
>  >
>  >
>  >  On Apr 3, 2008, at 8:45 AM, john@johnbrewerphotography.com wrote:
>  >
>  >
>  > > How does she (do you) coat such large sheets evenly with gum?
>  > >
>  > > John
>  > >
>  > > www.johnbrewerphotography.com
>  > >
>  > > -----Original Message-----
>  > > From: wcharmon@wt.net [mailto:wcharmon@wt.net]
>  > > Sent: 02 April 2008 21:57
>  > > To: alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca
>  > > Subject: Re: SPE and alt update
>  > >
>  > > Another tidbit I picked up from talking shop with her was that she is
>  > > making her negatives for her  'small' prints (22x30!!!) using
>  conventional
>  > > film enlarged negatives. Only for her elephant sized prints (I think she
>  > > said these were 44x30) does she use digital negatives.
>  > >
>  > >
>  > > >
>  > > >
>  > > > On Tue, 1 Apr 2008, Clay Harmon wrote:
>  > > >
>  > > > CUT
>  > > >
>  > > >
>  > > > > Fortunately one of the alt-artists was Soo Kang Kim (sp?), a South
>  > > > > Korean
>  > > > > gummist who produces large and luscious tri-color gums. I chatted
>  with
>  > > > > her
>  > > > > for a while, and she mentioned that many of her 22x30 inch gums have
>  > as
>  > > > > many
>  > > > > as 10 gum layers on them. I was impressed with her incredible
>  > technique.
>  > > > > The
>  > > > > prints are compositionally spare and just (as they say here in
>  Texas)
>  > > > > purdy
>  > > > > as all get-out.  If you ever get a chance to see her work, jump at
>  the
>  > > > > opportunity.
>  > > > >
>  > > >
>  > > >
>  > > > Sookang Kim was my student at Pratt years ago (notice I don't say how
>  > many
>  > > > years), and one of the most interesting things about that (to me,
>  > anyway)
>  > > > was that her very first gum print was as sophisticated in imagery and
>  > > > superb in technique as if she'd been gum printing for years.  I gather
>  > > > she's doing color seps now, and imagine them sep-urb, but in those
>  > > > (ancient) times she (and most of us) did them from black and white
>  negs,
>  > > > usually 35 mm enlarged onto... lith film!
>  > > >
>  > > > As noted, her instant mastery (mistressy?) was uncanny... Whoever has
>  a
>  > > > copy of Post-Factory #1 can see a black & white repro (printed much
>  too
>  > > > black, hence very rough idea) of one of her first prints on page 6,
>  with
>  > a
>  > > > brief outline of technique.
>  > > >
>  > > > And PS.  The only reason I can see to lament "alt" printing
>  overshadowed
>  > > > by digital printing is that our supplies (dichromate, + other
>  chemicals
>  > > > etc.) could be harder to come by. Otherwise, anyone can press a
>  > button...
>  > > > And the image is important, too... not just the process. (When the
>  blend
>  > > > of process & image is perfect, it's perfect.)
>  > > >
>  > > > J.
>  > > >
>  > > >
>  > > >
>  > >
>  > >
>  > >
>  > >
>  > >
>  > >
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>  > > 17:37
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