U of S | Mailing List Archive | alt-photo-process-l | Re: glyoxal v. formaldehyde

Re: glyoxal v. formaldehyde




On Tue, 8 Apr 2008, Alberto Novo wrote:

My suggetion is to plan how many sheets you need and seize them some months earlier, cutting the amount of hardener.
Of course -- I size as many sheets as possible, so I usually have some on hand... though I note that it's been SAID that the gelatin ages, that "old" gelatin-sized paper will be deteriorated. I haven't found this, but then I haven't found a helluvalot of other stuff said either.

For instance a couple of folks (I think it was) said they didn't like the *feel* of gelatin with glyoxal... That it's "rough." If so, I never noticed it... but I suspect that's anyway because they're putting the glyoxal IN THE GELATIN. That's a whole other operation... I cringe at the thought. People do it, but then they do all sorts of things (like plugging loud sounds directly into their ears to make themselves deaf, or going above 14th Street, or wearing their pants so low when they bend over you see 3 inches of crack, as I noticed today in a hefty (tho winsome) young thing on Bleecker Street -- NOT the most adorable view of the day, IMO-- tho I ws at fault for not getting my camera out fast enough.

But I digress... I realize it's entirely possible that folks who put the hardener IN the gelatin are the best printers of all -- they STILL manage to make good gums while following this strange method tht invites all sorts of hassles... but, for the record, honest, a quick bath in hardener after the gelatine has dried is no trouble at all, and in my experience, more controllable & less suceptible to weirdnesses.

And, as I noted yesterday, it cn be rinsed, so the paper doesn't yellow on storage. Etc.

J.