U of S | Mailing List Archive | alt-photo-process-l | Re: masa questions Re: Paper negatives- Ink Selection

Re: masa questions Re: Paper negatives- Ink Selection



Hi Katherine,

The paper does get pretty wavy.  The thin nature of the paper makes it
very easy to register a negative over a coated image.  I usually
register the part of the image that I find most important (usually the
center), tape things together, put it in a contact frame and hope for
the best.  My pictures are pretty large and I find that the problems
seem to even each other out, if that makes any sense.

On Thu, Oct 16, 2008 at 10:38 AM, Katharine Thayer <kthayer@pacifier.com> wrote:
>
> On Oct 16, 2008, at 7:25 AM, Keith Gerling wrote:
>>
>>  As I think I have discussed before, I like to
>> humidify the paper prior to coating to make it less "grabby".  Masa
>> doesn't work that way.  In an interim step between humidification and
>> thinner emulsion, I was spraying the surface of the paper with water.
>> Since I was diluting it anyway, as a move towards More Consistancy and
>> Less Loosey Goosey I just added the water to the mix.
>
>
> Keith, I was just about to ask you a couple more questions about masa, and I
> find you've answered one of them here; it  had to do with the "grabbiness"
> of the paper.  I find this paper "grabby"  (smooth side, sized) in a way
> that no other paper I've ever used has been.  I don't much like adding
> water; it does make the paper less grabby, but I don't like the printing
> qualities of the water-added emulsion.  It also seems to promote pigment
> stain, and the added water makes the paper more wavy/wrinkly while coating.
>
> Which leads to the other question;  do you have any special tricks for
> registering this paper? I'm managing so far but finding it rather  difficult
> and time-consuming and a little more hair-raisingly uncertain than I'm
> comfortable with.   I've learned how to handle the paper in developing and
> drying so it dries after each printing perfectly flat and smooth, but in
> coating especially with added water, it gets wavy again;  the coated paper
> dries that way, all corrugated, which makes it difficult to register.  Any
> thoughts, suggestions?
>
> I realize I'm crossing threads here, sorry.
> Katharine
>