U of S | Mailing List Archive | alt-photo-process-l | Re: outdoor gum demo

Re: outdoor gum demo



On Wed, 15 Apr 2009, Laura V wrote:

This is all very interesting...I've never "tested" the amount of ambient light I can get away with, since the exposure unit I use is in a dark room, I always coat in there, under safe light since I assumed using flourescents would be bad.
I don't know why it's part of the "lore" that fluorescent lights will expose emulsion, either of gum or other hand-coated process. My studio has only fluorescent light (and/or north daylight -- no direct sun) and I taught gum printing for 14 years in a school lab with only fluorescent lights, set on a ceiling that was actually lower than my studio ceiling. We/I never found any effect at all from those lights. In fact, I cannot imagine coating by safelight -- the dichromate is yellow, the safelight is yellow -- how in tarnation can you tell if your coat is smooth or even OK?

Which is to say, if you can coat well by safelight, IMO you're so adroit, you can do anything, and if glitches occur, just say that's what you were planning.

Judy