U of S | Mailing List Archive | alt-photo-process-l | Re: Suggestions for sizing gum in an apartment

Re: Suggestions for sizing gum in an apartment



Thanks for the update Katharine. Fabriano Artisitico is a crisper surface, but the Arches Platine and BFK Rives (I have some of that hanging out) aren't so the Gamblin PVA Size may work for me. I'm definitely one to just give it a go and see how it works for me anyway--tried doing gum over without a size last night, but the stain was unsightly.

On Wed, Aug 19, 2009 at 10:44 AM, Katharine Thayer <kthayer@pacifier.com> wrote:
I'm one who tried it (and yes, I did try the right product) and didn't like it.   I used it at full concentration, since one person who uses it successfully applies it  at full strength, and it gave me a hard, shiny surface that the gum didn't stick to well, and even diluted by half it was still too plastic-y for my taste ; any less didn't provide enough sizing.  In a conversation here,  (too hurried to look it up in the archives) I think we agreed that it probably depends a lot on the paper;  Jim uses a more absorbent paper and the stuff soaks in more, while I use a paper with a very crisp surface (Arches bright white) and the stuff sits more on top.  So I think it's probably a matter of playing around with concentrations until you get a combination that works with your paper.   While I didn't like it for my own work with my own materials, I would definitely recommend it for people looking for a nontoxic size; I know it works like a charm for several people, and I certainly wasn't intending to discourage anyone from trying it, simply reporting my own experience with it.

Katharine