Re: Paper - baby oil Digi Negs

[Judy Seigel <jseigel@panix.com>]

On Tue, 25 Aug 2009, Jacek Gonsalves wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> I've got some Epson Quality plain paper and oiled them using baby oil on the 
> back to make transparent digital negs. Once I've used them, they dry up over 
> time and become less transparent.
> Just wondering if I re-oiling them would it be ok to reuse them or would the 
> oil somehow affect the desnity of the ink as the oil seaps through?
I tested every oil I could find for oiling negatives (baby oil, mineral 
oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, sewing machine oil, canola oil, etc. etc. 
etc.) There wasn't a one that didn't start to dry within a day, or two at 
most.  I finally solved the problem with -- not paraffin, but beeswax, 
which doesn't mottle like paraffin and doesn't dry like oil.  I wrote this 
up in Post-Factory #8, 6 or 7 years ago, so I don't recall details 
perfectly, but am certain of the gist-- it was for sure a shock, but true.

> What do you do with your digi negs paper oiled negs once your done? How do 
> you store them?
Unless you have a new special oil, or maybe a varnish of some kind... 
you're going to have to oil them again anyway, so .... whatever.

PS.  I checked the different oils on negatives at intervals with a 
densitometer for those findings.  Just by eye, the drying is not 
necessarily evident. And since odds are you'll do a test strip with a neg 
not used for some time, you may readjust as you go along, so no problem.

Judy