NOSTALGIA; WAY OFF TOPIC

[BOB KISS <bobkiss@caribsurf.com>]

DEAR LIST,
	When Judy mentioned that she was going to hear Robert Frank speak
yesterday, I responded off list with the story below.  Judy has suggested
that I share this with the list.  I hope you will enjoy it.
		CHEERS!
			BOB

-----Original Message-----
From: BOB KISS [mailto:bobkiss@caribsurf.com] 
Sent: Friday, October 09, 2009 3:42 PM
To: 'Judy Seigel'
Subject: OFF LIST was glutaraldehyde shelf life

DEAR JUDY,
	Off list, let me take you back to yesteryear!  
	I had hitchhiked with a girlfriend from RIT in Rochester to Syracuse
to hear the Grateful Dead.  I wasn't a Dead Head but I did enjoy hearing
them live about once every two years.  (As an aside, around midnight the
Jefferson Starship (nee Airplane) joined the Dead and jammed until 2 am!)
	Aaaaaaaaaaaaaanyhow, I was trying to hitchhike back to RIT and
wasn't having much luck.  Someone dropped us off at a rest stop about half
way before they took the exit.  Sooooooooooooo, there we are standing in the
rest stop with a sign saying "Rochester" on it.  An olive skinned fellow
with a receding hairline and thin face peered at the sign and walked past.
On his way back out with a cup of coffee in his hand (and an empty bladder)
he said, "C'mon, I'm going to Rochester.  I'll give you a lift."  Sooooooo,
we happily jumped into his car, my friend in the back seat and I in the
front.  This man had a few 16mm film cans between us on the seat.  I asked
him if he was a film maker and he said that he was actually a photographer
who had made a documentary and he was going to lecture at RIT to which I
replied, "Oh, really?  What's your name?"  He said (that's right!) Robert
Frank".  I almost shit on his car seat!  Seriously!  I had been amazed by
his book, THE AMERICANS, and was speechless!  Needless to say we "tawked"
photography for a while!  As we were driving along we saw a large flat black
mass in the wide divider area between the opposite directions of the NYS
Thruway.  Suddenly the mass lifted up into a undulating magic carpet which
we realized was a flock of birds all taking off at once.  Frank pointed
saying, "Look at that!!!" but also tried to point with the hand he had on
the wheel so we almost drove off into the divider ditch.  After much
squeeling of tires he got the car back under control and into our proper
lane.  Never a dull moment with Robert Frank.  
	The chance that he will recall this is non existent but I will
remember it the rest of my life!
		CHEERS!
			BOB   

-----Original Message-----
From: Judy Seigel [mailto:jseigel@panix.com] 
Sent: Friday, October 09, 2009 3:26 PM
To: alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca
Subject: Re: glutaraldehyde shelf life



On Fri, 9 Oct 2009, Keith Gerling wrote:

> Anybody know how long this stuff lasts?  Just the mere act of reading
> Phritz's woes have caused my prints to stain horribly.  No problems at all
2
> weeks ago, so I doubt if it "turned", but my glut was purchased back when
> Chris started to preach of it's qualities.  (thanks Chris!)
>
> and I've only used a smidgeon of it

Keith, I have no experience with glut. But I've found that, if undiluted, 
glyoxal and formaldehyde keep more or less indefinitely (preferably at a 
cool room temp). And since glut as I recall goes into *kits,* I'd figure 
it would last at least as well. The working solution of glyoxal can die 
overnight, if it wants to.  Tho I understand from Sara Van Keuren that she 
keeps a formaldehyde working solution going in class almost forever.

Plus, another thought occurred to me, reading the different findings for 
gelatined paper, sized, unsized, hardened or not, etc. etc. etc.:

It was my finding in the long long ago when I tested such things, that 
different gelatins reacted differently... I forget the numbers, but the 
"heavier" ones were quite different from, for instance, Knox, which I've 
used ever since.

I'll add that I found VAT sizing far, far and away more effective and long 
lasting than brush sizing... which I suppose folks who don't have a vat 
use. Up front, brush coat is of course easier, but ultimately not.  For 
multicoating it doesn't last nearly as well... tho once I've done a 
lot of coats, I do often add a brush coat for a "refresher."

More later... now I'm off to the Met, tra la, to hear Robert Frank, with a 
ticket that just fell into my hands from the sky.

Judy

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