[alt-photo] Re: PVA for SIZE & GUM ?

[zphoto at montana.net]

Judy,
I did do the Stouffers and found that on Fabriano Artistico EW a 1+2 
size gave a beautiful tonal range with UVBL, 6 min, magenta on 
preshrunk paper.  The other dilutions were either overkill and shorter 
tonal range/too slippery a surface for a good long tonal adherence or 
not enough sizing and staining resulted.  This, of course, would be 
different on BFK which is a much softer paper, or any paper for that 
matter that is more of a printmaking paper and therefore nice and 
absorbent.

But PVA is a cinch to teach in a workshop setting...

As far as PVA going out of availability, I still think it important to 
share classic methods.  I am doing the pt/pd unit in my alt class 
right now, and sure enough someone bought the classic/traditional 
pt/pd kit instead of NA2, and luckily I was able to refer him to the 
directions in my alt book because I chose to keep that method in there 
instead of deleting it for the much preferred by me NA2 method.

I'll always keep glut or formalin hardened gelatin in my gum book.

Speaking of changes, Rives BFK used to be a great paper for 
argyrotype, but this semester it has performed horribly.  Across the 
board.  I will scan a BFK print of a students compared to exact same 
everything on Weston and the difference is shocking.  Velvety 
chocolate on Weston that looks good enough to eat.  On Rives, grey, 
blotchy, and YUK.  So BFK must have changed something since 2003.

I just bought 250 sheets of the Weston (available from Zowkowski 
directly).  It is a very inexpensive paper, too.
Chris



>
>
> But now, in light of PVA size I have another question:  I usually do
> comparison tests with the Stouffer 21-step which give me the 
> confidence
> (foolhardy or not !) to make pronunciamentos, but I have not yet used 
> the
> PVA sitting on my studio table. (Life has, to date, continued to
> intervene.)  My question perhaps should wait til then, but this thread
> brings it up so I ask now...
>
> I expect to run a gum workshop this summer, and tho I usually open a
> workshop with full-fledged paper sizing (shrink, coat, recoat, harden 
> &
> like that), and my instinct is to do that anyway as a token of 
> "history,"
> and/or fail-safe in case PVA is a market item that could disappear or 
> be
> changed by manufacturer(s), or not available in the antarctic, I 
> wonder
> how
> folks who use PVA for gum would treat that question?
>
> TIA,
>
> Judy
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