[alt-photo] Re: Weston Diploma Parchment

[Paul Viapiano]

Jon,

If the prints itself seems OK and you're trying to get a show printed, why 
not just mask the paper itself before coating with blue painters tape.

Mark the corners of the negative on the paper with light pencil dots, peel 
the tape off the roll and stick it to your jeans a few times to reduce tack 
even more, apply to paper and then coat. After coating, peel it off and dry 
the paper.

Make sure you realign the neg before printing and use a few pieces of tape 
to hold the neg and paper in registration.

Paul


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jon Reid" <jon at sharperstill.com>
To: "The alternative photographic processes mailing list" 
<alt-photo-process-list at lists.altphotolist.org>
Sent: Monday, March 08, 2010 2:53 PM
Subject: [alt-photo] Re: Weston Diploma Parchment


> Hi all,
> Thanks fro all your responses.
> I didn't put all details into the post of every solution I had tried  as 
> it was already getting unwieldy.
>
> I lent my sensitizer #1 solution to a friend just two weeks ago who  made 
> a beautiful pure palladium print from it. It was made up fairly  recently 
> from powdered stock that is <2 years old and always  refrigerated. I think 
> it's alright.
>
> I'm using the black plastic from bags that silver-gelatin photo  papers 
> come packaged in. It is what I normally use (though the last  few years I 
> have been printing from digital inter-negatives that have  opaque borders 
> and don't require masking.) The plastic is between  paper and negative, so 
> piping shouldn't be the cause.
>
> With regards to drying the coated paper. I was taught, when I first 
> learnt platinum, to use warm/hot air from a hair dryer then rest the 
> paper to allow it to regain some humidity before exposure. I then 
> subsequently read that some people believe it reduces Dmax and  contrast 
> so I started using cool air and or air drying before laying  the print on 
> a rack over a bath of saturated salt solution (household  table salt). To 
> be honest, that's when I thought the fogging was  getting worse. Perhaps 
> it was too humid?
>
> I decided to try and simplify my process back to when it used to work  for 
> me (when I used Platine), so this time I blasted with warm air,  then 
> rested under safelights before exposure. My exposure unit is  black light 
> tubes - fairly basic and standard.
>
> I tried a fresh batch of developer. I was favouring the 'cold bath' 
> version of KOx as per the Sullivan and Weese book as I don't want too 
> warm a tone however the interesting thing from the tests the other  night 
> is that there was little difference in tone between that  version and 
> straight KOx used at 21DegC.
>
> I gather no one else has had this problem as I have, so maybe it  isn't 
> the paper. I'm frustrated to the nth, with 30 or so negs to  print for my 
> debut solo show...
>
> Jon
>
>
> On 09/03/2010, at 6:54 AM, EJ Photo wrote:
>
>> I haven't seen heat fog with that paper. It could very well be an  issue 
>> with
>> Ferric but replacing is NOT always needed. It could very well be that
>> repairing it is in order. It could be a pH issue or all sorts of  stuff. 
>> Try
>> adding some more Oxalic acid to your ferric. Hair dryers should  only be 
>> used
>> lightly and primarily on the backside with low heat.
>>
>>
>> I'd suspect the light bleed along the negative material; light  piping. 
>> Try
>> place the mask under it just for a test and see if it stops it. If  you 
>> can't
>> get it to stop, clear, or prevent the distraction of the fog, just  coat 
>> the
>> whole piece of paper. ; )
>>
>> have you tried a fresh batch of developer? Is it possible that you  were
>> playing around with it and had some lithium in the mix?  or gold  that is
>> fogging it?
>>
>> Eric
>>
>> Eric Neilsen
>> Eric Neilsen Photography
>> 4101 Commerce Street, Suite 9
>> Dallas, TX 75226
>>
>> www.ericneilsenphotography.com
>> skype me with ejprinter
>> www.ericneilsenphotography.com/forum1
>> Let's Talk Photography
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: alt-photo-process-list-bounces at lists.altphotolist.org
>> [mailto:alt-photo-process-list-bounces at lists.altphotolist.org] On  Behalf 
>> Of
>> Diana Bloomfield
>> Sent: Monday, March 08, 2010 7:27 AM
>> To: The alternative photographic processes mailing list
>> Subject: [alt-photo] Re: Weston Diploma Parchment
>>
>> Jon,
>>
>> Have you printed any of these without using a hair dryer beforehand?
>> I'm thinking your problem might be either exhausted ferric oxalate,
>> and/or use of the hair dryer-- as well as allowing it to sit for an
>> additional 15 minutes after using the hair dryer(?).  I taught a
>> workshop once where there was some evidence of fogging, but only for
>> those people using hair dryers-- even when they set it on a "cool"
>> setting.  When we eliminated the use of hair dryers, the problem
>> disappeared.   Just a suggestion, but it's worth a try to switch to
>> fresh ferric oxalate and skip the hair dryer.  I also think certain
>> papers are really a disaster for pt/pd.  I used to use, many years,
>> ago Cranes Platinotype (sp?), and I couldn't completely clear a print
>> on that paper to save my life-- no matter what I used..  I never liked
>> the Weston paper, either, but I know I'm in the minority there.  I
>> just don't like the weight of it.
>>
>> Diana
>>
>>
>> On Mar 8, 2010, at 5:25 AM, Jon Reid wrote:
>>
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>>> I have been battling a problem for about 6 months now. At first I
>>> thought it was a clearing problem then after trying various things
>>> realised that it wasn't clearing but rather some density that was
>>> appearing in the coated area of the paper that is masked during
>>> exposure. The paper that I have been trying to print on is Weston
>>> Diploma Parchment. I bought this paper in early 2008 from Bostick &
>>> Sullivan and believe it is stock that was made by Cranes, not the re-
>>> invented Diploma Parchment Plat Pal being marketed by John Zowkowski
>>> of Butler Dearden.
>>>
>>> I am wishing to print my 5x7 rollo-pyro negs on these 11x14 sheets
>>> for my debut solo exhibition. I do not want to mat the prints so I
>>> am trying for very clear coated-but-masked areas. The other night,
>>> believing I was dealing with a fogging issue I set up darkroom
>>> safelights and coated under those lights. I then used a hair dryer
>>> and rested the paper in the room for 10-15min before exposure (11min
>>> in my UV box), and developed in KOx (cold bath version-fresh) at 21C.
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