[alt-photo] Re: casein

Fri Feb 25 20:32:56 GMT 2011

To Keith, Christina, and all,

One advantage to FRESH casein is that (at least in the method I use to make it) when ready to use, it has no odor—just what I would call a "fresh" smell. The odor comes later when processing in water. At first, I will get a mild whiff of "dirty diaper" smell—but it doesn’t last long. 

Last but not least, in my opinion, casein as a process is more forgiving and has more latitude than gum. For example, while a print or two is outside exposing in the sun, I am usually preparing other prints inside or getting the water bath ready. Sometimes the phone will ring or my daughter will interrupt me and I will not hear the timer go off. While I'm on the phone or off in another world, my print(s) are quietly, merrily overexposing. No worries. Most of the time, the print(s) will still process fine—albeit a longer soak time, or some help from a dilute ammonia bath, but I can get away with much more inattention with casein than gum. That's why I compare gum to classical music and casein to rock n' roll.

I do plan to either write of my working methods on alternativephotography.com or through some other means. For what it's worth, I did not find dried casein suitable in my approach to printing which is bold, snappy, and saturated imagery. The characteristics, especially in pH and viscosity, are different. 

I hope that helps.

Peter 

> Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2011 12:47:39 -0600
> From: keith.gerling at gmail.com
> To: alt-photo-process-list at lists.altphotolist.org
> Subject: [alt-photo] Re: casein
> 
> Hi Peter,
> 
> Thanks for the info. Whenever you have more time, I would greatly
> appreciate more of your thoughts regarding the advantages of casein. I
> would love to hear about the advantages of fresh casein, as well.
> 
> Christina, I cut the exposure to half that of gum, and it was PERFECT.
> Actually, not a bad print. I think I'll print another coat later and post
> the results.
> 
> Keith
> 
> On Fri, Feb 25, 2011 at 11:55 AM, Peter Blackburn
> <blackburnap at hotmail.com>wrote:
> 
> >
> > Hi Christina and all:
> >
> > Yes, I do casein quite a bit—much of the time, fact and LOVE IT. It has
> > quite a few advantages over gum with shorter printing times being one. And
> > since I use the sun, I can work in casein on somewhat cloudy days—days which
> > would create havoc with gum. It can be blotted dry after processing with a
> > towel unlike gum which would smear or worse! My casein is pure white which
> > makes it a bit easier to see and evaluate hue and density during the mixing
> > stage. Casein is a little more fluid allowing for the use of brushes usually
> > reserved for inks and dyes. There are a few more advantages which would take
> > a bit of time to explain. Yes, casein is quite underrated in my opinion.
> > Casein had been used in primitive painting in ages past. Why gum had about a
> > fifty-year head start over casein for dichromate printing is a mystery to
> > me. However, I make my casein fresh directly from cheese which I think makes
> > ALL the difference in the world. Someday I will get this down in
> > publication.
> >
> > Hope you are doing well, Christina, in all of your extensive traveling and
> > teaching. You seem quite busy these days.
> >
> > Cheers to all!
> >
> >
> > Peter J. Blackburn
> >
> >
> > > From: zphoto at montana.net
> > > Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2011 09:43:44 -0700
> > > To: alt-photo-process-list at lists.altphotolist.org
> > > Subject: [alt-photo] Re: casein
> > >
> > > Keith!
> > > Thanks for the info!
> > >
> > > One casein printer said it was half the gum printing time...
> > >
> > > Christina Z. Anderson
> > > christinaZanderson.com
> > >
> > > On Feb 25, 2011, at 9:35 AM, Keith Gerling wrote:
> > >
> > > > I've used the Kremer product and it is cheap and easy. I have not used
> > it a
> > > > LOT, because I really did not see much advantage of casein over gum,
> > but
> > > > then I admit that I only used it on wood panels, so the "test" was
> > hardly
> > > > extensive. The results that I got were very interesting and I can
> > certainly
> > > > promise that I will get back to it in the future when it warms up and I
> > can
> > > > haul my lazy self out to Menards for more wood. At the moment I am
> > printing
> > > > tons of cyanotypes on Masa. Casein on masa? That sounds like
> > frustration
> > > > in the making...
> > > >
> > > > But while we are on the subject, maybe I can ask a couple of questions
> > of
> > > > anybody that has worked with casein. I believe Loris mentioned that the
> > > > exposure is less than with gum. Is that the case? How much less?
> > Loris??
> > > > Any comment? In my case, I cut the exposure back by 20% and the prints
> > > > still needed some heavy brushing/rubbing/spraying to clear. The
> > emulsion
> > > > was rather opaque compared to gum, and the print was rather similar to
> > a
> > > > temperaprint. Had the print been on paper, I doubt it would have
> > survived.
> > > > So maybe i need to cut the exposure waaaaay back.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > On Fri, Feb 25, 2011 at 10:11 AM, Christina Anderson <
> > zphoto at montana.net>wrote:
> > > >
> > > >> Yup--did...Lukas seems to be one who has done the process extensively,
> > and
> > > >> he was on the list if not still is.
> > > >> Chris
> > > >>
> > > >> Christina Z. Anderson
> > > >> christinaZanderson.com
> > > >>
> > > >> On Feb 25, 2011, at 9:05 AM, Paul Viapiano wrote:
> > > >>
> > > >>> Look at Lukas Werth's prints on Flickr...beautiful and lots of them!
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Christina Anderson" <
> > > >> zphoto at montana.net>
> > > >>> To: "Alt List" <alt-photo-process-list at lists.altphotolist.org>
> > > >>> Sent: Friday, February 25, 2011 7:48 AM
> > > >>> Subject: [alt-photo] casein
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>>> (whoops, sent this with the wrong email so sending again)
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>> Good morning!
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>> So I'm on this casein hunt for one silly reason--I blame it on Sam
> > Wang.
> > > >> Long ago I saw Sam Wang's caseins and thought them beautiful. Four of
> > them
> > > >> are in his book, Sam Wang, Four Decades of Photographic Explorations,
> > > >> another "must-buy" alt book for just the HUGE amount of alt work
> > documented
> > > >> within its pages. Sam's work is very poetic, subtle.
> > > >>>
> > > >>> _______________________________________________
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> > > >>
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