[alt-photo] Re: Are we still a list?

Thu Jul 21 18:50:34 GMT 2011

Nothing like a good topic to get us out of our caves, eh?

I don't have much experience with reticulation in commercial films,
but a technique that never fails with self-made gelatin emulsions
(i.e. dichromated gelatin on glass) is to dry the wet and swollen
gelatin in an oven at around 50ºC during two to three hours. This is
the basis of collotype, actually. In collotype, the wrinkles so
produced on the reticulated gelatin surface hold the printing ink that
is later transferred to a paper with a press.

Tom

On Thu, Jul 21, 2011 at 7:28 PM, Christina Anderson <zphoto at montana.net> wrote:
> WOW people are posting!!!!
>
> I still teach reticulation in the wet darkroom. However, as Don says, new films for the last five years have been super-hardened and hence are resistant to reticulation.
>
> The films that work best are TriX and other old emulsion films.
>
> Forget Tmax. I have BOILED it and it hasn't worked.
>
> The usual process I have recommended lately is a regular development, then use alternate ice cold and extremely hot water rinses for the "stop" (that'll work fine, no need to heat up the stinky stop bath). Then fix and all else as normal. I also do the sodium carbonate method, but even that hot and poured on film has not reticulated some films, where it used to melt the emulsion off of TriX immediately.
>
> There are two ways to look at it: if you want reticulation which is a very regulated, regular brain-coral pattern, the old way is best. Another method, though, if you don't need the regular pattern effect, is to use a very weakened mordancage solution and that'll definitely budge the gelatin emulsion in a very irregular and intriguing way. Check my formula on Unblinkingeye and weaken it by wayyyyy much.  I would share a formula with you but it is not with me (I am in another state).
>
> I am currently working on a complete revision of the Experimental Workbook, hopefully to be done by December, a very necessary revision as so many things have changed in the few short years since I wrote it (least of which is my learning InDesign and page layout and typeface), such as exactly this--reticulation, and the super-hardened films. Also infrared film, polaroid, papers, the wet color darkroom, etc.etc.etc. Very distressing, but hey, I'm going to still resist incorporating digital processes into the workbook, and I'm adding lots of new research. I have decided to incorporate hundreds of student works throughout the book and get it professionally published because that has always been a criticism--enough examples of processes are lacking. So, Francis, if you get the old method of reticulation to work, send me some jpgs.
> Chris
>
>
>
> Christina Z. Anderson
> christinaZanderson.com
>
> On Jul 21, 2011, at 12:05 PM, Don Bryant wrote:
>
>> Try fixing in full strength C-41 fixer. This was reported by a retired Kodak
>> engineer as a method to reticulate film. Modern film emulsions (not
>> including former east block films like Efke) are extremely hardened compared
>> to films of old. You may also wish to immerse the film in high temp water
>> for a few seconds followed by an ice bath.
>>
>> Or just scan and use the film reticulation filter in PS or one of the other
>> dozens of plugins that produce this effect.
>>
>> Or look in Christina Z. Anderson's book for experimental techniques, she has
>> something in there for reticulation.
>>
>>
>>
>> -----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
>> francis schanberger
>> Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2011 12:44 PM
>> To: The alternative photographic processes mailing list
>> Subject: [alt-photo] Re: Are we still a list?
>>
>> If one did want to exaggerate silver clumping or reticulation, how would one
>> go about it? Nominal temperature developer to hot stop bath (acidic) or a
>> hot water stop set up?
>>
>> I came across a beautifully reticulated 35mm negative (on HP5 +) a student
>> had left in the darkroom at school and I want to re-create the effect.
>>
>> -francis
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Jul 21, 2011 at 12:34 PM, BOB KISS <bobkiss at caribsurf.com> wrote:
>>
>>> No sympathy from me.  My tap water is 80 f year round.  That is what ice
>>> and
>>> fridges are for, to lower the temp of processing chems.  I lower
>> everything
>>> to between 68 and 75 f depending on the process and start with a tray or
>>> tank of wash water at same temp.  Then I slooooooooooooooooooooooowly
>> raise
>>> the temp of the water in the tray/tank to 80 f.  As Richard Knoppow will
>>> testify, modern films won't reticulate or have silver grain clumping if
>> the
>>> temp is changed slowly enough.  I raise the temp 2 degrees f every minute
>>> so
>>> in about 5 mins and 5 changes of water I have gone from 70 f to 80 f.
>> Then
>>> I let my filtered tap water do its thing for the rest of the wash cycle.
>>>               CHEERS!
>>>                       BOB
>>>
>>> -----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
>>> as
>>> Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2011 12:22 PM
>>> To: The alternative photographic processes mailing list
>>> Subject: [alt-photo] Re: Are we still a list?
>>>
>>> It's too damn hot to develop film!  My tap water is coming out at 85!
>>> I'm developing rolls of film in 45 seconds!
>>>
>>> :)
>>>
>>>
>>> Alex
>>>
>>>
>>> On 7/21/2011 12:16, francis schanberger wrote:
>>>> It's been quiet. We should start up a topic of what we've been working
>>> on.
>>>>
>>>> BTW, I am in Boston away from my 4800 printer and making do with
>> Emmanuel
>>>> College's Epson 3800 to print inkjet negatives. Seems a lot like a high
>>>> maintenance pet. Some days are better than others.
>>>>
>>>> Today, I am going to pull down two Anthotypes (photogram based) that
>> have
>>>> been in the window for about 3-4 weeks (one three weeks and the other
>>> four
>>>> weeks). I'll post the mediocre results on my
>>>> blog<http://francisschanberger.wordpress.com>,
>>>> francisschanberger.wordpress.com. Mediocre because I suspect the paper
>>>> caused some issues.
>>>>
>>>> I've got a better rose petal one cooking (better paper) and will be
>>> making
>>> a
>>>> yellow Anthotype beginning today.
>>>>
>>>> -francis
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Thu, Jul 21, 2011 at 11:55 AM, Robert K Newcomb<newcombr at uga.edu>
>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I didn't know if I missed some announcement or the list is just that
>>> quiet.
>>>>>
>>>>> Robert
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Alt-photo-process-list | http://altphotolist.org/listinfo
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> francis schanberger
>>
>> www.francisschanberger.com
>> _______________________________________________
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>>
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