[alt-photo] Re: back to the flaking/speckling question

[Julian Smart]

Hi Paul, perhaps I should have phrased my question slightly differently.

I know all the variables relating to pigment concentration in the mix. What 
I don't understand is how you quantify a ratio. I personally just squeeze 
out a worm of pigment onto a saucer, then add 5ml of gum. The amount I 
squeeze out is usually down to experience and will vary according to the 
exact pigment and the contrast I am after. The ratio of pigment in the gum 
emulsion will therefore vary but there is always 5ml of gum in there.

In order to have a quantifiable  pigment/gum ratio, one would have to weigh 
the pigment out and then assign a "strength" value to the mix. This would be 
easy to do if one were to mix up an entire tube of pigment with gum, as a 
stock solution- I know a lot of printers do just this, especially those 
practicing 4 colour gums as the necessary consistency would be there. 
Perhaps this is what you do?

Julian.



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Paul Viapiano" <viapiano at pacbell.net>
To: "The alternative photographic processes mailing list" 
<alt-photo-process-list at lists.altphotolist.org>
Sent: Monday, November 21, 2011 8:01 PM
Subject: [alt-photo] Re: back to the flaking/speckling question


> Well, it depends on how much saturation you're looking for vs flaking 
> problems vs the number of layers you anticipate putting down...for 
> tricolors I have a specific ratio I like for *my* methods and *my* 
> negatives. It'll be different for everyone...for single neg multi layer 
> gums I experiment a lot, but since I've put the time in to learn the 
> process and kept really good notes along the way, I'm able to have more 
> confidence.
>
> I don't like to use water in my mixture, so I look at the gum/pigment 
> ratio as a way to control the saturation, and realize that once developed, 
> gum will tend to look less saturated than you expect. Of course, your 
> dichromate ratio willl have a say in that as well...
>
> It took me a year of solid printing to nail all my variables down, or at 
> least understand them a lot better and have a more reasonable expectation 
> of the outcome, or at least how to push the print in a certain direction. 
> But then, gum isn't usually about control...which can be it's charm.
>
> Paul
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Julian Smart" <juliansmart at virginmedia.com>
> To: "The alternative photographic processes mailing list" 
> <alt-photo-process-list at lists.altphotolist.org>
> Sent: Monday, November 21, 2011 11:02 AM
> Subject: [alt-photo] Re: back to the flaking/speckling question
>
>
>> This has been puzzling me since the first posting in this thread. Forgive 
>> me for my ignorance but how do you arrive at a gum/pigment ratio?
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Paul Viapiano" <viapiano at pacbell.net>
>> To: "The alternative photographic processes mailing list" 
>> <alt-photo-process-list at lists.altphotolist.org>
>> Sent: Monday, November 21, 2011 5:47 PM
>> Subject: [alt-photo] Re: back to the flaking/speckling question
>>
>>
>>> What's your gum/pigment ratio on the affected print?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
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