[Alt-photo] Brushing gelatin on paper

[Luciano Teghillo]

Hi All,
 
I have been looming in the back an enjoyed the wealth of information all of
you share. Of course I have not shared nothing because...well, I am just
getting my feet (actually my paper) wet, as you will see.
 
I have a question on brushing gelatin on paper. I have prepared the usual
mix of 30% gelatin and kept it at about 45-50 C and brushed it with a foam
brush on the print side of my Fabriano Rosaspina paper.
I brushed on two coats, after letting the first one dry for a day. This
morning I was getting ready to harden the paper in formalin but I had the
bad idea of comparing my sheets of paper with a couple of scraps of papers I
have from two previous workshops.
 
The papers I was using as a comparison where noticeably more yellow (both
Fabriano Artistico, Traditional White) when looked on a light table, so my
doubt is that my paper did not receive enough gelatin. Of course I cannot be
sure because the samples I used for comparison have been tray sized and not
brush sized. Also, for least one, the gelatin used is similar to Knox
(Paneangeli for the Italians), while I used Photographers' Formulary Hard
Gelatin (250 Bloom).
 
Also when I compare my sized paper against a sheet of the same unsized
paper, I cannot see any discernable difference, even under an 8x loupe.
 
When brushing I load the foam brush, and move horizontally, vertically and
diagonally with speed (not quite the same as when you coat with pigment, but
almost), and make sure the brushing is uniform by looking at the surface
from an angle. 
 
Maybe I brush to fast and "pull" the gelatin too much that it does not get
into the paper?
 
Since I have already wasted and entire set of Fabriano Artistico that I
presume I sized incorrectly, I want to make sure this time I do it
correctly.
 
Maybe is something totally unrelated to sizing. Maybe I should harden the
gelatin before making a comparison.
 
I  tried to scan the paper samples (mine and those used as a comparison)
it's useless. You can only see the paper ridges and valleys, but nothing
else.
 
I have posted however two images on a previous test I did. The only thing
different between the two tests is the paper. Everything else is the same,
done on the same day, developed for the same time, etc.
 
- http://www.lucianoteghillo.com/images/test01.jpg - This paper was sized by
someone else.
- http://www.lucianoteghillo.com/images/test02.jpg - This is the paper I
sized on a previous batch.
 
Feeling frustrated....
 
Thanks for any help,
Luciano