> Elmers School Glue diluted down 1:1 to 1:3, works much better as a sizing for
> me. There is a certain amount of contrast control with the dilution 1:3
> (flat). I have never had much luck with gum printing on hot pressed paper, I>
Have you tested the Elmer's Glue size under a 21-step? Of course each
gum/sensitizer/size/paper combination has a mind of its own, but of all
the size tests I did, Elmer's Glue (1:2 and 1:4 on Rives BFK) was the
worst.... It gave very few steps, tended to flake massively, especially in
highlights, and, as I recall, discolored the paper (which I would expect
in time anyway -- don't think it's very pure).
But that could be why you haven't done well with hot pressed -- it's the
smoothest, so Elmer's has least to dig into, meaning it would probably flake
the most, if that was your problem....
In any event, if you're doing multi-coats, I would expect hot-pressed to
be the most difficult. It gives finer detail, hence will show every teeny
tiny misstep in re-registering. But process-wise, with either no added
size or a nice gelatine size (what's the matter with gelatine? true, you
have to harden, but it saves SO much trouble in the long run), if you're
interested in a *photograph* (as opposed to a pastel sketch), well, it's
hotpressed in a walk.
I guess if someone has a different idea, they'll advise.... Meanwhile, let
me add, for those who have just joined us, we did a looong thread on gum
paper and sizes over the summer. Send for the archive (probably about
9507 through 9509, but you should read all the archive in any case, better
than Nancy Drew, better than Howard Stern, better than Rolling Stone ).
Judy