Although you could make your own carbon tissue, I would advise you to first buy
some Hanfstaengl paper from Gallery 614, Dr. Robert F. Green, 0350-C.-R. (Cedar
Road?) 20, Corunna, Indiana 46730, Tel.: 219-2812752, fax 2812605. The numbers
19 (violet black, similar to the old goldtoned silver chloride prints) or 20
(olive black, similar to a warm AGFA Portriga Rapid) should be perfect. If Dr.
Green doesn't have them anymore, I can send them from Germany.
To avoid trouble in the darkroom, here are the things I found most important to
take care for: Dry the tissue as fast as possible to avoid fog. I use a spirit
sensitizer (e. g. a 6% ammonium dichromate sol. in water, dilutetd with the
same amount of ethylated spirit to get a 3% solution, aplied with a foam brayer.
One coat should be sufficient, if you don't take too much liquid onto the brayer
and if you use carefull, crosswise rolling action. Don't care for the foam that
builds up after a minute or so, it will disappear soon. Roll until the surface
becomes an orange-like texture. If you hang up the paper to dry, it should be
ready in 15-20 mins. If you use a soaking procedure for sensitizing, just use a
simple solution of 0.5-5% potassium or ammonium dichromate as a start. Most
additives overcomplicate the thing... If you want a smooth tissue, squegee it
face down to a sheet of plexiglas and let it dry over night. But this way the
drying may take much longer (i. e. over 4 hours) and you could expect some
fogging. If so, add ammonia to the sensitizer until it turns yellow, to slow
down the materials speed (and enhance contrast...)
If you get small bubbles at certain grey tones during development, take cooked
water you prepared the day before for the cold water bath (15-17 degrees C!) or
at least water which was allowed to stand over night. Again: you can prepare
your own transfer paper, but it is much better to start with fixed-out bromide
paper or the back of discarded RC prints.
If you want to use a certain paper but you have difficulties with the relief to
adhere to it, try to develop the image on clear or white plexiglas, let it dry,
pour a 5-10% warm gelatin solution over it (15-20 ml for 8x10")and spread with a
soft, wide brush, let the gelatin set, put the plate in cold water, under water
move the presoaked (uncoated) transfer paper over it and pull the sandwich out
of the water (without any airbells between them...) Carefully squegee or roll
both together and let the paper dry on the plexi. The next day it will peel off,
taking the image with it (provided that you used clean plexi). Soak in a 5%
alum or 1 % formalin (outside!) solution again for some minutes and wash to
remove the gloss from the surface and to harden the gelatin. With this method
you can even use thin papers or papers with poor wet strength. You could also
coat the (wet) paper with the gelatin and make the sandwich. The result is the
same. This double transfer method has the additional advantage to allow a
shorter waiting time (5 mins) before development and safer developing with less
danger of frilling.
Good luck, and let us know if you run into problems.
Klaus Pollmeier