"I'm now working on getting Gloy for our product list. I've got the PH # in
England, and I'll call and inquire, "
I have tried on behalf of others but Henkel, a German company, say that they
will not export it beyond Europe. Perhaps if the demand were large enough the
retiurn might outweigh the administrative costs.
and continued :
"but I have one question. What is it?"
It is a common stationery glue made from PVA with added surfactants and colour.
The colour makes it look like gum arabic and the extras make it perform like gum
arabic but with greater consistency.
" I think people make gum prints with it, but what's it really for?"
I have been making gum prints with it for well over ten years now. Its use seems
to avoid the difficulties with flaking that one gets with gum arabic. It can
also be used as the substrate for gum prints instead of hardened gelatine where
it gives better results. In the thinking up funny names stakes, I called this
approach, a pterotype, ( the acid in spinach is pteroic acid) as it is tough and
effective.
" Sounds a lot like Lepages mucilage, which used to be called Lepages Fish
Glue", now that's
for gluing up fish, I'm sure. I've heard that LePages made good gum prints,
though I can't recall having tried it.
I have a litre of what is now called Le Page's Special Photo-Engraving Glue on
my desk as I write this. It has a beautiful label that earns it a place among
our accretion of beautiful everyday artefacts. This glue is available from
Hunter Penrose. I got it for photo-engraving onto silver. When I have dealt with
this batch of e-mail I will start off a gum print with it and report results.
Terry King
Bostick & Sullivan
Platinum and Palladium
Photographic Chemistry
Santa Fe, New mexico