Jim,
First, let me know how you are making your albumen.
Second, The albumen must be absolutley *clean* when poured into the tray.
No bubbles, dirt or stringy bits of albumen. I use a glass pyrex baking
dish with a white paper under it. I can see impurities in the albumen this
way. Impurities are carefully removed with a plastic toothpick. You can
also draw a small piece of paper across the surface to skim off debris
before you float the paper.
Third, let me know how you are applying the paper to the albumen. There
is a specific technique that yields good results. Plate finish paper
should be OK. I'm using Strathmore Artists Drawing single ply plate finish
paper. I gave a detailed description last month on the technique I used.
Contact me off list If you need clarification.
Fourth, I hang the sheet up by two corners horizontally with the paper
bowing albumen side out. I continually blott off the drip ridge that forms
on the bottom. This is crucial to even coating later.
This coat must be coagulated with isoproply alcohol 70% with the proper
strength chloride dissolved into it. The paper can be immersed into this
bath for approx 30 seconds. Hang to dry as before and blot bottom edge
again.
Float for a second time and hang in the opposite direction as the first layer.
This should give very even results. I air dry my albumen paper. I find it
doesn't take very long to dry. It is said that heat drying will provide
glossier paper. My air dried double albumen has a surface sheen similar to
Ilford MG fibre glossy paper that has been air dried. Extreme glossiness
was traditionally created by burnishing with a heated high pressure roller.
Finally, I'm printing 8 X 10 negatives with 9 X 12 paper size. The
perimeter of the paper will always be irregular in coating and printing
density but this uneveness does not occur in the image area.
Good Luck! Albumen printing is tricky at first but you soon learn what
works and what doesn't when it comes to coating. Frustration before
success is part of the game.
Mike Robinson
272 Seaton St. Unit #1
Toronto, On
M5A 2T4
(416) 926-8181
robkiss@io.org