My First (Unsuccessful) Carbon Print

FotoDave@aol.com
Wed, 28 Aug 1996 17:28:51 -0400

I just made my first carbon print. Well, to be accurate, I just made the
transfer from the exposed pigment tissue to the temporary support. What I
noticed is that even after several minutes soaking in warm water (about
100F), I didn't see the pigment oozing out as described in books. The tissue
can be peeled off easily, but it didn't leave much behind. It looks like
almost all the pigment came out with the tissue instead of staying on the
support. However, there are some recognizable image (from Stouffer step
index, the letters for the steps are visible).

I decided to leave both the tissue and the transport in the warm water for
longer, but even so, the water stayed clear. I am guessing that I have
overexposed and have harderned all the gelatine. Do you think this is the
case? I am starting to feel desperate now, so if you had experience like this
before, please help in pointing out what I might have done wrong. Thanks a
lot in advance.

Another question is related to the sensitizing of the pigment tissue. How
long should I should the tissue in the sensitizer (I am using Pot.
dichromate). I noticed that after some soaking, the gelatine of the tissue
starts to dissolve. Is this normal?

Also, does anyone know if there is any weekend worshop on carbon printing?