>Meanwhile, I'm hoping Bas or someone will describe the form & operation of
>the Dahlia for us. The comment that the drops from an ordinary spray are
>uneven describes a good part of the problem -- you think you'll settle
>for a spray, but then "rocks" fall out of the sky...
so Judy here it goes (again :-))
for the 425 cc sprayer envision yourself a 11 cm high and 7 cm wide
circular chrome cilinder canister with the top and bottom dome shaped.
Because of this the cilinder cannot stand by itself, therefore a plastic
ring tapering out is attached to the bottom. The plastic can be coloured
black, yellow, pink, light blue or green. This colour is answered in the
colour of the knob (to be described later).
The sprayer is made of chromed brass. On the side a handle is
attached which holds four fingers well, it is a flat chromed metal ribbon
about 2 cm wide. In the handle there are two lozenge shaped holes to
accomodate a screwdriver to reach the screws that attach the handle to the
cilinder. In line with the handle at about 3/4 height a tube protudes about
2 cm before it is bent upwards. This tube ends in a T-shaped device that
holds the needle needed for the water release (as in airbrushes). In the
canister this tube ends about 2 mm from the bottom. The water for the mist
comes through this tube.
The T-shaped part also holds the nozzle at one end. The needle in
the nozzle is attached to a ring that encircles the top of the cilinder
towards a lever situated above the handle. Having four fingers in the
handle the thumb lies on the lever. The top of the cilinder opens into a
small opening that has a screw-thread that accomodates the pump.
The pump is a small tube shaped device that goes into the sprayer
and is secured airtight with a butterfly nut that is part of the pump
housing. The pump works like any hand pump and is crowned with the afore
mentioned plastic (coloured) knob. To spray one uses the pump to presurise
the contents. The more pressure one builds up, the finer the droplets
coming out will be. The pressure will give the Dahlia spray some autonomy
before it needs to be pumped up again. In this it is a sort of airbrush
without electricity or hoses.
There is only one, ONE, problem with the sprayer. What is only one
problem with a beautifull device like this? This tool that will last a
lifetime, a tool that will give so much pleasure to its owner? A tool that
is a utensil to artists, a helpful device for paper conservators, a life
bringing contraption in the hands of botanists? This problem can be
overcome however. The problem is that the water that sits on the outside of
the nozzle after spraying will cause one big droplet to fly away when one
starts to spray again. So start your spraing away from the target and there
is no problem, only small water droplets.
One can spray solutions of (up to?) 2% kitchen gelatine. To do this
heat up the sprayer with hot water and pour in the (warm) solution. Wrap a
towel around the sprayer to keep it warm. This shows that it really is a
versatile tool. I think you can spray fixative or dilute laquers with it
(but clean well afterwards). The spayer can be taken apart easily and even
spare parts and oil for the pump are in the box it comes in.
hope this comes closest to actually having a sprayer on the workbench
Bas
adresses:
Atlantis European LTD
146 Brick Lane
London E1 6RU
United Kingdom
t + 0171 377 88 55
f + 0171 377 80 50
also Atlantis France in Paris will sell them.
Gosman en Kraan
Dennenlaan 25
1160 AA Zwanenburg
the Netherlands
t + 31 20 407 44 07
f + 31 20 497 73 93
Masumi corporation
4-5-2 Sugamo Toshima-ku
Tokyo 170
Japan
t + 81 33 918 54 01
f + 81 33 918 86 66
Jonge Eland papierrestauratie
eland@knoware.nl
t +31 20 623 79 89
f +31 20 627 32 23
VeRes (Dutch Association of Professional Restorers)
postbus 11503
1001 GM Amsterdam
PAPER IS ART IS PAPER IS ART IS PAPER IS ART IS PAPER IS ART IS PAPER