Re: Lacquering of Platinum/palladium prints

John Rudiak (wizard@laplaza.org)
Wed, 4 Sep 1996 16:19:51 -0600 (MDT)

On Wed, 28 Aug 1996, Stephen R. Harrison wrote:

> I noticed in the latest Bostick and Sullivan catalog a wall mounted box/
> cabinet to lacquer pt prints. Does anyone know about the use of lacquer
> and Pt or for that matter the use of lacquer in alternative process applied
> to the final print. How archival is it? Does the lacquor yellow with age
> ? How do the prints so lacquered look ?
>
>
Since no one has responded to your actual questions, aside from Richard
descovering that Melody has included inserts in the catalog, I will.

There is a gentleman I know of who routinely lacquors his palladium
prints. This results in a semi-glossy look which makes the blacks appear
to be deeper than they normally would in a traditional platinum print. He
uses a spray booth for application and insists that the rep from the
lacquer company swears the product is archival and will not yellow.

I do not like this look, but this is an aesthetic point of view. I would
not, however, put anything like an organic resin on something as
potentially long lived as a platinum print, as it is sure to decrease its
lifespan, under normal conditions. The only way it could help would be
if the platinum print were in an environment favorable to the platinum
acting as a catalyst to promote a chemical reaction injurious to the
paper, where the lacqour would be a barrier between the platinum and the
environment. But then again, that print shouldn't be there anyhow,
should it?

John