The iresistable call of carbon finally got ahold of me, and when the
discussion here turned to that topic, I was most elated. I acquired most
of the necessary materials to make some tissue and give it a go. Made my
first couple sheets of tissue last night, using the following materials:
Substrate: Bienfang Acid-Free Drawing Paper (55 lb)
Coating: 70 ml water
7 gm Knox gelatine
5 gm sugar
2 ml Higgins Drawing Ink (India)
2 drops photo-flow
Swelled the gelatine for 30 min in cold water, removed to a 104F water
bath, an added the sugar, photo-flow, and ink when the gelatine was melted.
Gently stirred in a few drops of isopropanol to kill bubbles, let the melt
sit 30 minutes, and dosed it with alcohol again, just to be sure.
Poured 25 ml of the melt on the first sheet of substrate (dry).
Discovered in short order that dry paper misbehaves badly. :-) Repeated
the process with dampened paper, and by the second sheet had something
resembling an even coating. :-) There didn't appear to be any bubbles
of consequence in the coating when I set the sheets aside to dry.
Checking the sheets this morning, it was obvious that the bubble
Gods had blessed me overnight! :-) However, I can cut useable pieces
of tissue from the sheets, which for the moment is sufficient.
Having some tissue handy, the urge to experiment took hold. I
haven't hit the Chem department at the U up for some dichromate, so can't
sensitise the tissue just yet. However, I decided to sacrifice some of the
first sheet in the name of learning.
Experiment 1. I decided to see if things would happen as expected
when an unexposed piece of tissue was "transfered" to a support. I was
also curious to see if and how badly the ink would stain the paper. So,
a piece of tissue was brought into contact with a piece of the same paper
used for the substrate under cool water. The resultant sandwich was placed
under weight for 30 minutes, then placed in a bath of 104F water to develop.
Pigmented gelatine was observed to be oozing from the margins of the
sandwich after a couple minutes, and the tissue was seperated from the
support shortly thereafter. Washing in a few changes of water resulted
in a blank piece of paper, as was expected.
Experiment 2. A weak solution of Ammonium alum was prepared, and an
"image" brushed onto a piece of tissue, to simulate exposure. Development
as above, and when the tissue was peeled away, the "image" stayed with the
support. The print was washed, dried, and evaluated. Not a perfect transfer,
but encouraging. :-)
All this was to gain experience and become comfortable with the process.
I'm pleased that I've been able to get some results, but I'm still well down
on the learning curve. Producing an even, bubble-free coating on the tissue
is the first step before I look to making "serious" prints. Also, getting a
good transfer, without signs of small air bells, is something I need to work
on. Getting sheets of tissue to dry *flat* is another detail to be doped
out. From what I've read here, and learned by experimentation, the Devil is
indeed in the details! :-)
Next step on this adventure will be to actually sensitise a piece of
tissue, and see if I can get something resembling a print out of it. :-)
Todd enders@bolshoi.cc.misu.nodak.edu