Re: The "New" Cyanotype - Part 2

Judy Seigel ( jseigel@panix.com)
Sun, 05 January 1997 8:14 PM

On Mon, 6 Jan 1997 wmlaven@well.com wrote:
[David said:]
> >I've noticed that printing Pt/Pd on Arches Platine that my Dmax was
> >signficantly lower if I blow dried the paper.
>
> And, ironically, I noticed the exact opposite. A year or so ago David and I
> were copmparing notes and techniques and got very different results
> w/similar techniques. His technique of double coating with Pt/Pd and
> letting both dry overnight gave him spectacular results and me plain old
> dull flat prints; when I did my technique of double coating and letting the
> print dry naturally for 10 or 15 minutes (sometimes less) than drying with
> a hair daryer gave me the long scale and high dMax that he got in a totally
> different way. East coast vs. West coast?? Wouldn't surprise me (He's near
> Boston, I'm in SF) Since we all know how so many different variables can
> effect alt-photo processes, maybe its not just the blow drying which makes
> a difference, but even perhaps how it is blow dried, ie the temp setting,
> the distance from the paper, the amt of time, etc etc. Same old, same old;
> while we can discuss broad categories of where differences occur, some of
> the major differences, and least quantifiable, come in individual
> technique.

Bill, you don't say if you were using the same paper --although the other
variables you mention would surely be important (esp. how long you wait
before drying), I'd expect that to be the most overriding. And, of course,
as we now know, even if it were the same *nominal* paper, it could be from
a different lot. (As the guy from Arches said, "what's platinum
printing?")

Judy

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