On Wed, 8 Jan 1997, Cor Breukel wrote:
> I have some questions about fixing VDB prints:
>
> My/general (?) procedure:
>
> Paper: Arches, 100% cotton, sized, coated with "standard" formula,
> airdried, exposed, wash with water for 5 min, fix with Na
> thiosulfaat.5H2O (50 g per litre) for 1-2 min;
>
> I notice the following: no "brown" leaves the paper during washing, but as
> soon as I put it in the fixer it turn dark brown (normal as I understand)
> but also there is considerable bleeding of the dense brown parts and also
> a bit of fading. My fixer turns brown quite fast and than contains little
> brown "debris" which sticks to the paper.
Cor, why are you sizing the paper and how?
In my experience, Van Dyke Brown doesn't like a gelatine size and, if it's
air dried, doesn't need an added size of any kind. In fact I've tested VDB
with a boiled starch size and had it come out horrible, the color and
texture of straw.
My first suggestion, therefore, would be to try just what you've been
doing on a piece of paper with no added size -- since the washing off of
brown could mean that the paper has been too well isolated to hold all the
emulsion. (But which Arches paper are you using? There are many. It's
possible that Arches Platine, which I've never used BTW -- too costly for
my tastes -- is heavily sized internally for platinum & affects VDB
differently.)
There is also the possibility that you are simply piling on too much
emulsion so that some of it washes off. I've never seen VDB lighten in the
fix, but in any event it darkens quite dramatically in the drying. If
yours doesn't, we're talking about radically different effects &
I haven't a clue....
Please let us know when you figure it out....
Judy
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