Re: Van Dyke questions
Tom Ferguson (tomf2468@pipeline.com)
Thu, 20 Feb 1997 07:54:17 -0800
My appologies if this is a re-post. My computer software went completely
nuts, and a think this post got lost in cyberspace..... My experience with
hand made paper has been with palladium, not VDB, so take my comments with
that thought.... You (I) can't get as good a D-Max on hand made paper as
you (I) do on machine made paper. I beleive this is because the fiber to
fiber bonds are weaker in the hand made paper, allowing the chemicals to
soak in too far. Using "Hollander" beaten fibers helps a lot (as opposed
to kitchen blender beaten). Adding the size only in the last few seconds
of your mixing helps a lot (I understand that the size can be "bruised", or
damaged in a blender). Also work out a way to put a lot of pressure on
your paper & couching cloths pile for there first drying cylce. I'm poor,
mine is simple a few layers of marine plywood and some heavy duty
carpenter's clamps. I have also found it necisary to double coat. Don't
scimp on the chemicals, I use almost twice as much metal on hand made
paper. As to the amount of size, within normal bounds it doesn't seem too
important. Hope this helps, again please remember that my comments are
only about palladium, not VDB.
tomf2468@pipeline.com
Bruce McCaughey <dcav@unixg.ubc.ca> Wrote:
> <SNIP>Van Dyke prints. <SNIP>
>Question #2 The prints are also not getting a very high dmax to start with.
>I have used the same chemicals on another paper and the dmax is much darker.
>This is were it gets too complex for me. The paper I am using is my own hand
>made paper using rag linters and a liquids sizing called Hercon 70(this is
>an internal sizing not a surface sizing). I have used the recommended amount
>of sizing in relationship to the linter but this was not designed for the
>Van dyke process. The results are OK but could be better. The dmax is not up
>to standard and there is a grainy texture. What I need to know is if the
>result would be better if I added or reduced the sizing. Some sizing is
>required to bind the pulp together during the processing and washing. Does
>the Dmax increase with more or less absorbance into the paper.Is it also
>possible that the Hercon 70 is effecting the chemicals and causing the
>prints to fade.
<SNIP>