<<I would suggest that your two main problems are the use of 14B gum arabic.
Try 17B. I have found that 14B often leads to staining.
17B on Bockingford paper should get rid of the staining.>>
OK. I'll give both a try. Anyone know of a source of Bockingford paper in
the US? I've never seen it.
<<I am not clear what you mean by powder pigment but you will almost
certainly find improved results using tube water-colours..>>
Cost is the factor here. And, I've actually had better results with (some,
but not all) powdered pigments sans vehicle. I purchase them from Daniel
Smith Co. and they go a very long way at a substantial decrease in cost.
<<As Tom says the gelatine you are using sounds too soft. Dick Sullivan has
the 260 bloom.>>
I suspect this may be the underlying cause of the stain problem and will
acquire and test the harder gelatine.
<<snip>>
<<Incidentally why do you develop automatically
Terry>>
Hmmm. I don't autodevelop exclusively, but I would like to be able to in
some cases without the staining. I like the palette of gum vs. say a C-print
or Ilfochrome and also the handmade aspect. Subject matter sometimes directs
me towards an unmanipulated print. In other cases images beg to be
manipulated.
Thanks for the suggestions to Terry and those who responded offlist to me.
Additional input would be welcome. So far the consensus is that totally
unstained autodeveloped gum prints are indeed rare although apparently
possible. I'll try some of the suggestions and update the list.
Joe