Judy Seigel (jseigel@panix.com)
Sun, 11 Apr 1999 03:58:40 -0400 (EDT)
On Sun, 11 Apr 1999, Sil Horwitz wrote:
> At 99/04/10 06:26 PM -0400, Judy wrote:
> I use a spray lacquer sold in art stores for protecting water colors (and seems
> to be the same as the sprays for photographs sold in photo stores; at least the
> ingredients are the same). Krylon is one brand, but there are others. Better
> than mixing your own and brushing it on. I'd keep away from anything with wood
> alcohol (methyl alcohol), and amyl acetate can affect any plastic materials
> that the fumes might reach. (Incidently, amyl acetate's common name is "banana
> oil" and it is used in imitation banana flavors. It is a plasticizer, and can
> affect many plastics.)
>From the evidence at hand, my guess is that Dick Sullivan is closest with
shellac of some kind -- or let's say that's most interesting to me because
the chimera I chase seems to have been a shellac.
That's from a 1904 Demachy article -- or maybe it was Puyo -- it went into
hiding when I looked for it again, though I remember most vividly the
gist, because it was so tantalizing: a description of the way a gum print
can go pale or wan on drying, and how the Vernis Soehnee (from memory)
brought it back to the gorgeous wet look, *without* gumming up the plain
paper whites. Exactly what I'm looking for. But the only other info on it
was soluble in alcohol.
I've tried in the interim at least 20 varnishes, probably more, they
either look greasy on the pigment area or on the blank paper or both...
Damar, for instance is terrible (not to mention yellow), those glossy
sprays are no use either -- by the time you get enough on to cover
smoothly, it's a glassy buildup... I've tried a few shellacs, but the ones
I had were orange, it's possible that a fine artists shellac exists which
I didn't find -- tho mine was from Kremer, which is pretty good about
things like that. Whatever, it sure didn't look like that dream varnish.
I probably didn't know enough about mixing and applying, which may also
have been part of the problem. I think now whatever it is has to be thin &
dilute... Although it's also possible that Puyo or Demachy were living in
a dream & I wouldn't agree about the varnish anyway.
Hope springs eternal, however -- if I turn up what the Kodalak is I'd try
to give it a try -- tho I think the advice that it's risky has the ring of
truth. And now come to think of it, the same book (Sigismund Blumann) says
mount the prints with rubber cement ! Guess you really can't go home
again...
Anyway, thanks to all for info to date...
(Maybe some French Historian? Do they have them?)
Judy
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