Hi Steve,
A bit like gilding the proverbial lily, but far be it from me to stand in
the way of artistic expression.
The original waxing formulae in the old books are rather messy and smelly
and are prone to yellow with age. You would be better off investigating
varnishes and sprays avauilable at your local art store. Use a few test
strips to practice on before commiting the final image.
Another method, mentioned in Nadeau's book, which sounds archivally
preferable is to give the Pt print several soaks in gelatin then hardening
this with a dip in formaldehyde or the modern, less toxic equvalent,
glyoxal. The print can then be ferrotyped to a high gloss by squeeging it,
face down to a sheet of very clean plate glass. Do not tape or weigh it
down. The print will dry and the edges lift overnight.
Good luck. Tony McLean.
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