From: Christopher Lovenguth (chrisml@pacbell.net)
Date: 10/12/02-02:35:37 PM Z
For anyone that cares about this I'm starting to find out that
electroplating copper isn't really making the plates anymore durable. The
first couple attempts I tried did make a touchable plate, but what I'm
finding out is that you really have to add lots of copper to the plate to do
this. The problem I'm running in to is excessive coppering is killing my
detail in the image. So I have been experimenting with a weaker solution and
less exposure to the electroplating, etc but nothing is helping. On the plus
side, I really love the tones just a little plating adds to my images. The
plates are more durable if I gilded first with gold. But this is ridiculous
to first gold tone the silver (expensive) and then electroplate with a
cheaper metal. Plus I'm really starting to wonder what these images are
going to look like in a month. Will the copper start to corrode? I kind of
like the idea that maybe they will start to turn green, but at the same time
I know I'll start to lose detail in my image. Also it seems absurd to be
buying such expensive materials like silver plated copper and then turning
it in to a copper electroplated image.
To still figure out a way to make my plates more durable, I'm experimenting
with heating my plates now in the oven. My first attempt did nothing but it
was a slightly copper plated plate. It did do some funky things to the color
and tone of the copper so now I have this whole other avenue to change tone
and color. When it was right out of the oven (400 degrees for about 10
minutes) it was slightly tacky so I thought I had done it. But when the
plate cooled, it was back to its original delicateness. Maybe longer cooler
temp? Anyway that's where I'm at in this objective to find durability for my
plates.
On a side note, does anyone know what might be causing small pinhole size
dark black dots to be appearing on my plates? They just started appearing,
the images are about 3-4 weeks old. Could it be that I didn't fix them long
enough or wash them long enough? I have them under polypropylene film
sleeves and have been taking them out of them every once and a while but
they don't stay out in the open very long. I live in San Francisco so the
humidity is very low so I don't think it's early corrosion, plus my
non-fumed plates do not have these dots appearing.
Any thoughts on this? -Chris
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