Re: gum printing

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From: Gordon J. Holtslander (holtsg@duke.usask.ca)
Date: 02/24/03-09:19:50 AM Z


Heidi

Can you give us more information on how you size using starch? What do
you use as a starch? Does it need hardening? If so what do you harden
with?

Thanks.

Gord

On Sun, 23 Feb 2003, Heidi Weller wrote:

> Hi Chris
> I consider myself a gummist as well - that is the process I have used almost
> exclusively for about 15 years now. I can't say that I have ever had
> problems with particular colors, but I do stay with certain hues because
> they are a part of the palette I like. I use am. di. too, and a starch
> size, and bisulfite for clearing. I usually print 16 x 20 or 20 x 24 sizes.
> Good luck with your alt course!
> Heidi Weller
> Ashland, OH
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Christina Z. Anderson <zphoto@montana.net>
> To: Alt Photo List <alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca>
> Sent: Sunday, February 23, 2003 5:17 PM
> Subject: gum printing
>
>
> > Hi List,
> > My usual barrage of questions for the week--but hey, at least I post
> my
> > test results, too, huh?
> >
> > Gum questions:
> > 1. Which colors absolutely do not work? I have these notes: hooker's
> > green (washes out), emerald green, and any chromium based colors. I've
> loved
> > the quinacridones in the past...moonglow by D Smith seemed to wash out
> quite
> > a bit but could've mixed it up wrong. Do all whites work OK and has anyone
> > tried a white on a dark paper?
> > 2. Do you use am di or pot di? I learned on am di and am wondering if it
> > is worth it to buy some pot di. Webb/Reed say only use am di if you can't
> > get pot di. Hirsch says use am di. Go figure. I just want to know what
> > you guys use, and I do have the notes from the past about am di being
> lower
> > contrast/muddier but then those saying that isn't the case. Does it boil
> > down to what you are used to?
> > 2a. If you diluted am di to the same percent as pot di would it be
> > equivalent in speed?
> > 3. What clearing agent do you use? I have come across sodium sulfite,
> > sodium bisulfite/metabisulfite, potassium bisulfite, and sulfuric acid 1%
> > solution. Does sodium sulfite truly do the trick so I don't have to
> choke?
> > the metabi literally gives me instant asthma.
> > 4. Has anyone used lemon juice in the sensitizer to insolubilize it,
> > decreasing exposure and giving better midtones? (Demachy, Photo-Aquatint,
> > p. 39).
> > 5. Dare I ask this, has Demachy's stain test been hashed out on this list
> > already or is it worth mentioning? His book is from 1898, before Paul
> > Anderson's 1911. Is it possible to talk this out civilly? If he has not
> > been discussed, I can sum up his test and post it. Considering I've only
> > been on the list 3 yr or so, you all could have been around this block
> > before.
> > 6. How many gummists are there? I know Judy, Dave, Katherine, Joe, but
> who
> > else isn't speaking up? Even part-timers?
> > BTW, why I keep asking questions is I am in the starts of developing
> a
> > "user friendly" alt course as to how I would teach it if given the chance.
> > I did it with experimental. Now I want to with alt. I've figured out I
> > would "hook" the students first by doing easy enlarged negs (paper,
> > imagesetter, ink jet), start them out with instant gratification cyanos,
> > argyros, (then vdb, kalli, salt) to really get them hooked, then get into
> > easy one coat gum with spray starch or acrylic sizing, then teach such
> > things as better enlarged negs, better sizing, etc. afterward, before
> > progressing into the more expensive platinum/palladium/zia. The biggest
> > whines I hear is "it's so time consuming, I can't stand gelatin dripping
> all
> > over, I don't have any good large negs, etc." Kinda like the view
> > camera--forget the zone stuff in the beginning, get them out there fooling
> > around with the camera til they get seduced by the large neg and camera
> > movements, and then go thru the complex stuff. They have to know "what's
> in
> > it for them" first. My philosophy for the day (of course, 10 processes in
> > one semester is probably total overload).
> > Chris
> >
> >
> >
>

---------------------------------------------------------
Gordon J. Holtslander Dept. of Biology
holtsg@duke.usask.ca 112 Science Place
http://duke.usask.ca/~holtsg University of Saskatchewan
Tel (306) 966-4433 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Fax (306) 966-4461 Canada S7N 5E2
---------------------------------------------------------


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