RE: cyanotype questions

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From: Loris Medici (lorism@tnn.net)
Date: 07/22/03-02:10:20 AM Z


Hi Kate,

> -----Original Message-----
> From: kateb@paradise.net.nz [mailto:kateb@paradise.net.nz]
> Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2003 5:09 AM
> To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
> Subject: cyanotype questions
>
>
> re coating cyanotypes - I always use two very sparing coats
> applied with a hake
> brush. this seems to give a good depth of colour without

The point is using as little as possible sensitizer then. Thanks for the
tip, will try it in the weekend.

> pooling, which causes
> underexposed spots in the final print.
>
> Canson paper is very textured, isn't it? I use Saunders
> Waterford watercolour
> paper, it seems pretty good. I think that's an English paper.

Yes it is. It may be good depending on subject matter, but it is
disturbing when one needs average to high detail... There are not much
fineart paper selections (that I'm aware of) present here in Turkey, I
will try with Felix Schoeller papers also (is there anybody who can
comment?). Will try to find Saunders papers to (I think I know Saunders
- don't they produce the Lustre/Velvet papers for Epson?

> Exposure is always difficult to gauge correctly, you just
> have to get a feel
> for it.

More testing then :)

> Washing: I use filtered tap water, but I always wash in warm
> water for the
> first wash (until the water is clear) and then I soak the
> paper in at least two
> cool baths of tapwater (10-15 mins). I have read that cold
> running tapwater can
> bleach cyanotype. I once left a print in the wash overnight

Interesting, I was thinking to add few drops of a non-indicator stop
bath like Ilfostop PRO in order to prevent alkali bleaching of the
image? What do you (and others) think about it?

> and when I came in
> next day it was yellow - no blue at all! The warm water wash
> seems to reduce
> the risk of staining, which is a problem with some papers
> with cyanotype.

I got ony one stained print so far (it was a test photogram that I
washed inadequately - short time)...

> I'm looking forward to trying some of the toning ideas I've read here

Please share your experiences with us. I too will look for toning
options as soon as I manage to do the classic untoned cyanotype right ;)

Regards,
Loris.


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