From: Clay (wcharmon@wt.net)
Date: 07/22/03-04:34:12 PM Z
>
Having been a beta-tester of sorts for the whole gum-thing, I'll try to
answer where I can.
> <Ed said>Gum: For a typical 8x10 print he uses 10 ml of 14 BAUME gum
> arabic
> and 2 g ammonium dichromate.
Yeah, the dry dichromate thing obviously really reduces the water in
the solution, and allows some very heavy pigment loads. I am still
VERY paranoid about dry dichromate and wear a dust mask and mix over
the sink so any spills can be washed away. Remember that you will want
to alter the amount of dichromate depending on the contrast and speed
you desire in particular coat you want to lay down. More dichromate
means faster exposure times and lower contrast. Less dichromate means
more contrast and slower exposure times, all other things being equal,
which of course they aren't for any given coat will probably also have
the variable of pigment color thrown in as well. A test strip is always
a good idea if you're uncertain.
>
> This I found interesting: that he uses dry dichromate. This was done
> in
> former times, too, and included in that weird patent I posted before
> APIS. A
> must-try.
>
> <Ed said>He also adds one drop of Raphael's Miracle
> Muck per 2 ml gum (in this case 5 drops) to eliminate flaking.
This exact amount doesn't seem to be critical. I use the 'glug' method,
since the undiluted Muck is so viscous it is difficult to measure a
drop accurately. I use one tipped-over bottle 'glug' per 10ml of gum.
Stuart dilutes his 1:1 so it is easier to measure (DOH! of course)
Recently, Kerik has eliminated the Muck with no apparent ill effects.
This may eventually prove to be just some salt thrown over the shoulder
for "good gum luck"
>
> For some reason, my proportions are different: I have 1 drop per 1 ml
> of
> gum; am I wrong here?
1 drop of Muck diluted 1:1 per ml would be about right. Or 1 drop per
2ml if undiluted. Or one glug per 10ml. Or maybe none at all. And don't
forget the Everclear. I have been putting about one dropper "shoot" per
10ml. It really smooths the coating out a lot.
>
> <Ed said>Coating: Stuart coats gum with a 6 inch foam paint roller. He
> stated that foam rollers are widely reported to not work with gum.
>
The roller is really something with this technique. You gotta try it.
And I must re-iterate what Stuart said in his talk before the
inevitable gum war erupts: He is saying his method is ONE way of doing
it. Not THE way, or anything like that. We know it works in Saharan
Santa Fe, Picturesque Placerville and Humid Houston equally well. It
delivers on its promise of big pigment loads that don't flake. If that
doesn't suit your style, no worries.
Smoothly,
Clay
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