From: Christina Z. Anderson (zphoto@montana.net)
Date: 06/13/03-08:38:54 AM Z
Devra,
Lots of questions here and I may not be reading them correctly, but
here goes, and I have a question first for you: why are you using the STEM
formula? I have my James book packed away and can't read up on that
section, but what is the rationale for diluting the mix with water? If you
heed Demachy's advice, the added water would only increase your staining
factor. You're in essence creating a watercolor mix to coat your paper
with, not a mainly gum arabic mix to keep the pigment suspended above the
paper fibers. There are theories abounding on why staining occurs--Demachy
essentially said it was too watery of a mixture or too much pigment to gum,
so you could work with these two factors (lessen water, lessen pigment along
with for SURE changing your paper) and try again.
I do think your first problem is the paper choice, as Katharine pointed
out. Try Rives BFK or Fabriano Uno or Bockingford or Arches Aquarelle.
Sizing methods are too numerous to mention here. You can harden the
gelatin with chrome alum, glyoxal, or formaldehyde; there is also starch,
spray starch, gum arabic, acrylic, gesso, lots of choices and dilutions. It
is best to start with the best paper support first. Rives BFK is so cheap
per sheet that it is not a big deal: $4 for the largest size (29x42 is it?)
makes each 8x10 well under a dollar.
I use registration pins in my contact frame along with a registration
punch. Funny, I've had them so long I have no idea where I got them from.
Generally you preshrink, size, and then coat, dry expose and develop.
Lately I have been experimenting with no preshrink, no size, Rives BFK,
coat, dry expose, coat, dry expose, coat, dry expose and then one final
develop, with a time of exposure of maybe let's say yellow first for 4
minutes (UV) then red for 2 and blue for 2. I have not perfected this what
I call Berger Method (credit goes where credit is due;Philippe Berger is the
one who did it first, but he uses monochrome inks) in the strength of the
tricolors nor the order nor the times of each exposure, but with a duocolor
gum it works perfectly and no problem with registration because there is no
soaking and shrinking until the end and no problem with highlight staining
because the original size in those papers is sufficient. It is worth a try;
test it and report back. I have found my most luck with monochrome gums
with this method to date.
And, as far as diginegs, they work as well with gum as do my $6 each
Kodak direct dupe negs.
Chris
> i started off using potassium dichromate (5ml), gum
> arabic (liquid, from photoformulary) (5ml), and ~1in
> of winston and newton watercolor pigments on soaked,
> but not sized, charcoal paper and got fantastic color
> saturation but a lot of staining and, of course, a lot
> of shrinking (i also have yet to figure out a good
> registration method).
>
> so then i started with different sizings, keeping the
> same STEM. first, i used egg white as per jill
> enfield's book and had contrast issues. way too much
> contrast. ditto for straight up knox gelatine.
>
> i finally discussed this with an old teacher of mine
> and he gave me some paper he sized using knox and
> formalin (but i'm wary of using formalin or glyoxal).
> this paper works beautifully, and it is with this and
> a modified STEM formula (christopher james' thinner
> formula: 10ml gum, 10ml distilled water, 5ml
> dichromate, and ~1in of pigment) that i have had some
> luck. i'd still like, however, to master this issue
> of sizing.
>
>
> my next question regards using fixed-out photo paper
> as a suppor. i've seen this recommended for gum
> printing and also for oil printing and i've been
> interested in trying it with temperaprinting because
> it seems to elminiate the issue of paper soaking up
> the emulsion. when fixed-out photo paper is
> recommended (or used), should i try RC or fiber base?
> what processes, if any, is it an actual appropriate
> support for?
>
> i've seen some discussion in the archives about the
> use of digital paper negatives and i've been
> intrigued. what, exactly, does this mean? is it
> easier than dealing with transparencies? (i'm
> anxiously awaiting the arrival of dan burkholder's
> book in today's UPS shipment.)
>
> finally, i've been toying with oil printing and
> temperaprinting with no luck on either process. has
> anyone here used this processes and what kinds of
> success have you had?
>
> thanks,
> devra
>
>
> __________________________________
> Do you Yahoo!?
> Yahoo! Calendar - Free online calendar with sync to Outlook(TM).
> http://calendar.yahoo.com
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : 07/09/03-08:31:13 AM Z CST