Gum and Solutions

Hello all,

  This is my first time posting here, so a short introduction. I did some
pt/pd and pop printing in college, having an instructor who was into alt.
processes. I had pretty much tossed them aside the last few years because I
was more concerned with just doing b&w silver gelatin. Yeah, maybe I was
lazy, but I was also overworked and didn't have the time needed to devote to
alt. proc. Anyhow, I suddenly find myself without my darkroom, being that I
was robbed and while they didn't steal my enlarger they chose to smash it
into several peices. While I was at a bookstore the other day I picked up an
alt. proc. book and am now a bit exicted over the idea. What seemed tedious
before, now feels like I'm taking even more control over my photography...go
figure ;) I've decided I'll give digital negatives a shot until I can get a
new enlarger in a few months.

Now, one thing I was a bit suprised with was the vast differences in
formulas for this process (gum that is). Mostly in how much dichromate to
use as I've seen everything from 2% to 30% sensitizer solutions. Now,
please correct me if I am wrong here (for I can always use any information
those would be willing to share), but wouldn't a higher percentage solution
print slower than a lower precentage for the same reasons that seperate fast
film from slow film?

A friend of mine owns a woodshop and we're building a light box over the
holiday weekend (easy as cake as long as he manages the wood and I manage
the elctrical lol).

Anyhow, hello to all and I'm glad I found this group. I've had a hundred
questions to ask but they've almost all been answered in the archives.
Probably what I'm asking above has been too, but I couldn't find it.

-David-

*****
Life is nothing but a competition to be
the criminal rather than the victim.
                       -Bertrand Russell
Received on Sun Nov 23 00:10:38 2003