From: Baird, Darryl (dbaird@umflint.edu)
Date: 09/24/03-01:09:17 PM Z
Sam, sorta interesting (and distressing news since I am storing some
vast quantities of several papers bought with a grant). Were these
stored in metal or wooden cabinets? I once had an alt-p. class that
used BFK for an entire semester. As we got closer to the bottom of the
paper stack (and the end of the semester) several students previously
good images failed to get the same contrast or clear highlights. We
looked for causes and finally assumed the unpainted wooden shelf was
leaching formaldehyde or whatever was used to make the plywood. I now
use either a good barrier layer of acid free paper or plastic sheets
to stack paper onto.
My oldest paper is only three years old, still a toddler.
Darryl
-----Original Message-----
From: Sam Wang [mailto:stwang1@bellsouth.net]
Sent: Wed 9/24/2003 2:08 PM
To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
Cc:
Subject: old Cranes paper gone bad WAS RE: Van Dykes
Hi Darryl,
Cranes paper USED to be great. The batch I squirrelled away over 10
years ago printed
nicely. But when I tried to use it last week, I found all the sizing
gone: it absorbed
emulsion like blotter paper.
Not just Cranes, Arches did the same thing. Has anyone else found
papers going bad, or
am I the only one having a stash of old paper? (Yes, I know I can size
it, but I would
rather learn to draw on it, or use it to wrap fish, than fooling with
gelatin and
formaldehyde again!)
Sam Wang
> I try to avoid adding sizing if I'm working with a metal emulsion. I
> work to get my coating even, negatives properly dense and work with
a
> stock paper, less steps and less to go wrong... my darkroom can get
> pretty messy
>
> I too am a big fan of Crane's papers, especially 90lb cover in 23X29
> size sheets... no watermark and quite smooth. It's only drawback is
> the color is sometimes too warm for every image, not a problem with
> Van Dykes or Argyrotypes (or similar Kallitype processes).
>
> -Darryl
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