Out Out Damn Wrinkles!

A couple of questions for this learned group of alt photographers.

I have been using the handy Magic Brush and trying double coating to get more
DMax with PT/PD. The paper is Cranes Platinotype.

The paper wrinkles much more when I apply the second coat. I am allowing it
to air dry for 45 minutes between coats. Any suggestions or tricks regarding
how I might reduce the wrinkles—other than tumbling it in the dryer with one of
those wrinkle removing little tissues?

Second, because of the above wrinkles, I am occasionally running into a
second problem when exposing on the NUARC. The vacuum frame sucks everything up
nice and tight—in fact, I am getting a wonderful embossing effect from the nubs
on the rubber apron of the vacuum frame.

I placed a piece of thin, flexible vinyl over the nubs of the rubber base of
the vacuum frame to keep the print from achieving the embossing feature—I am
wondering if I should perforate this vinyl sheet to further improve removing of
air bubbles?

Now, instead of the embossing feature that, though it is kinda cool but
rather distracting with the print, I am occasionally getting a wrinkle that turns
into a really nice crease across the print. I have countered that by very
slowly turning on the vacuum sucker until it looks like the air bubbles are out. So
far, this seems to be working, but I hate to waste any more prints and I do
like the DMax it is giving me with the Magic Brush, which seems to dilute the
PT/PD mix a bit resulting in lower DMax when single coating.

Any suggestions would be deeply appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Best Wishes,

Mark Nelson
www.precisiondigitalnegatives.com
Received on Mon Aug 9 12:14:52 2004