Re: need advice on gum coating

Yes, got to agree, Dave; in fact I don't always use alcohol at all....only I
find some pigments tend to make a thicker mix and the alcohol tends to
alleviate that.
Kate
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dave Rose" <cactuscowboy@bresnan.net>
To: <alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca>
Sent: Sunday, February 15, 2004 3:29 PM
Subject: Re: need advice on gum coating

> With gum it's nearly impossible to get a perfectly even coating. Your
> sample (unexposed coated paper) does not look so bad. How do your exposed
> and developed prints look?
>
> I've printed plenty of gum (with variations in coating as in your sample)
> with great results in the final print. Even if there are slight
variations
> in the printed image, those tend to be hidden or diminished under
subsequent
> coatings and re-exposures. Some of those slight variations and a bit of
> serendipity can yield truly beautiful results.
>
> I use 3" wide Hake brushes to coat my paper. I quickly lay on the
emulsion
> thick and wet, using up/down strokes followed by side to side strokes to
> even it out. I rarely if ever get an "even coating". But it doesn't
> matter, as the end result is usually excellent. Don't get me wrong, I've
> had my share of failures. Overall, gum is a demanding but trouble-free
> process. I've never experimented with ox gall, photo flo, or alcohol
> because I've never needed to.
>
> Best regards,
> Dave Rose
> Big Wonderful Wyoming
> Alt-Photo gallery:
> http://www.alternativephotography.com/dave_rose.html
> My '62 Willys Pickup:
> http://mvpimages.net/cgi-bin/willys/wtregistryview.cgi?action=view&id=224
>
>
>
>
> > I've read most of the modern books on gum and several of the old
> ones.
> > I can't get any where near an even coating--I get brush marks and uneven
> > spots. I've tried four different brands of gum, four different brands
of
> > watercolor with each. I've added photo flo. I've added ox gall.
> > I used to be a pretty good woodworker but I had the same problem
with
> > varnish. In the end, I solved that problem by using oil finishes
> > exclusively.
> > Anyway, you can see a sample of my paper after coating but before
> > exposure at
> > http://home.comcast.net/~cryberg/index.html. Yes, I see the hair at the
> > top. Is this coating really as uneven as it seems to me? Is there
enough
> > (too much?) pigment?
> > Thanks Charles Portland Or
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
Received on Sat Feb 14 20:36:16 2004