Re: gum redevelopment

> Chris, I've done this on several occasions when I wanted brighter whites,
> or to clear out some brighter/whiter accents. A little tuft of cotton on
> a sharpened stick can gently wipe away grunge.
> I used just a long soak in water, as my experience was that adding alkali
> or bleach was too crude -- the mark too obvious. A bleach solution, say 1
> part bleach to 2 or 3 parts water, can be great for cleaning up messy
> borders, however.
> Note, BTW, that, if your color is archival, "bleaching" absolutely will
> NOT lighten it. What bleach does is destroy gelatin, and can remove tone
> by dissolving the gelatin size under it.
> Judy

Judy,
     How long after making a print did you do this; the next day, or what?
One coat gum or multiple? Is it a technique you use often, or last ditch
effort? And how successful in softening highlights, as opposed to shadows,
where a thicker layer of gum remains?
Chris
Received on Thu Jul 8 07:48:34 2004