RE: dichromate stain

Kate Mahoney Photography

-----Original Message-----
From: Judy Seigel [mailto:jseigel@panix.com]
Sent: Tuesday, 15 June 2004 4:24 p.m.
To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
Subject: Re: dichromate stain

On Mon, 14 Jun 2004, Christina Z. Anderson wrote:
> That said, I rarely, since switching to the lower dilution am di, feel
a
> need to clear my prints, and, in fact, don't much since Sil Horowitz
said,
> no problem, and since most are of the camp "If you NEED to clear, then
you
> can". With unsized Fabriano Artistico which I am currently using, I
do
> notice more of a tendency to not release dichromate.

Oh brother, or make that sister -- I found otherwise. On tests between
gelatin sized and unsized paper, on some papers the gelatined paper
stained more -- two coats of gelatin definitely stained more.

This might explain why I get staining, as I size with gelatine. Now, I
can Not, just NOT get away without sizing my paper...I have learned not
to try!!!

However, I've noticed (and mentioned in these pages) many variables in
dichromate stain, NOT just length of soak. I mentioned time on the
paper,
& heat & humidity in the room as variables, & have also seen added stain
from stronger dichromate, or a higher ratio in the solution (2 parts am
di
solution to 1 part gum arabic) and from drying coated paper in the
light.

I am using saturated amm.di. and suspect that this is causing at least
some stain. I tried 1/2 strength last year for some tests but as I
didn't have the light at this time, and was using the sun, the expoasure
times were not practical for our climate. "If you don't like the weather
in Dunedin, wait ten minutes and it will get worse."

Definitely the longer I leave the paper before exposing, the more stain
I get.....

Interestingly, in some book or other, the author advised using the
dichromate stain to add density to the image...

Yeccchhhhh....I like my cleared images MUCH better than ones with stain.
I read this somewhere too but don't ask me where.

Still - clearing is so simple and straightforward, that I don't really
care - after all for "straight" printing, I will develop, stop, fix
twice,wash hypo clear, wash, tone and wash again.......so I don't find
that final clearing bath a problem.....

But tell me, if you cleared between coats, say if you decided to add
another layer after you thought you were through with a print, would the
clearing affect subsequent layers??? Someone out there must know this!!
 
Cheers
Kate

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