Re: dichromate stain

I haven't been reading the list since yesterday because I definitely
needed to take a break and get some perspective, (Chris, where is that
Dichromate Stain Anonymous group meeting? "My name is Katharine and I am
a stainiac") but have a couple more thoughts:

(1) While Chris's idea about just accumulating a list of things that may
possibly cause an effect even if some of them have been ruled out as
reliable effects makes me a little crazy as a scientist, it is probably
not a completely unreasonable thing to do given the unlikelihood of
ever knowing some of these things for sure. I personally wouldn't want
anything on my troubleshooting list that doesn't reliably cause the
effect, but that's just me.

(2) One thing I learned yesterday is that zinc white gouache in two
different brands with two different gums caused dichromate stain every
time. I also learned from handprint.com that zinc white blocks UV below
370. So I guess I would say that this is the first pigment that I've
found, at least in gouache formulations, that probably doesn't work very
well for gum.

(3) I received an unsigned letter about my LensWork article yesterday
that said among other not very intelligent things, "You're full of sh**"
(I censored that for Gordon, not because I can't say it.) That made me
laugh out loud, and I thought, well, how could a person argue with that?
Not that I think that essay is sh**, in fact I'm rather proud of that
essay. But yeah, I think that nonsense about black swans definitely
qualified. When we start talking about black swans we all need to go to
the beach.

(4) I'm in the process of cleaning house and studio and have several,
four I think, tubes of M. Graham lamp black I'd be glad to give someone.
I used to like lamp black but at some point I stopped using it. So if
anyone would like them, give a holler and I'll ship them off.

(5) I have something like 28 windows and 30 French doors to wash.. Catch
you all later,
Katharine
Received on Thu Jun 17 11:46:37 2004