Re: Coating machine adhesive mount paper.

Not quite John,

The problem is that those type of machines cost in the quarter million
range and perhaps some could be had for $100,000.00 so I would not pay for
the machine for until 50 years of sales. Early on I did some serious
shopping for a machine to no avail. Most of these machines run at speeds of
1000 feet a minute and run over drying drums. Gelatin is coated warm and
then has to cool to set and then air dry. Autotypes machines do dry the
gelatin with heat before spooling up and I think this accounts for their
very thin coating. Thicker gelatin coatings will not tolerate that kind of
abuse.

There are small on-site wall paper paste coating machines that look like
they could be adapted for personal work.

My machine is quite primitive based on a double reversed shear roller
system with what I think are some innovations -- no patent -- trade secret.

Right now I can make 20 feet of 36 inch wide tissue in one run. I am
modifying the machine as soon as the weather warms up to handle 100 feet in
a run. If the story can be believed, the abortive attempt for Polaroid to
make carbon tissue a few years ago was a vertical machine based on
traditional designs that ran 4 stories high.

At this point in the marketing cycle, carbon tissue needs to be thought of
as an artisan made product. Once we get to the level of selling a thousand
sq meters a day we can think about a computer driven machine.<grin -- don't
I wish!>

One can make prints by making ones own tissue. The reason I think it has
not taken off is the fact that if one is going to teach a 4 day class with
10 students and each student will be making 10 8x10 prints in an 8 hour day
you are going to need 200 sq feet of tissue. Since the tissue is made on
flat level glass this involves a lot more space than most facilities have
and it is just too much of a chore for the teacher to make the tissue ahead
of time. If it is done as part of the class you will spend two days making
tissue for 2 days of printing, if the space is available.

I do encourage folks to learn how to make their own tissue. I think it
lends a sense of independence to the person making the prints.

I think some of the people here that are also on the carbon list can a test
to the agony I put them through for the last 2 1/2 years with my constant
moaning and groaning.

--Dick

At 12:02 PM 3/7/2004, you wrote:

> I was scanning the internet for photo adheasive paper and came
>across this site. If nothing else, the pictures of the coating machine
>are interesting. I wonder how it compares with Dick's?
> For those interested this company sells hot mounting adheasive
>paper direct and from what I have seen it is very reasonably priced..
>
>http://www.dkgroup.com/display/cust_coating/cust_coating_detail.cgi?id_num=1
>
>
>John Cremati
Received on Sun Mar 7 13:56:03 2004