Re: Help with what I believe is a hardening issue

I tried gesso too, but like Katherine had trouble with the gum flaking off.
I now believe this was because I didn't dilute it enough - I still have it
so should try again.

Kate
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gordon J. Holtslander" <holtsg@duke.usask.ca>
To: <alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca>
Sent: Saturday, November 13, 2004 4:23 AM
Subject: Re: Help with what I believe is a hardening issue

>
>
> Has anyone tried sizing with acrylic gesso? I've read many references
> about it, but I have never tried it. It does sound appealling - no
> hardening required ...
>
> Gord
>
> On Tue, 9 Nov 2004, ericawd wrote:
>
> > I am mainly a lurker/gum printer who has learned a great deal from the
list.
> > I could use some advice.
> >
> > I am having the same problem described below by Judy Seigel. I have
come to
> > the conclusion that the problem is the fact that the formaldehyde I am
using
> > is approximately 3-5 years old and is no longer hardening. I have tried
> > every avenue I could think of to replace it locally in Memphis,
Tennessee to
> > absolutely no avail. I used to buy it at a drug store, but one now
needs a
> > prescription in order to purchase it.
> >
> > Purchasing formaldehyde on line takes at least a week. I have a show
coming
> > up and need all the time I can to work on prints. The Formulary only
sells
> > glyoxal. I am a little desperate. I really can't afford losing a week
of
> > working.
> >
> > Some of the questions I have are:
> >
> > I use the shrink the paper, gelatin coating, harden, gelatin, final
> > formaldehyde hardening method. I have several sheets of BFK at the
final
> > hardening stage and really don't want to waste the time and materials.
The
> > formaldehyde used in the third step was very weak. Can I come behind it
> > with a soaking in glyoxal hardener? Or will I drop dead on the spot?
> >
> > Does anyone know of a source for formaldehyde? I have tried the local
> > college, chemical companies (they carry it only in 55 gallon drums and
as I
> > said pharmacies. Is the prescription law a state law or fed law. I
called
> > a couple of places in northern Mississippi but couldn't find anyone who
> > carried it in the first place in order to know if I could purchase
there.
> > Does anyone know if it is a federal law.
> >
> > I am fairly certain of the problem, since it got really bad when I mixed
up
> > "new" solution from the as of now very old formaldehyde. Does anyone
know
> > of another problem that could be causing the speckles. Everything else
is
> > as it was. (There is no pollen in my darkroom-there are no windows that
> > open in my building, being in Memphis it is air conditioned or heated
year
> > round.
> >
> > Sorry for the long post, but as I said I am a little desperate.
> >
> >
> >
> > On Tuesday, May 04, 2004 8:53 PM Judy Seigel wrote:
> >
> > I had taught a gum workshop at ICP about 10 years ago, and a month later
> > got a frantic call from one of the students: Her gum prints were coming
> > out all speckled. She couldn't get any image at all, just speckling. So
I
> > told her to come over and we spent the afternoon, testing her paints on
> > her paper, her paints on my paper, her gum on her paper, her gum on my
> > paper, etc.... Though it didn't happen that neatly, but was some time
> > before we formulated that method. Ultimately it became clear that ANY
> > paints and any gum speckled on her paper. And not on mine. Finally, she
> > had a thought: She'd gone to her home in Vermont and gelatin sized the
> > paper there. While the paper (Rives BFK, BTW) was out all over the house
> > freshly gelatined to dry, she noticed a strange kind of pollen in the
> > air... settling as a yellow powder over everything.
> >
> > She sized new paper in town and had no further problems.
> >
> >
> >
> > Sorry for the long post, but as I said I am a little desperate.
> >
> >
> > Thank you,
> >
> > Candace Spearman,
> > Memphis, Tennessee
> >
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------
> Gordon J. Holtslander Dept. of Biology
> holtsg@duke.usask.ca 112 Science Place
> http://duke.usask.ca/~holtsg University of Saskatchewan
> Tel (306) 966-4433 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
> Fax (306) 966-4461 Canada S7N 5E2
> ---------------------------------------------------------
>
Received on Fri Nov 12 14:06:40 2004