Re: Gum - gelatin sizing or not?

Hi Dwayne,

     This may be old news, because I was gone for the weekend (YES Mark, my
weekend was from wed on!) to Beaufort, SC. What an incredible little gem of
a town--where a bunch of movies have been filmed such as the Big Chill.
Great for pix. I even made it for the shrimp festival!

     Anyway, by now you've received a number of answers. My two cents may
be superfluous.

     I spent all summer working on unsized Fabriano Artistico paper--hot,
soft, and cold press. This was after a semester of working on sized paper
only. It was wonderful not to size, and I wish I could say that I prefer no
sizing, but I don't.

     By far, my prints perform better, more predictably, more snappy, with
cleaner whites, when using sizing, even with a bullet proof paper like
Fabriano Artistico.

     When I got back home after the summer I sized with both glutaraldehyde
and glyoxal, and have been printing both side by side--not an occasional
print, but all told it will be a 100 of each (this semester alone). Neither
has any effect on the graininess of the print. Both hardeners work fine for
hardening the size and keeping the highlights nice and white, and the colors
from sinking into the paper surface. The glyoxal feels more crystalline to
the touch than the glut which feels more acrylicish. I don't use
formaldehyde (yet). I don't worry about staining ever, even if I were to do
many coats, whereas with the unsized paper, that becomes an issue at a
certain point, especially if any scratching is used.

     My only problem with recommending glyoxal is the yellowing that
sometimes happens with it. I am currently testing that, as is Don Bryant,
but that'll take several months (as my paper samples sit outside, in and out
of baggies in the sun, and inside all around the house in and out of
baggies). So far the paper is staying white :)

     My professor Sam Wang does not size. His prints are beautiful. I
would suggest you take a paper like Fabriano Artistico and be sure to shrink
it, and then do a bunch of gum prints with several layers. Then brush size
some hardened gelatin on some more of the paper, print a bunch more prints,
and compare. You'll get an answer that will be tailor made to your
practice.

     Paper choice is absolutely a factor--Rives BFK needs to be sized as it
has no internal sizing, or not much. Pigment choice isn't a biggie, and
print size is not a factor, but I only work up to 11x17 image size.
Chris

. ----- Original Message -----
From: "Dwayne Sandall" <sandall@shaw.ca>
To: <alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca>
Sent: Wednesday, October 06, 2004 10:05 PM
Subject: Gum - gelatin sizing or not?

> Hi all,
>
> Just a quick check in with you more experienced folk. I have heard
> mixed opinions on gelatin sizing for gum. Curious to hear your
> opinions, or is the need more related to paper choice or pigment
> choice? Or does the size of the finished print have a role as well?
>
> Thanks a ton for your input,
> Dwayne
> --
> Dwayne Sandall
> It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is
> because we do not dare that they are difficult." -Seneca
>
Received on Sun Oct 10 15:00:36 2004