RE: Homemade POP ??

Robert,

I did an article on this subject in Post-Factory #5. Results resemble
commercial POP, but on art papers. I used only a small amount of gelatin
for a low gloss. Prints are definitely more colourful than salt or straight
SG. I haven't done any more work with it since PF #5, but I'm sure there's
some scope to tweak the formula to get what you want.

Liam
-----Original Message-----
From: Etienne Garbaux [mailto:photographeur@softhome.net]
Sent: 21 September 2004 01:37
To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
Subject: Re: Homemade POP ??

Robert wrote:

> Has anyone heard of making your own POP (printing out paper)? Got any
> ideas about how to do this. I know you can buy POP paper but I'd like a
> matt or semi matt surface and I don't think thats available
> storebought.

I assume you mean gelatin-silver POP. Lots of us make and use salted
paper, and a fair number make albumen paper, both of which are POP. I have
also made collodion POP (commercial collodion POP flourished very briefly
before it was replaced by gelatin).

Probably fewer of us make our own gelatin POP than make albumen, both
because it looks so similar to ordinary silver-gelatin prints (thus, why
bother?) and because relatively few of us have gotten into the preparation
of silver-gelatin emulsions. It is not very difficult to make the chloride
POP emulsion. Coating paper is a bit more challenging. In my case, I want
the emulsion evenly coated over a nice, shiny, calendered baryta layer, and
until recently that was difficult to find. Matte finishes are harder to
make at home -- factories use textured calendering wheels, while home
experimenters must put junk in the emulsion to give it a bit of surface
texture.

There should be several S-G emulsion recipes in the archives. For POP you
want to mix a chloride salt (no bromide or iodide) with an excess of silver
nitrate, including some citrate, tartarate, or other similar organic anion,
then do not wash the emulsion before coating. Be aware that consistency in
S-G emulsions is the result of carefully controlling many variables,
including some that you may not even have identified. To achieve it, make
very careful notes and do EVERYTHING exactly the same every time.

Best regards,

etienne
Received on Tue Sep 21 17:24:18 2004