RE: Sizing paper with gum and dichromate

Hi Christina,
What is the percentage of your gelatine size solution and how much
formaldehyde do you add to it?

I know you're currently using glutaraldehyde as hardener but, what was
your procedure when you were sizing with combined gelatine /
formaldehyde?

I plan to use 6% gelatine solution and a separate hardening bath. If it
can be made without having a messy & hard to coat gelatine solution, I
would like to learn the way of sizing the paper with gelatine +
formaldehyde in one step.

TIA,
Loris.

-----Original Message-----
From: Christina Z. Anderson [mailto:zphoto@montana.net]=20
Sent: 20 Aral=FDk 2005 Sal=FD 18:06
To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
Subject: Re: Sizing paper with gum and dichromate

Good morning,

I'm late on replying to this post but so it goes at Christmas...

My problem with sizing with gum is this: in order to get the layer hard

enough to be a suitable size, there will be some discoloration with
the=20 dichromate that stays in and discolors the whites, in my
practice. So by=20 experience I agree with kees. If I didn't harden to
the point of=20 discoloration the layer was too soft. I tried clearing
with pot metabi but=20 that whole procedure seemed like so much more
work than just biting the=20 bullet and brushing on a hardened gelatin
size (e.g. two separate wet and=20 dry cycles). Even so, the layer did
not prevent staining.

But I would assume somewhere someone out there has luck with this method
who=20 is perhaps using lighter pigment loads, although my assumption is
also that=20 since this method, quoted in the books long ago, never
caught on as primary=20 practice means it just isn't as good as a plain
old hardened gelatin size.=20 You know what they say about "assume",
though... Chris
Received on Mon Dec 26 05:45:43 2005