Re: Gum problem(s)

On Nov 18, 2005, at 5:59 AM, Yves Gauvreau wrote:

> Judy,
>
> For my first tries with the photoflood I used it in a 10" reflector
> and the
> paper got a bit warm if not hot but for this last try I used it
> without a
> reflector and there was insignificant warming as far as I can see.
>
> To show that what I did may not be as bad as I suggested I could join
> a scan
> of my last try if this is aloud here. (I'll send it directly to you so
> you
> can see for yourself)

Yves,
Attachments aren't allowed to be sent to the list, so the only way to
show images to everyone is to post them on the web somewhere. But I'd
really like to see what you've got, as it's difficult to advise in the
dark, if you wouldn't mind sending me a copy.

>
> Here are the details of setup I used with some observations and some
> comments.
>
> 5 ml of Gum solution (1 table spoon of powder with 30ml of deionized
> water
> which is about a 1:2 ratio)
> 1 to 1 1/2 cm of pigment paste I mix from dry pigment and photo flo
> 200 (I
> didn't measure but I didn't use more then 1.5ml)
> 5ml of saturated potassium bichromate solution ( used good water here
> again)
>
> I coated very thinly a 5" x 7" Fabriano Aristico extra white ( grana
> satina
> hot pressed) 100% cotton and 140/300. I could add that my coating
> wasn't
> that uniform either I think it shows in the image I've attached.

Yves, you don't mention sizing. IME Fabriano Artistico extra white is
one of the growing number of papers that don't print well unsized. (See

http://www.pacifier.com/~kthayer/html/Seps.html

>
> Exposed 20 minutes under a #2 photoflood light (no reflector).
>
> Develop in 3 bath at ~ 68F ten minutes in each (with no agitation
> except for
> a peek at about 5 min for the first 2 baths).
>
> I notice that the pigment/gum in the area outside the step tablet was
> extremely soft and I removed it all by rubbing my finger as delicately
> as I
> could.

Yves, the pigment and gum is very soft and removable while wet, but
should not be so when dry. I'm assuming that you did this rubbing away
while the gum was still wet?

> I assume I shouldn't do that in the future. One may say that's very
> good, you got 7 to 9 steps showing to which I would reply the
> separation
> between those step is close to inexistant and we can hardly read the
> number
> or text because of the texture and staining.. If this was a delicate
> flower
> with lovely details, only my imagination could tell and this is
> certainly
> not what I was expecting but I also saw in my reading that this could
> be
> helped by printing multiple time.

Like I said, this would be easier for me to judge if I could see the
actual thing. Certainly depth of tonal sublety will be improved by
multiple printings.

> Katharine
Received on Fri Nov 18 09:55:40 2005