RE: Blue-Black Cyanotype & Luster

Recipes, wax suggestions, and a pithy ditty to boot. It was worth the wait!

Thanks Jack. Hope you are out and about for open studios this month.

Mark
  -----Original Message-----
  From: Jack Fulton [mailto:jefulton1@comcast.net]
  Sent: Monday, October 03, 2005 9:46 PM
  To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
  Subject: Re: Blue-Black Cyanotype & Luster

  Flail, flail, flail, flagellate, whip.
  Just take your cyano print and dip, dip, dip.
  Then if it aint right, wail, wail, wail.
  And sip a little nip, nip, nip.

  I've had, Mark, a decent black tone from the below formula numero uno.
  But, that was on cloth.
  That was also a long time ago.
  It is still quite black but rather flat in tone.

  I'm not Mr. Prussian Blue and cannot say these formulae are true.
  My assumption one's results will vary due to the water quality so I'd work
  with distilled H2O for constancy to be the arbiter.

  Then, that nuanced tonal quality you desire.
  Methinks that dark blue to a black might be best achieved with a very good
paper.
  What about a Crane's surface that has some tooth but nearly hot pressed?
  Hey, is Joe Portale still on this list?

  Luster?
  Here's a few ideas.

  Coat it.
  You are in the SF Bay Area.
  EximVaios sells a water based UV protection CR24 matte.
  $65/gallon unfortunately.

  Laminate.
  Charlie Berger has a brand new laminate for digital imaging.
   It looks like the Emperor's new clothes: invisible.
  But it'll add a luster.
  It's called Ultrastable Photo/Art Protection Film.

  Wax.
  There's a lovely English wax called Renaissance.
  It's used to protect ivory, leather etc. and imparts a low sheen.
  Used by Martha Stewart.
  1 oz $7 • 7 pz $26

  Brown-Black Toner for Cyanotype (1)

  Solution A
  1 teaspoon tannic acid in one liter of water.

  Solution B
  2 teaspoons of sodium carbonate in one liter of water.

    Immerse print dry or presoaked, but not just right out of wash water
from being made, into solution A for about two minutes.

  Wash in clear water for about a minute.

  Immerse in solution B for less than a minute and rinse again.

  Put the print in solution A again and watch carefuly. Remove it BEFORE it
gets to the color you want.

  Wash.

  Brown-Black Toner for Cyanotype (2)

  Place dry print in Ammonia solution ( 12.6 ml per liter)

  When bleached, place in Tannic Acid bath (23 gm per liter of water)

  Wash
Received on Tue Oct 4 08:04:16 2005