Re: "speckling" v "staining " (was New Orleans/glut)

Judy,

Yes, Rives BFK.

I agree that the term "speckling" can refer to different things. One is,
for instance, an all over grainy speckle that I attribute to such things as
overexposure or overbrushing that ends up leaving little grainy bits of
pigment all over the paper, including the highlights. It looks like a
robin's egg, with tone underneath.

I also have had that speckling with white highlights that you talk about,
that I figured was Rives paper fiber at the very top picking up a stain.
Oh, for a microscope...

Staining, though, can be in the form of a flat tone, when the color sinks
into the highlights and never releases (no grain), or a combination of that
flat tone and speckles in the highlights attributed to both overexposure and
unsuitable size, etc., or whatever reason of choice causes staining (too
acid gum, blah blah blah). So yes, speckle and stain can be different
things, can have different causes, but can occur concurrently.

My point is that a lot of beginning gummists get this speckle/grainy effect,
and my guess is, that with a different paper and different size, this would
not happen.

Maybe Mark could scan and post the speckle??

My guess is, that Rives has little paper fibers that get brushed up and
extend past the size and don't get enough size, OR glyoxal crystallizes
gelatin in such a way, that catches and doesn't release pigment. Why the
latter guess is that my glyoxal coated FAEW hot press also speckled. In
fact, when I go back through my prints I did over the last 2 years (probably
about 500?) I can tell the glyoxal from the glut by feel and look.

I had Mark feel both the glyoxal Rives and the Fabriano AEW and he could
feel the crystally texture of the glyoxal. I also feel that texture with
formaldehyde, when I used to size with it. There is NONE of that feel with
glut either on hot or cold pressed papers. It feels smooth and it acts
smooth. BTW, my formaldehyde used to speckle, too.

Plus, I can go back months later on a glut sized print and soak and remove
layers of gum with a scotch brite pad (thank you Jack Brubaker). I cannot
do that with an unsized FAEW or a Rives sized or not.

Maybe I'm just lucky with glut, because I started out with Ryuji's advice to
use the 6ml of 2.5% per liter gum and it worked.

The only way we can form a justifiable opinion on glut is if anyone using it
reports to the list and we develop a body of knowledge. Don Bryant is doing
so shortly. I hope others trying it will POST.

If the topic of glut's toxicity comes up, remember that both formaldehyde
and glyoxal are very toxic, too. I personally would NOT hang over a tray of
glyoxal as a hardening afterbath any more than I would hang over a tray of
glut.

BTW, I don't want to cast aspersions on Don's sizing method with Rives, as
his paper is perfect looking, flat, non-yellowed, and I think he did rinse
the glyoxal off after hardening. But, Don, did you separately tray harden or
put the glyoxal into the hot gelatin?
Chris

> Judy said: You seem to be using the terms "speckling" and "stain" here as
> meaning the > same thing. But as I use the terms they're distinctly
> different... the "stain" being a fine (although grainy) tone over the
> paper, the "speckling" being larger, possibly irregular but usually
> shinier *specks* of color, more widely spaced, that is there can be
> perfectly white paper between them.
> I've only seen what I call speckling in cases of faulty size, although
> *staining* can be from many causes, such as dispersal agent or other in
> the paint itself, or paper that tends to stain... (as some will always if
> not sized, eg. one particular Arches which I'd have to look up to name).
> And frankly my experience of the experience is so different from what you
> describe, I really do hope that's the explanation.
> The "Rives" here meaning Rives BFK, I assume, not one of the other Rives
> papers???
> Judy
>
Received on Sat Sep 3 09:16:28 2005