In a message dated 4/4/06 9:47:50 am, kthayer@pacifier.com writes:
> As an example of the confusion that can result from this practice:, I
> had some correspondence with someone several years ago, who claimed
> to be doing "gum printing" but who said things about how "gum"
> behaves that seemed frankly improbable to me, given my understanding
> and experience with gum. After a number of bewildered exchanges
> back and forth, it turned out that this person was also of the
> opinion that anything that "works" with a dichromated colloid process
> should be called "gum," and that the "gum" he was using to make "gum
> prints" was actually gelatin.
>
> I can't think of any benefit that might be gained by calling things
> "gum" that aren't gum, that could possibly outweigh the inevitable
> confusion.
>
Katherine
There is no need for confusion.
There are a number of plant derived gums from which one can make gum prints
including gum arabic (acacia). PVA has such similar qualities that it
referred to as gum in dictionaries and in industrial use.
You are, of course, free to insist that only gum prints made from gum
arabic should be called gum prints but that is at the risk of being considered
pedantic.
Your correspondent was confused through ignorance. An analogy could be a
student whose gum prints would not work even though he had used the orange
chemical to make them. The orange chemical concerned was in a large Aldrich container
clearly marked 'potassium ferricyanide'.
Terry
Terry King FRPS
RPS Historical Group (Chairman)
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1. An excellent thing is as rare as it is difficult.(Spinoza)
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3. Frustra fit per plura quod potest fieri per pauciora.(Occam's razor or
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Royal Society).
5. If ignorance is bliss, why are not more people happy ? (anon)
Received on Tue Apr 4 06:25:48 2006
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