Re: Back-exposing on plastic

Katharine wrote:

> but I think you've missed my point entirely.
> We seem to agree that it's by exposing through the substrate that one
> can get this full and continuous tonal scale that we've all been
> excited about, including myself * * * but the
> transfer method Marek attempted today and the method Dave was
> recommmending requires, apparently, exposing from the top. Since
> one can get a better image exposing from the top directly onto paper
> than you can get exposing from the top onto plastic, my question is,
> what would be the advantage to transferring a less fully tonal image
> to paper than you could get by printing directly onto paper in the
> first place? That was my point.

Sandy added:

> Dave's response was based only on the single transfer method of
> making carbon prints and was misleading.
>
> The correct procedure to attempt for the gum transfer would be, 1)
> expose the gum print from the back, and when dry, 2) attempt to
> transfer it to paper.

Katharine is right, I had not paid sufficient attention to Dave's and
Marek's posts and had misunderstood her question. However, there could be
a good reason for exposing from the top and transferring. It's just that
you would reverse the order of transferring and developing, as in
single-transfer carbon.

If you expose a thick gum layer from the top, such that hardening doesn't
reach the substrate, you will end up with essentially the same exposed
layer that Marek achieved, but it won't be adhered to an abraded plastic
substrate. If you can adhere the "top" surface to a substrate and THEN
develop the gum layer, you should end up with an image like Marek's adhered
to the substrate of your choice. In fact, you should get better detail
than exposing through the substrate because there would in principle be no
(optical) diffusion from the extra spacing and or the frosting of the
substrate.

My instinct would be to use a very thin and strong, but porous, paper to
make what would, in essence, be "gum tissue." The paper would allow better
access to the developing water than would a plastic substrate.

Best regards,

etienne
Received on Tue Apr 18 19:28:16 2006