Re: unhardened gelatin size for gum

On Fri, 21 Apr 2006, Christina Z. Anderson wrote:

> Ok ok so I bit on the deionized 250 bloom ossein gelatin.
>
> Bought some on the recommendation that using this wonderful gelatin would
> allow me to use it as a size unhardened for gum.

I simply would not say "I told you so," because it's not in my
vocabulary... But I have at odd times since 1998 mentioned that I myself
could not get a continuous tone print on the deionized ossein (which as I
recall Bostick & Sullivan was selling at the time, tho I got mine
airmailed from old Albion).

However, a caveat -- I have seen some lovely gum prints made on unhardened
gelatin, by an assistant of Ernestine Rubin, and as I recall Sarah Van
Keuren has a section by her (name not forthcoming this minute) in her
Non-Silver Manual. There is some staining, the whites aren't ENTIRELY
clear, but the whole works; she's adapted her style and procedure to fit
and they're robust, beautiful gums.

It doesn't convince me to change for *my* purposes, but it does obviate
the blanket pronouncement. But note -- it wasn't that cockamamie Ossein,
but probably GOK ("Good Old Knox), or the equivalent, which (somebody
correct this pleae?) I think is 200 bloom.

On the 3rd hand, I couldn't get a decent contone gum on *hardened* ossein
either.

Judy
Received on Fri Apr 21 14:11:29 2006