Re: Was Digital Sucks - spraying varnish

You asked for it so here ya go:

Keep in mind that my methods are a simple variation on the procedure
that Jack Spencer kindly shared. Without his help, I’d have been farting
around much longer trying to get a good coating.

The varnish is water-soluble so it doesn’t stink much. Still, unless you
have a spray booth, it’s best to do this outdoors because of overspray.
We get our varnish from Breathing Color (see Sources below). Talk to
Adam who is very helpful.

The varnish is called Glamour II. There is a Gloss and a Matt version.
We mix 8 parts Gloss to 1 part Matt. We dilute the varnish by mixing
300cc Varnish to 200cc water. Both of these ratios are not sacred so you
might want to play with other mixtures.

We use a cheap wooden easel from Hobby Lobby to prop the print for
spraying. An oversized piece of FomCore holds the prints with push pins
around the perimeter, not actually “in” the print but just outside the
print area to hold it flat. The prints do tend to warble as they get
moist from the varnish.

Though you can brush or roll the varnish onto the paper, for larger
prints it’s much easier to get a smooth, even coating with a spray gun.
I picked up one at a discount store for $28.95 but I’ve also seen good
deals at Pep Boys or other Automotive Parts stores. Here’s a web site
with one just like ours:
http://shop.vendio.com/Brandsonsale/item/853620556/?s=1141729204

They come with different nozzle sizes. The .14” seems to work well.

Of course, you need lots of compressed air to drive the spray gun. Ours
is a 10 gal. 3.5 HP model that we purchased at Pep Boys (my automotive
trade knickers are showing again) for $99.85. Get a long hose ($8.00) so
you don’t have to have the thumping compressor right next to you. Oh,
and invest in a little compressor filter ($12.00) that captures dirt and
moisture. You don’t want a blob of water spraying onto your print.

If you haven’t done any paint spraying, do some research first. You
want nice long, even, overlapping strokes that start and stop well past
the edges of your print. Practice on some junk prints.

A light first coat is allowed to dry and then a heavier second coat is
sprayed and dried.
Make sure you sign/number your prints before spraying because it won’t
come easily afterward.

As you can imagine, the varnish deepens the colors, enhances D-max and
gives a special character to the print surface.

Oh, I’m using Crane Museo Max paper for the smaller prints (12” x 18”)
and Museo for the 20” x 30” prints. The only reason I’m not using the
“Max” for the larger prints also is that the Max only comes in 17” x 22”
and 35” x 47” and we don’t want to cut large sheets right now. And
here’s a personal ad: we have one of the best prices around on 17” x 22”
Museo Max paper at www.danburkholder.com/.

That’s really all there is to it. If I can do it, anyone can!

Hope this helps,

Dan

Sources:
Breathing Color (www.breathingcolor.com) Glamour II Varnish
Pep Boys Automotive: (www.pepboys.com) Compressor and Paint Spray Gun
Crane Paper Company (www.crane.com/museo) Crane Museo Max paper
Hobby Lobby: (www.hobbylobby.com) Easels and FomCore®.
Me: (www.danburkholder.com) Museo Max paper in 17” x 22” sheets

Kerik wrote on 5/25/06, 9:06 AM:

> > Sidebar: if anyone is interested in the varnish specifics (auto paint
> > sprayer, compressor, Varnish brand, dilution, technique), I’m happy to
> > post that too.
>
> Yes, I'm listening! Post on, man.

-- 
www.DanBurkholder.com
www.TinyTutorials.com