Re: oil print success

H i Gord,

>
> For the matrix I used 5% gelatin, (plain Knox gelatin from the grocery
> store) One 7g pack disolved in 140 mls water. Coated 3 coats with
> poly-nylon brush on stonehenge. Let each coat dry before next.
>
> To sensitize soaked sheet two minutes in 5% K biChromate.
>
> Made three test exposures through a pinhole CGP negative, 3 6 and 12
> minutes, and let them dry for a few hours
>

CGP negative, please help an ignorant printer from the continent.
Anyway, I think this figures are not relevant as such, because the
different parameters are unknown like 'what kind of bulb', 'distance
between object and lightsource' etc. What I always try is to have an
'exposure-time-reference' to for example a gumprint (or cyanotype) with
the same negative.
In my case an exposure time of about 50 percent more compared to a
gumprint is a reference.
But as such I have the same experience : too long is as bad as too
short. So I was very astonished seeing the times mentioned in the "Oil
Pigment Prints by Ernest J. Theisen" , up to 30 minutes for
paper-waxed-negatives. But again, there was no reference (but I made
some preparations to try again with such long exposures; keep you
informed :-)

> I "superdried" the papers. Held them over a hot plate for a couple of
> minutes and then blew a hair dryer on them for a few minutes each
>
> Soaked them for 15 minutes, in 20 degree C water. Actually I soaked
> them
> for a minimum of 15 minutes, while I tried inking each test I left the
> others soaking.
>
> Blotted each dry with paper towel - is paper towel a poor choice for
> drying?
>

First drying -both sides of the matrix- with 'something used for drying
windows; absorbing easily water' (do not know the name, but ask your
wife.....)
After that the front with an old handkerchief; after that I wait some
minutes to be sure the surface is not too wet.

> Inked with a sample of black litho ink obtained from the U's print
> department.
>

Again: U's department??? It is of some importance to use some 'litho' -
ink , known as to be suitable for oil-printing, just to exclude a
possible problem of bad-inking.

> Worked the ink on a glazed tile till it was soft, transfered a small
> patch
> of ink from worked ink to the center of the tile with an old cosmetics
> brush
>

If you would stick your finger in a pile of that ink, and the finger
comes out really messy, the ink is too soft :-)

> Inked from this patch with a foam roller, cosmetic brush and small
> stencil brush..
>
> The 3 minute exposure gave the best results. The 6 and 12 minute
> exposures were very flat.
>
> How does the soaking time after exposure and superdrying effect the
> inking? I left the 3 minute test soaking the longest - perhaps 1/2 an
> hour in total. I am wondering if the difference is related to both the
> exposure and soaking time, or one more than the other.
>

I never had the impression that a longer soaking makes things better or
worse.

> Any good techniques for getting ink off the print :) A few spots were
> inked way too heavily.
>
Big areas: spray water over it and use a clean foam roller going
quickly over the print.
Tiny spots with a bit ammonia on an applicator.

> I had much better success making my own matrix this time than I did
> trying
> to use a fixed out printing paper. I tried oil printing some time last
> year using fixed out fibre based paper - likely an ilford, or agfa
> paper -
> don't recall what paper I used. I wasn't able to get any image at all.
>
> Any inking secrets out there :)
>

No, I had the same experience.

> Do you need to resoak the print when inking? If so how often? How
> long?
>

Yes, if the paper starts to curl on the edges , just soak again.
If you want to increase the contrast and do a kind of second soaking,
boil some water and allow the steam to 'cover the image'; go over it
with a clean foam roller and be happy :-)

Succes,
Henk

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Received on 05/30/06-11:48:59 AM Z