I haven't every tried using distilled water as a matrix cleaner (mentioned in the UVAchrom patent), I use the standard Kodak Matrix cleaner. I do wash my matrices in de-ionized water though. I'll have to try distilled water to see if it works as well as the Matrix cleaner.
Regards - Jim Browning
I'll be curious to hear the result.
Here are all the pages that pertain to dye-imbibition printing from volume 34 of American Photography, "Color Department", written by J.S. Friedman, c.a. mid 40's.
He covers dichromated gelatin matrices (what I'm trying to do), dichromate-bleach matrices and tanning developer matrices; both planographic (Pinatype) and relief style (wash-off) and a whole helluva lot more.
There is also a large section on selecting commonly available dyes, how to purify them, use them, etc.
All told, it's an excellent resource and I hope some will find it useful.
p.s. If anyone is interested I can send them a word file with it all nicely formatted in one document. Just shoot me a PM.
Here are pages 285-288
Here are pages 362-367
(mind the order)
Here are pages 445-449
Here are pages 527-533
Here are pages 609-613
I made a coating of 6% gelatin (grocery store generic brand), 1% sorbitol and 5% McCormick's yellow food coloring (FD&C 5; a.k.a. tartrazine) as an extinction dye.
This produced a coating that is quite orange, somewhere between a yellow and orange b&w contrast filter. I suspect that it will be very good for keeping the relief shallow, and the addition of dichromate will further the stain.
I'll try to post an image soon.
After exposure, it will be etched in hot water (shooting for 115°F), cooled in room temperature water (68°F), cleared in sodium bi-sulfite and then "set" in 91% isopropyl alcohol.
All but the last step are common to the carbon process, but it is recommended by Friedman and others to dehydrate the gelatin relief, thus immediately "plastering" it down on the base. This helps in the all important drying step to limit any exudiate, which basically means no dissolved gelatin will be squeezed out while it dries, leaving gelatinous material that could cause streaks and spotting in the dye print. An alternative to the alcohol is sodium sulfate.
Here's a look at the still slightly wet matrix on photoformulary subbed melenex[sic]. Once dry it became significantly thinner (if you can even tell).
Tartrazine has been the standard "extinction dye" for color-blind matrix materials since the beginning, with Ives in 1914. We all likely consume some of this coal tar distillate every day in the form of yellow 5 of FD&C 5.
This coating is 5% per volume of classic McCormicks food coloring.
Hi Chris - nice coatings! It is unusual to see a 'clear' matrix film, rather than the translucent type with silver halide. Does the Tartrazine absorb UV light?
Regards - Jim Browning