Hi Vaughn,
With this amount of acetone, how long does it take your tissue to dry (taking RH, etc into consideration)? I've always used 1:1, but if it speeds up drying I may give it a go. Thank you.
Also, I noticed visible differences between supports treated differently (more or less sizing, one or two coats, more or less formalin). Hot-dog rolling leaves a relatively rough texture, which I am concerned might create micro-bubbles or weaker points during mating. So even if up to 10% concentration is suggested for gelatin, I prefer two coatings of 4% and roll until the gelatin starts to set and yields a finer texture
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Have you tried pouring a small amount on the support and coating with a copper pipe? You end up with a nice, smooth surface. Smooth surfaces seem to work better.
I size my papers with acrylic medium (hot dog roller). They have a slightly rough surface when dry, but when I zap it in a dry mount pres,. I end up with a very nice, smooth surface.
Hi Vaughn,
With this amount of acetone, how long does it take your tissue to dry (taking RH, etc into consideration)? I've always used 1:1, but if it speeds up drying I may give it a go. Thank you.
One hour in Sacramento, two hours in Eureka. I do not use any material between the negative and the tissue, so I wait a little longer than may be needed to insure that I do not damage the negative. The additional volume also helps (I think -- not tested) to get the dichromate evenly spread around and into the tissue (since I am using a thick tissue -- 1.2 ml of glop per square inch).
Vaughn
At least with LF landscape, a bad day of photography can be a good day of exercise.
Have you tried pouring a small amount on the support and coating with a copper pipe? You end up with a nice, smooth surface. Smooth surfaces seem to work better.
I size my papers with acrylic medium (hot dog roller). They have a slightly rough surface when dry, but when I zap it in a dry mount pres,. I end up with a very nice, smooth surface.
Wouldn't copper mark the paper? Maybe a puddle pusher or even a wine bottle or a Voss water bottle would do the job.
Your post got me to thinking though. I was getting more and more micro-blisters and loss of sharpness in my image (see attached pic) so there was definitely something wrong with my sizing. I also got lots of tiny shiny spots in the dried sizing, which I accounted for the blistering or highlight damage.
In absence of a dry mount press, I tried ironing the dry, sized paper at a low setting, putting a sheet of photocopy paper in between. I just pulled a print from the dev bath and it looks so much better! It's a bit early to say I found a solution, but that might be a big improvement.
No it didn't mark the paper. I keep it nice and shiny. I keep it in a bath of hot water before I coat. A puddle pusher would work, but it should be wider than the support paper.
How soon do you use the paper after its been sized?
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Originally Posted by Andrew O'Neill
