Cyanotypes on Glazed Ceramic Tiles

[Zarraboy]

I was looking for some advice on sizing ceramic tiles for cyanotypes and came across Photo Engineer´s APUG recipe:

10 g 250 BI photo grade gelatin
90 g Distilled Water at RT

Mix and gradually raise to 40 deg C.

Add 5 ml of 10% Chrome Alum solution.

Add a suitable wetting agent if needed if tests show problems coating.

Spread on clean, grease free tile at about 10 - 15 ml / foot square.

Allow to cure for about 1 week.

Has anyone tried this successfully? Is it possible to do the same using some kind of varnish instead?

[Zarraboy]

For those interested, i tried poliurethane varnish without any success.

[michaelbsc]

For those interested, i tried poliurethane varnish without any success.

Do you mean that you tried to prep a surface of poly finish using the gelatin mix without success?

Did you try the gelatin on tiles?

I'm curious. It seems that cyanotype on tile would make a very good base for decorations.

[Zarraboy]

Hi, i tried to prep a glazed ceramic tile with poliurethane varnish but there is no way the cyanotype solution will be absorbed by that. I will now try the formula above. I havent tried it yet because i do not have photographic grade gelatin available.

[Nicholas Lindan]

Making the cyanotype on an unglazed tile and then glazing it might work better.

[alexhill]

Hi, i tried to prep a glazed ceramic tile with poliurethane varnish but there is no way the cyanotype solution will be absorbed by that. I will now try the formula above. I havent tried it yet because i do not have photographic grade gelatin available.

Just use knox gelatin that you get at the grocery store. It is suitable for subbing. I just coated a glass plate with a knox/gloxal layer and it is perfectly transparent. Good luck!

[Zarraboy]

Nicholas, how will the solution stick to the unglazed tile? Alex, transparency is not the issue, is the cyanotype solution uniformely absorbed by the gelatin?

[alexhill]

Perhaps I should have put references with my previous post.

[...]Once the glass is perfect, and dry, you need to pour a warm gelatin, with the Gloxal added to it, over its warmed surface.

Christopher James The book of Alternative Photographic Processes

And just to be sure I just did a test on a scrap piece of glass with cyanotype chemistry and it came out great.

I scrub the heck out of my glass plates with 'Bar Keepers friend" until I get even sheeting. Once they air dry I warm them with a hair dryer and pour apply 15ml of a 40% glyoxal solution to 250ml gelatin (6.5 grams knox to 250ml cold. Swell for 15mins the bring up to 140f for a few mins).

To improve the prints I'd recommend 2 coats of cyanotype chemistry before exposing.

EDIT: Also I have never found a need in my own experiments for photo-grade gelatin in subbing layer. Perhaps PE can give more information on this

[Zarraboy]

Recipe looks good! I will try that on tiles. Thank you!

[Zarraboy]

Alex, where do i find Glyoxal? Is there a more generic name for it?