Tag: non silver

Looking for step #3 in the third set

November 12, 2012

davidh47-blog asked: Hello Tony,I really like your work and your openness. Thank you. In part 2 of printing the negative you say that you expose and develop until you see a slight density in step 8. However in part 3 you expose and develop for slight density in step 3. How do you measure this if you have previously fully exposed that step (or am I being stupid :?) ) . Once again, thank you for sharing. David

Excellent question.  While the print is developing and still wet, I hang the print from one corner and inspect the step tablet.  In areas of exposed gum, the print is glossy and where the print releases the gum the print has a more matte surface (usually within about 30 second–be careful not to let the print dry too much until you’re ready to finish developing).  I look at the print from an angle where I can see the light reflected.  Hope this helps.  Tony

Stouffer step equivalents

August 13, 2012

ivantheboneless-blog asked: Hi Tony – I have an involved question and it might be more time then you have to answer, but I will ask it anyways. If it’s too much to answer – no worries. I am so confused about the curves. Did you make 100 squares of percentages from black to white, print it out on your inkjet printer and then visually equated the values to your stouffer scale? So that step #2 on the stouffer scale equals the 16th value of gray on your inkjet scale?

I did make squares of percentages, but 50 squares (at 2% intervals) instead of 100.  I then printed it out on the Pictorico, OHP Transparency film using my Epson 1400 printer with the Clarion Inks.  I used a Densitometer to measure each square to get a numerical value of the percentage of black ink that was equivalent to the numerical value measure from the the Stouffer step guide using the Densitometer.  So, yes 16% of black ink is equivalent to step #2 on the Stouffer step guide.  Before I had the Densitometer, I just “eyeballed” it by using a couple of index cards with a hole punched in each to isolate and compare the different ink squares with the Stouffer steps to try and find the match by eye.  Not ideal but it puts you in the ballpark.

Preshrinking paper

June 25, 2012

bufetslow-blog asked: hiI am very surprised by your gum bichromate photography and wanted to know what a paper you use and how to build Preshrinking paper

Thank.  The paper I use is the 250 gram Rives BFK.  For preshrinking: I boil water enough to fill a tray a place the paper in the hot water one sheet at a time.  After 10-15 minutes I flip the stack of paper over and remove each sheet individually (first in first out) and hang by clothespins on two corners. You can check out my February 07, 2012 post “Sizing the Paper” for detailed description on my sizing paper process.

Step tablets

April 23, 2012

pleasekillmenowforiamworthless asked: Hi, I am a student at Utah State and I am hoping you can give me a few tips. I have been looking at your workflow for negatives and I am wondering where you got the files for your registration marks and the step tablets? I have been having a hard time with registration and I am looking for a better method. Second, I am using a NUARC machine for exposure, do you have any experience with those units? I am trying to nail down a good exposure time for each layer.

I found the registration marks I use online years ago and I make my own step tablets in Photoshops by combining layers of rectangles filled with different percentages of black ink to correspond to the outputs of my curve.  If you send me an email agonzale@qc1.qc.edu  I can send you TIFF files of the registration marks and step tablets.  I haven’t used a NUARC machine for exposure for gum printing.  However, I tell my students to test and base their exposure times on the steps on the step tablet since everyone’s exposure unit and development method is different.

Workshops

April 23, 2012

akewaldronart asked: Hey man. Your work is incredible. I’m just about to start trying some alt. pro. stuff and you are definitely going to be an inspiration. If you ever do any workshops or anything I’d love to check one out. – Jake

Thanks a lot.  I don’t have any workshops scheduled, but I will definitely announce any that come up. – Tony

Double coating

March 11, 2012

allcolorlightblog-blog asked: wondering about double coating large gum prints with emulsion+pigment…waiting for first application to dry, then recoating. have you ever tried? does it sound like it would work or do you think that the pigment will fall out of the print?

I haven’t tried double coating.  My sense is that it wouldn’t work as the second coat wouldn’t have anything to hold onto except the unexposed layer underneath and would most likely wash out when developed.  Let me know if you have any success.

Multichannel

February 29, 2012

nonetodate asked: On your 1 Nov 2011 post concerning preparing “The Image for Multichannel” you mentioned you adjust the image for color balance (-35 Cyan and ? for Yellow). You also mention that you boost the saturation by 30%. On your 25 Jan 2012post regarding your “Gum Bichromate Workflow 2012” it states the Cyan layer is changed by -25 and saturation is boosted by 30%. Do you still modify the yellow by a certain %? Why do you do this on the image? Do you use the same amounts per ever image? Thanks!

I’m now going with the new adjustments of -25 C and +30 on the saturation and leaving the Y alone.  I modify the image to compensate for how it changes after you apply the Multichannel so that the print ends up having the same saturation and color balance of the original image. Yes, I have been and will be using the same amount for every photograph.

Glyoxal dilution

February 24, 2012

nonetodate asked: I know you said that you use Glyoxal as your paper hardener. Do you use this straight or is it diluted? Also, how many coats do you put onto the paper and is it reapplied after a few coats of the pigment colors have been applied?

I mix up about 20 ml of 40% Glyoxal per liter of tap water and sometimes add ½ teaspoon of baking soda per liter.   I use up to about a dozen individual layers of sensitizer and pigment.   Staring with Magenta, then Yellow and Cyan, each layer takes about 1 ½ hours to coat, expose, develop and dry before I apply the next layer.  I usually work on several prints at a time over the course of two days (aprox. 20 hours or so.)