[pure-silver] Re: Shot of another defective print
- From: "Richard Knoppow" <dickburk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <pure-silver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007 22:04:39 -0700
----- Original Message -----
From: "Eric Nelson" <emanmb@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <pure-silver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, August 11, 2007 9:43 PM
Subject: [pure-silver] Re: Shot of another defective print
I don't mount prints here. The press is hot enough
only to flatten the prints, not to mount them. I wait
till they are just dry, not bone dry, and put them
into the press for 15-30 secs.
After seeing how even with a nice 16x20 arkay dual dri
I and others ended up with wavy edges, I made the
permanent switch years ago to flattening with my dry
mount press and have much better results.
The screens do get washed as well here. Hopefully
Harman/Ilford will want to test these prints
themselves and give us some definitive answer through
their means.
Eric
Please let us know what Ilford discovers.
For flattening I completely dry the prints. I use white
"Kraft" or construction paper as a blotter, actual archival
blotter paper would probably work even better but I've not
tried it.
The key to getting flat prints and good mounting is to
have a flat weight, preferably of some head absorbing
material such as aluminum, but even plywood will do.
The first step is to set the press for a relatively low
temperature suitable for "color mounting" tissue, around
190F. First step is to dry out the sheets of kraft paper or
blotter and the padding if you use it. Place them in the
press for perhaps two or three minutes with the press closed
but not locked down.
Then, make a sandwich of a couple of layers of blotter
or kraft as a cushion, a layer of release tissue, the print
with emulsion side facing the release tissue, a couple of
layers of kraft paper or blotter on the support side. Put
this whole thing in the press. Seal says to close but not
lock the press, I usually lock the press, I don't know if it
makes any difference.
Leave the sandwich in the press for about two minutes,
then take it out of the press and put the whole sandwich
under the flat weight until it is cool. The time will depend
on the material the weight is made of. Even for wood it will
not be more than a few minutes.
When cool the print will be perfectly flat and will stay
that way.
The release tissue is to prevent the emulsion from
drying out too much. Again, the curling and frilling is
cause by the emulsion shrinking more than the support side,
the differential drying will alleviate this.
Fiber prints I have flattened this way have stayed flat
for many years despite changes in local RH from nearly 100%
to as low as around 5%.
Because its done at relatively low temperature and for a
relatively short time I've seen no sights of damage from
heat.
Its likely that equally good results could be obtained
at even lower temperature, I've not tried it.
My press is a Seal Jumbo 250 of ancient vintage.
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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